Cities have become increasingly visible in the global governance of issues as diverse as climate change, sustainable development, security or health. While there already is a wide research field that accesses cities as sites of policy or norm implementation and contestation (Sassen 2002), newer research has also shed light on the role of cities as agents in forums such as UN summits, transnational regimes and campaigns as well as other formal and informal institutions of global governance (Jakobi & Loges 2021; Gordon 2020). In this regard, also the interaction of city actors within urban networks or public-private governance arrangements has sparked the interest of International Relations (IR) scholars. Despite the observation that cities are often portrayed in this research as ‘frontrunners’ of global cooperation and change (Barber 2013), there are also challenges regarding their involvement in global governance. Not only can we identify persisting barriers to policy and norm ‘travel’ across political levels (Acuto 2010). Also underlying power dynamics within global governance institutions and networks merit further reflection to uncover exclusion mechanisms and question the role of actors within these forums (Hickmann 2021; Bulkeley and Schröder 2012).
Against this backdrop, this Bachelor seminar invites students to advance their understanding of theories and practices of global governance, with a particular focus on the role of non-state actors in complex and decentered contexts of global governance. Students will learn to apply conceptual and methodical tools of IR research (broadly construed) to empirical cases in different issue areas of global governance with relevance for cities. The students will engage with state-of-the art research in IR and related fields and, based on this, develop a sound research framework to analyze a (self-chosen) case study. To facilitate this work, the seminar will combine the self-study of literature and empirical material, with input from academics and practitioners and discussions among the participants.
The seminar is structured in two blocks in January 2023 (13 & 14/01 + 27 & 28/01) plus two preparatory meetings in October (13/10, virtual) and December (20/12, in person, tbc). Participation in all these parts is necessary in order to successfully complete the course. The seminar language will be English, and the students are expected to be able to interact with the other participants and read academic and practice-related texts in English. Furthermore, participants should have basic knowledge of IR theories and concepts (e.g., successfully completed the “Introduction to IR” lecture). To pass the seminar (“Studienleistung”) students will be asked to prepare a short presentation of a self-selected city case for the first block session as well as acting as ‘patron’ for one seminar text. Both elements will be further explained in the first preparatory meeting. Students may additionally write a graded term paper (“Prüfungsleistung”, according to the examination guidelines of their program, either German or English).
In order to receive the access information for the first preparatory meeting, please write an email to nils.stockmann@uni-muenster.de.
Literature:
Acuto, Michele (2010): Global Cities: Gorillas in Our Midst. Alternatives 35, 425-448.
Barber, Benjamin (2013): If Mayors Ruled the World: Dysfunctional Nations, Rising Cities, New Haven: Yale University Press.
Bulkeley, Harriet & Schroeder, Heike (2012): Beyond state/non-state divides: Global cities and the governing of climate change. European Journal of International Relations 18(4), 743-766.
Gordon, David J. (2020): Cities on the World Stage. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
Hickmann, Thomas (2021): Locating Cities and Their Governments in Multi-Level Sustainability Governance. Politics and Governance 9(1), 211-220.
Jakobi, Anja P. & Loges, Bastian (2021): Urbanising norms? Cities as local amplifiers in global norm dynamics on HIV/AIDS policies. Journal of International Relations and Development. Online first.
Sassen, Saskia (2001): The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
- Lehrende/r: Nils Stockmann