Courses:

Assignment #1

Review the literature covered so far and identify the key arguments (and authors) in favor of and against the following issues: the extent to which public policy is/should be based on law (as opposed to private agreements) in the domestic and global contexts; the extent to which formation of social movements is based on new forms of identities; and finally, the key differences between western and non-western social movements' approaches to mobilization, goal setting, alliance-building and framing (especially as domestic as opposed to international). Indicate what your conclusions are after the review. During the review, apply your conclusions to any one area of public policy (such as the regulation of the Internet) of your choice.

Assignment #2

Compare the environmental movements in India and the United States through the readings and any other additional materials and answer the following questions:

1. Who were/are the main actors in the movements and which factors explain their salience in respective countries?
2. What is the role played by courts and other legal institutions, as well as the normative language of rights and law, in the environmental movements in both countries?
3. In the two countries, are there key differences between the issues around which social movements mobilize, the strategies that they deploy, and results that they appear to get? If so, why? If not, how?

You must draw on the law cases in the readings and show an ability to analyze them in the context of the broader policy-oriented readings. Remember to construct your arguments cogently, clearly and directed towards your conclusions.

Assignment #3

You are the advocacy director of Human Rights Watch, a major human rights NGO based in New York. One of the most pressing issues that has emerged as a focus of advocacy in recent times is the proliferation of weapons of non-mass destruction (WNMD), consisting of handguns, automatic rifles, hand grenades, explosives etc. More people die as a result of use of WNMDs than from weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) such as nuclear or biological weapons. Irregular armed groups, militia and even mafia have proliferated around the world and private citizens are often responding by arming themselves to the teeth and hiring private security companies, thereby leading to increasing weaponization of civil life. The proliferation of WNMDs, which is causing immense loss of life and threats to security of life and property around the world, is due to several reasons: lack of effective international control mechanisms including norms and institutions that are mandated to deal with them; the increase in the incidence of ethnic and other conflicts around the world that compels groups to arm themselves; the power of the small arms industry which opposes any effort to control their proliferation both on the grounds of ''free trade'' and a "right to bear arms"; and the lack of public awareness of the seriousness of the problem and the consequent lack of mobilization by affected/concerned citizens from around the world.

Your organization has asked you to prepare a memo analyzing the seriousness of the threat that WNMDs pose to human rights, spelling out the possible and the most effective courses of action to tackle the problem (including the constraints if any) and suggesting possible remedies that states, international organizations and other actors could pursue. There are several issues that you must consider including: how serious is the threat posed by WNMDs to human rights? Why has the threat grown unchecked? Who are the major actors involved - the arms companies, the main exporting states, the main clients, the possible regulatory institutions (both national and international)? Is there a degree of public mobilization around this issue already? If not, how does one start a social movement that focuses on WNMDs and where should it get its resources? What should be the priority areas of advocacy for this campaign - which institutions, which issues, which countries, etc should it focus upon? Finally, what possible remedies exist to tackle this problem- technological improvements that make the weapons safer? International laws that outlaw them? International institutions that monitor and regulate them? National laws/policies that discourage export/manufacture of these weapons? Be specific about which institutions, laws etc., should focus on the problem of WNMDs. Your memo should be clear and analytical and address these issues in a logical and sequential manner.

Note: This assignment requires you to perform three tasks:

1. To perform research on the issue area that you have been asked to write about so that your analysis is well-informed; in this case, you have been asked to focus on WNMDs. There is plenty of material on the worldwide web on this topic, but you are free to do extra research as well. You do not have to perform exhaustive research on WNMDs, but you do need to give a sense of what they are, their threat dimension and the roles of different actors who are involved.
   
   
2. You are required to engage in role-playing as the advocacy director of HRW and address a host of issues. Remember to be strategic about your advice and analysis as you are addressing the memo to the Board of Directors of HRW, an NGO with limited resources and an unlimited mandate.
   
   
3. This assignment calls upon you to use all the knowledge and skills that you have gained about international relations and institutions and past examples of citizen-mobilization in providing advice. You don't need to refer to past examples or case-studies specifically, but you do need to be specific about international laws or institutions.