UNU/IC - Spring 1999
1 February - 12 March 1999
Tokyo, Japan

The Concept Behind the UNU International Courses
(UNU/IC)

Background

The United Nations University Headquarters will offer four six-week pilot courses in spring 1999 (from 1 February to 12 March 1999) with a view to instituting regular courses later as an integral part of the UNU's training and capacity-building activities. The main purpose of the UNU/IC is to train postgraduate students and working people with a college or university degree in Japan and abroad who are interested in working in international fields, in public-service or private organizations, including the UN system, multinational cooperations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as well as national foreign service organizations.

The UNU/IC will analyze global issues in a truly global perspective (both theoretically and empirically) and for this purpose a team of scholars and practitioners will teach each course in a cooperative fashion. The scholars include both in-house and outside people, and most of the practitioners come from other parts of the UN system. This is one of the unique features of the UNU/IC. Efforts will be made to relate the courses to existing UNU and RTC/P research projects. The pilot courses would be sufficiently advanced in nature, though open to graduate students and working people who are not necessarily specialists in the field.

Organization of courses

The four pilot courses offered in spring 1999 are as follows:

• The United Nations Systems: Structure and Activities;
• Environment and Sustainable Development;
• Human Rights: Concepts and Issues;
• International Trade and Dispute Settlement

There will be 12 sessions per course (two sessions per week) during the 6-week course period. The equivalent of another session will be used either for a supplementary lecture or discussion session or a special lecture. The courses will be scheduled on the assumption that the trainees would be spending much preparatory and review time for each course.

There is a board of Scientific Advisers who will review and evaluate the courses, but those people who take the pilot courses will also be asked to submit their own course evaluations for helping the organizers improve the courses.

Learning Outcomes for Participants

The expected learning outcomes for UNU/IC participants include:

• Deep, sophisticated understanding of the subject at a high level.

• Sharpened analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Opportunity to develop research skills through an essay project chosen in consultation with course staff.

• Opportunity to interact intellectually with a wide cross-section of fellow participants from around the world from diverse academic and professional backgrounds.
• Opportunity to interact socially with fellow-participants from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Learning Environment and Facilities

The learning environment and facilities prepared for the UNU/IC include:

• Complementary theoretical and practical perspectives from academic experts and practitioners respectively.
• Guest lectures by leading specialists and practitioners in Japan and overseas, including in the UN system.
• Access to library and other resources of the UNU in these areas of study.
• Close contact with UNU in-house specialists in small-group settings.
• Opportunity to sample life in one of the world's great metropolises.

UNU Certificates of Completion

Certificates of Completion will be given to all participants who successfully complete the course work. Requirements include preparation of one paper for each course consisting of about 5,000 words by the end of the fifth week of the six-week period. Participants should consult with the respective course coordinator/s in selecting the paper topic/s. Certificates of Completion will be awarded on the day of the closing ceremony.

| IC Home | UNU Home |