Norms in International Relations: Habits, Laws, and Campaigns (E285)

Course Organization

Time & Location:

Wednesday 16.15-18.00, S1

Professor:

David Sylvan
Office: Rigot 28
Office hours: Thursday 16:30-17:30 and by appointment
Telephone: 022 908 59 42
Email: sylvan@hei.unige.ch

Andrew Clapham
Office: Avenue Blanc 49
Office hours: Tuesday 17:00-19:00
Telephone: 022 908 58 06
Email: clapham@hei.unige.ch

Assistant:

Claire Mahon
Office: Avenue Blanc 49
Office hours: Tuesday 16:15
Telephone: 022 908 58 03
Email: mahon4@hei.unige.ch

Additional information:

See also: http://hei.unige.ch/~mahon4/norms.htm.

Course Description

This course provides an overview of how international norms arise, change, diffuse, and assume legal form. We will begin with a discussion of four general topics: the concept of a norm in the social sciences and law; the relationship between civil society and mobilization; different ways by which desired conduct becomes widespread enough to qualify being characterized as a norm; and reactions to deviations from the norm. (For all but the first of these topics, we will give examples from the abolition of the slave trade.) We will then cover a series of specific topics, ranging from the expansion of norms across domains of application to the role of the mass media and celebrities in norm campaigns. There will not be a photocopy packet for this course; rather, the readings for each week’s class session are available through online journal services (track down journal articles through the library’s A to Z journal search engine) or on the course website. We would like you to come to class with hardcopies of those readings, and such others as may be distributed the week before; for all of these, please read them in advance. Note that the readings for the second part of the course for the most part do not cover any of the particular norm cases that will be presented in class (see below), but are either more abstract or applied to domestic cases. Our hope is that, prior to the class session for each week, you will make some of the connections to international norms yourselves.

For all but the first four weeks of the semester, we ask students to sign up for a presentation/paper. The topic they choose should be a combination of that week's “specific” topic and a particular case of a norm that came (or might be coming) into being. The list of cases includes, but is not necessarily limited to: outlawing of “white slavery”; specification of particular practices as obligatory or forbidden in war; prosecution of war crimes; outlawing certain narcotic substances; restrictions on the use of certain substances in athletic competitions; restrictions on trade in endangered species; restrictions on trade in small arms; restrictions on trade in “conflict diamonds”; abolition of torture; abolition of the death penalty; codes specifying corporations' social responsibility; codes specifying the proper treatment of animals; establishment and enforcement of civil rights as regarding race; establishment and enforcement of civil rights as regarding gender; establishment and enforcement of civil rights as regarding sexual orientation; ending the use of land mines; restricting the use of tobacco; restricting commerce in certain types of fur; establishment of mandatory punishments for drunk driving; and establishment of a registry for convicted sex offenders. A good introduction to some of these topics, though now somewhat dated, is E.A. Nadelmann, Global prohibition regimes: the evolution of norms in international society, International Organization 44,4 (1990): 479-526.

(This last reference brings up the topic of background readings that do not fit into any particular week and which have now been absorbed into (or rejected by) the prevailing literature, but which nonetheless form a part of the intellectual heritage of the subject. A few citations: R.K. Merton and E. Barber, Sociological ambivalence, in E.A. Tiryakian, ed., Sociological Theory, Values, and Sociocultural Change , Glencoe, IL: Free Press, 1963; T.C. Schelling, Micromotives and Macrobehavior , New York: W.W. Norton, 1978, chs. 1, 4; R. Axelrod, An evolutionary approach to norms, American Political Science R. 80,4 (1986): 1095-1111; L. Lessig, The regulation of social meaning, University of Chicago Law R. 62,3 (1995): 943-1045; A. Florini, The evolution of international norms, International Studies Q. 40,3 (1996): 363-89; and M. Finnemore and K. Sikkink, International norm dynamics and political change, International Organization 52,4 (1998): 887-917. Also selections from an interesting ongoing debate: O.A. Hathaway, Do human rights treaties make a difference? Yale Law J. 111,8 (2002): 1935-2042; and E. Neumayer, Do international human rights treaties improve respect for human rights? J. of Conflict Resolution 49,6 (2005): 925-53.)

The week before your presentation, please bring (or, if it is all in electronic form, send) to Claire on the day before the class (i.e., on the Tuesday, during her consultation hours) a small number of pages for the class to read as background for the presentation; we will have these photocopied and distributed before the start of class the next day. The presentations themselves should be brief (not to exceed 15 minutes) and at least semi-extemporized (i.e., do not read from a script); they may include visual elements displayed on the overhead projector or in Powerpoint. As for the papers, they must be turned in the final class session of the course; aim for around 25 pages of text, the core of which is an argument and not simply a recitation of facts.

Practical information. Clapham's office is 49 Avenue Blanc, phone 022 908 58 06, e-mail clapham@hei.unige.ch; office hours Tues. 17.00-19.00. Sylvan's office is Rigot 28, phone 022 908 59 42, e-mail sylvan@hei.unige.ch; office hours Thurs. 16.30 to 17.30 and by appointment. The assistant for the course is Claire Mahon: office 49 Avenue Blanc, phone 022 908 5803, e-mail mahon4@hei.unige.ch; office hours Tues. 16.15 to 18.00.

