Courses & Syllabi
Professor Barnett teaches within the Department of Political Science at Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, and at the Elliott School of International Affairs. Courses and Honors Special Topics Include: Humanitarianism, Progress in World Society, Theories of International Relations, Global Governance, Ethics and International Affairs, The Global Governance of Humanitarianism, Religion and World Affairs.
Global Governance, Fall 2020
This course examines global governance – the creation, revision, and enforcement of the rules that are intended to govern the world. We begin by considering the international order that lurks behind and defines any governance arrangement. The purpose of global governance is to create stability in global relations, further collective interests, and pursue the collective good. SYLLABUS >>
Humanitarianism, Fall 2017
In the name of humanity, over the last two centuries the international community has established a set of norms, principles, and institutions that are designed to alleviate the suffering, and improve the welfare, of vulnerable populations. Human rights. Development. Gender empowerment. Education. Public health. These are just some of the many fields that have this purpose. SYLLABUS >>
Humanitarian Governance and Localization, Spring 2021
Over the last several years scores of international nongovernmental organizations, many of them from the global South, have gathered behind the idea of localization. Localization is a response to a humanitarian sector that is believed to be heavily dominated by Western donors, Western-based IOs, and large Western INGOs. For instance, only 1-2% of all global humanitarian dollars go directly to global Southern agencies. SYLLABUS >>
Progress In World Society, Fall 2020
In the name of humanity, over the last two centuries the international community has established a set of norms, principles, and institutions that are designed to alleviate the suffering, and improve the welfare, of vulnerable populations. Human rights. Development. Gender empowerment. Education. Public health. These are just some of the many fields that have this purpose. SYLLABUS >>
Ph.D. field seminar in International Relations, Fall 2023
This course is an introduction to contemporary theories and debates in international relations. As the “core”; course offered in this field, the intention is to provide a general, but not elementary, overview. Most of the course explores nine traditions in international relations scholarship, five “mainstream and four critical. The primary concern is to examine and assess each approach’s foundational assumptions, method and scope of the problem defined, understanding of the units of global politics, and the relationship between agency and international structure. SYLLABUS >>