Course

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You register for activities through stads selvbetjening during the announced registration period, which you can see on the Study administration homepage.

When registering for courses, please be aware of the potential conflicts and overlaps between course and exam time and dates. The planning of course activities at Roskilde University is based on the recommended study programmes, which should not overlap. However, if you choose optional courses and/or study plans that goes beyond the recommended study programmes, an overlap of lectures or exam dates may occur depending on which courses you choose.

A specialisation course aims to allow students to immerse themselves in the theories/theory lines and empirical issues pertaining to a particular subject area. The course equips students to competently select and argue for the applicability and relevance of a theory/theory line to given issues. The courses offered are based on the Institute's research in the field and knowledge of the highest international standard. The specific subject area of the courses will be described in the activity description.

Current Global and Development Challenges and Solutions addresses various global and development challenges, such as conflicts, questions of justice, inequality, sustainability, and effects for instance on states, markets and civil society.

During the past few decades, global governance has increasingly taken the form of international standardisation, coordination, and policy harmonization. Benchmarks, national reporting, peer review, and monitoring by international organisations are ‘steering’ polities and societies in particular directions that enable greater equivalence across cultures, times, and geography. This process involves the creative translation, adaptation, or resistance at the local and national level, arguably changing behaviours, practices, and institutions.

This course explores the transformation of local and global domains through standardisation, coordination, and ideational flows. It introduces the students to the political processes that enable, shape and undermine the creation, diffusion, translation, contestation, policing, imposition, and rejection of norms and standards, while mapping the relevant actors and arenas. To apply theoretical insights to concrete phenomena, the course studies relevant policy fields, such as CO2 emissions regulations; business and human rights; corporate sustainability; financial regulation; and post-conflict justice.

Course material and reading list will appear on moodle in August 2024 as the latest.

10 ECTS x 27 hours = 270 hours

Estimated based on the following: 10 lectures x 2 = 20 hours Preparation: readings and preparing questions = 120 Group work and excursion(s) to relevant organisations/companies: 25 hours Student presentations + peer feedback exercises: 20 hours Exam: 37 hours preparation+ 48 hours for writing exam Total = 270 hours

The course is evaluated this semester. The students will be asked to evaluate mid-term and by the end of the activity according to the evaluation practice of the study board

The course has three parts, answering the questions of what, how and why.

The first part introduces theories of standardisation and normative change that seek to understand the phenomenon.

The second part studies the global actors, arenas and techniques that steer polities and societies in particular directions and sometimes generate ‘backlash’ in return. This part will inclue thematic sessions where global standards are applied:

a) INTERNATIONAL LAW AND TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE The evolving global standard of transitional justice structures policy responses and academic thinking around how societies deal with past atrocity. Transitional justice comprises criminal justice, truth-telling, reparation and institutional reform – four core elements in a ‘comprehensive’ approach. The standard involves specifications for design, procedure and performance and draws on a selection of seemingly unambiguous international legal norms. Paradoxically, it claims to eschew a one-size-fits-all formula, while promoting uniformity in diverse contexts. It is moreover unclear whether its implementation generates beneficial effects in society.

b) BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS This class is an introduction into the intricate relationship between Business and Human Rights. Through an examination of international standards and frameworks, we will delve into the complexities of corporate accountability and ethical practices. Gain a deeper understanding of the responsibilities of businesses in upholding human rights globally. This course offers an opportunity to critically analyze real-world case studies and contribute to discussions surrounding responsible business conduct.

c) ACCOUNTING, FINANCIAL REPORTING AND THE EVOLUTION OF CAPITALISM Accounting always played a key role in the evolution of capitalism, from the early phases of the industrial revolution to the financialization of capitalist economies in the neoliberal era. In the face of disruptive climate change, new modes of ‘green’ accounting and financial reporting are articulated and contested. In this lecture, we discuss the promises and pitfalls of international standard-setting in accounting and finance, focusing on developments in and around major dislocations caused by recurring financial crises.

The third part grapples with questions of why global governance takes this form and what we possible gain and loose from steering and understanding global governance through standards.

Each class combines theoretical insights with a case study from a particular policy field, e.g. the UN Global Compact. Students reflect on a general point through its concrete application, accumulating knowledge about different cases throughout the course.

• Be able to explain and evaluate, using relevant terminology, the advantages and disadvantages of various theories/theory lines within the aspect of a subject area that is dealt with in the specialisation course

• Be able to confidently and independently evaluate, select and apply relevant theories in relation to an issue

• Be able to reflect critically on the relevance of the topic to the subject matter of the course

• Carry out analyses on a scientific basis and deal in a creative and solution-oriented manner with central issues within the course theme

• Communicate knowledge in language that is technically precise, well-structured and well-argued.

Individual written take-home assignment. The character limit of the assignment is: maximum 14,400 characters, including spaces. The character limit includes the cover, table of contents, bibliography, figures and other illustrations, but exclude any appendices. The duration of the take-home assignment is 48 hours and may include weekends and public holidays. Assessment: 7-point grading scale.

Specific assessment criteria

Knowledge: • Understanding of global governance as processes and techniques of policy universalization, harmonization, coordination, and standardisation. • Understanding of the nature of norms and standards as well as the processes of diffusion, homogenization, and contestation that characterize their spread. • Understanding the role of power and politics in processes of normative spread and standardisation.

Skills: • Ability to articulate what norms and standards are, their relevance for global governance, and how they are spread and policed. • Ability to apply conceptual and analytical tools to concrete examples of standardisation and norms creation and diffusion. • Ability to reflect on the relevance, assumptions, and limitations of theoretical frameworks both on their own and when applied to empirical phenomena.