Course Outline and Readings

Week 1. Mar. 14.
The concept of a norm

• A. Björkdahl, Norms in international relations: some conceptual and methodological reflections, Cambridge R. of International Affairs 15,1 (2002): 9-23. [Note: this piece, like many others in the syllabus, provides a good introduction to the existing literature.]
• J.W. Harris, Kelsen's pure theory of law, in Legal Philosophies , 2 nd edn., Oxford University Press, 2004.
• A.C. Arend, Legal Rules and International Society , Oxford University Press, 1999, ch. 1, pp. 13-45.
• Optional: M. Hechter and K.-D. Opp, Introduction, in idem, eds., Social Norms , New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2001.
• Optional: N. Deitelhoff, “The Transnational Construction of Legal Norms and Institutions: The Interaction of Law and Politics in the Development of the International Criminal Court”, Paper prepared for the Fifth Pan-European International Relations Conference Constructing World Orders, The Hague, September 9-11, 2004, Section: Legalisation and World Politics. Panel 10: Legalisation and Human Rights . Frankfurt, August 2004.

Week 2. Mar. 21.
Civil society, mobilization, and campaigns

• R. Price, Transnational civil society and advocacy in world politics, World Politics 55,4 (2003): 579-606.
• K. Anderson, “The Ottawa Convention Banning Landmines, the Role of International non-Governmental Organizations and the Idea of International Civil Society” EJIL , Vol. 11 No. 9, 2000, pp. 91-120
• M. Glasius, “Expertise In The Cause Of Justice: Global Civil Society Influence On The Statute For An International Criminal Court” in M. Glasius, M. Kaldor and H. Anheier (eds.) Global Civil Society 2002
• Optional: D. Pietrzyk, Civil society – conceptual history from Hobbes to Marx, Marie Curie Working Papers 1 (2001).
• H. Thomas, The Slave Trade: The History of the Atlantic Slave Trade 1440-1870  , corr. edn. London: Papermac, 1998, chs. 23-25.
• C. Goff, “Anti-slavery pioneers”, New Internationalist , 398 March 2007, pp. 24-27.

Week 3. Mar. 28.
Diffusion: coordination, emulation, imposition

• B.A. Simmons, F. Dobbin, and G. Garrett, Introduction: the international diffusion of liberalism, International Organization 60,4 (2006): 781-810.
• R. Higgins, Problems and Process: International Law and How We Use it  , Clarendon Press, 1994, Chapters 1-2.
• Optional: K. Tews, The diffusion of environmental policy innovations: cornerstones of an analytical framework, European Environment 15,1 (2005): 63-79.
• Optional: A.-M. Clark, Diplomacy of Conscience: Amnesty International and Changing Human Rights Norms  , Princeton University Press, 2001, Chapter 2 ‘How Norms Grow' and Chapter 6 ‘NGOs and Norms in International Politics'
• Thomas, Slave Trade  , chs. 26-28.

Week 4. Apr. 4.
Deviants and sanctions

• A. Gouldner, The norm of reciprocity: a preliminary statement, American Sociological R. 25,2 (1960): 161-78.
• E. Anderson, Beyond homo economicus : new developments in theories of social norms, Philosophy and Public Affairs 29,2 (2000): 170-200.
• J. Charney, Universal International Law, AJIL, Vol. 87, No. 4, (Oct., 1993), pp. 529-551
• Optional: M.J. Gilligan, Is enforcement necessary for effectiveness? A model of the international criminal regime, International Organization 60,4 (2006): 935-67.
• Thomas, Slave Trade , chs. 29-31.

Week 5. Apr. 18.
Spillover

• N.C. Crawford, Decolonization as an international norm: the evolution of practices, arguments, and beliefs, in L.W. Reed and C. Kaysen, eds., Emerging Norms of Justified Intervention , Cambridge, MA: Committee on International Security Studies, 1993.
• D.S. Meyer and N. Whittier, Social movement spillover, Social Problems 41,2 (1994): 277-98.
• C.R. Sunstein and M.C. Nussbaum, Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions , Oxford University Press, 2004, Chapter 1 “Introduction: What are Animal Rights” and Chapter 14 “Beyond ‘Compassion and Humanity': Justice for Nonhuman Animals”
• C. Grant, “Origins of the Animal Rights Movement”, The No-Nonsense Guide to Animal Rights, New Internationalist, 2006, pp 11-27.
• Optional: D. Philpott, Liberalism, power, and authority in international relations: on the origins of colonial independence and internationally sanctioned intervention,Security Studies 11,2 (2001/2): 117-63.
• Optional: European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals , Strasbourg, 13.XI.1987

Week 6. Apr. 25.
Victims and criminals

• K.T. Erikson, Notes on the sociology of deviance, Social Problems 9,4 (1962): 307-14.
• E.N. Saunders, Setting boundaries: can international society exclude “rogue states”? International Studies R. 8,1 (2006): 23-54.
• M. Ditmore and M. Wijers, “The negotiations on the UN Protocol on Trafficking in Persons”, Nemisis , No. 4, 2003, pp. 79-89.
• Optional: L.A. Harrison and C.W. Esqueda, Effects of race and victim drinking on domestic violence attributions, Sex Roles 42,11/12 (2000): 1043-57.
• United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime  and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons especially Women and Children  

Week 7. May 2.
Public opinion and the (un)popularity of norms

• K.B. Smith, Clean thoughts and dirty minds: the politics of porn, Policy Studies J. 27,4 (1999): 723-34.
• D. Centola, R. Willer, and M. Macy, The emperor's dilemma: a computational model of self-enforcing norms, American J. of Sociology 110,4 (2005): 1009-40.
• Amnesty International, “Why Abolish the Death Penalty”, When the State Kills: The death penalty: a human rights issue , Amnesty International USA, 1989
• Optional: T. Risse, International norms and domestic change: arguing and communicative behavior in the human rights arena, Politics and Society 27,4 (1999): 529-59.
• Optional: F.T. Cullen, B.S. Fisher, and B.K. Applegate, Public opinion about punishment and correction, Crime and Justice 27,1 (2000): 1-79.

Week 8. May 9.
Multiple levels (domestic and international)

• A. Gurowitz, Mobilizing international norms: domestic actors, immigrants, and the Japanese state, World Politics 51,3 (1999): 413-45.
• D. Ashman, Civil society collaboration with business: bringing empowerment back in, World Development 29,7 (2001): 1097-1113.
• Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises, J. Ruggie, UN Doc. A/HRC/4/35, 19 February 2007
• Steel and Morris v The United Kingdom  (2005) 30 EHRR 950
• Minister of Home Affairs  v Fourie, Constitutional Court of South Africa

Week 9. May 16.
Multiple motives

• M. Weber, Economy and Society  (eds. Roth and Wittich, Univ. of California Press edn., 1978), vol. 1, pt. 1, ch. 1, sects. 2-7.
• R.K. Herrmann and V.P. Shannon, Defending international norms: the role of obligation, material interest, and perception in decision making, International Organization 55,3 (2001): 621-54.
• A. Bone “Conflict diamonds: the De Beers Group and the Kimberley Process” in A.J.K. Bailes and I. Formmelt (eds.) Business and Security: Public-Private Sector Relationships in a New Security Environment , Oxford University Press, 2004
• Optional: K.Alderson, Making sense of state socialization, R. of International Studies 27,3 (2001): 415-33.

Week 10. May 23.
Shaming and shunning

• C. Horne, The enforcement of norms: group cohesion and meta-norms, Social Psychology Q. 64,3 (2001): 253-66.
• L. Blume, Stigma and social control: the dynamics of social norms, unpubl. paper, 2001
• J.H. Lebovic and E. Voeten “The Politics of Shame: The Condemnation of Country Human Rights Practices in the UNCHR” International Studies Q. (2006) 50, 861–888
• Optional: R. Hardin, Law and social norms in the large, Virginia Law R. 86,8, symposium (2000): 1821-37.

Week 11. May 30.
Mass media and celebrities

• I. Yanovitzky and J. Stryker, Mass media, social norms, and health promotion efforts: a longitudinal study of media effects on youth binge drinking, Communication Research 28,2 (2001): 208-39.
• J.W. Busby, Bono made Jesse Helms cry: Jubilee 2000, debt relief, and moral action in international politics, unpubl. paper, 2005
• J. Richter, Holding Corporations Accountable: Corporate Conduct, International Codes, and Citizen Action , UNICEF, 2001, Chapter 1 and Chapter 10
• Optional: A.J. Bush, C.A. Martin, and V.D. Bush, Sports celebrity influence on the behavioral intentions of Generation Y, J. of Advertising Research 44,1 (2004): 108-18.
• International Baby Food Action Network and the campaign against Nestle
• Amnesty International Make a Noise Campaign
• Note: we will show several video excerpts in class, ranging from those produced for the Amnesty International Control Arms Campaign to scenes from feature films.

Week 12. Jun. 6.
Culture and the possibility of conflicting norms

• W.J. Goode, Norm commitment and conformity to role-status obligations, American J. of Sociology 66,3 (1960): 246-58.
• E. Kier, Culture and French military doctrine before World War II, in P.J. Katzenstein, ed., The Culture of National Security: Norms and Identity in World Politics , New York: Columbia University Press, 1996.
• A. Clapham and S. Marks, “Culture”, International Human Rights Lexicon , Oxford University Press, 2005, pp. 33-48.
• D. Kennedy, “The Historical Context: How did we get here?”, Of War and Law , Princetown University Press, 2006, pp. 46-98.
• Optional: L. Hooghe, Several roads lead to international norms, but few via international socialization: a case study of the European Commission, International Organizuation 59,4 (2005): 861-98.

Week 13. Jun. 13.
Conclusions

Summing up

• D. Kennedy, “War by Law”, Of War and Law , Princetown University Press, 2006, pp. 99-164.