國立中興大學教學大綱
課程名稱 (中) 國際法律規範與政治(8053)
(Eng.) The Politics of International Legal Norms
開課單位 國政所
課程類別 選修 學分 3 授課教師 譚偉恩
選課單位 國政所 / 博士班 授課使用語言 中/英文 開課學期 1142
課程簡述 Welcome to this seminar. I am Wayne Tan. As someone who has spent my career at the intersection of International Relations (IR) and International Law (IL), I set the course objective both timely and intellectually rigorous for you. We will together move beyond the black letter of the law to investigate the political heart of international legal norms. We are not here to act as lawyers; we are here as political scientists. We will dissect the "legalization" of world politics through a rationalist and domestic-mobilization lens, focusing on why states—rational, self-interested, yet socially embedded actors—choose to bind themselves to rules, and more importantly, why they choose to break them.
先修課程名稱
課程與核心能力關聯配比(%) 課程目標之教學方法與評量方法
課程目標 核心能力 配比(%) 教學方法 評量方法
This seminar interrogates the intricate nexus between international legal norms and the latent political imperatives that modulate the conduct of sovereign and non-state actors. Diverging from formalist jurisprudence, the course leverages rigorous political science methodologies to examine the systemic and domestic exigencies governing legal compliance. Our central inquiry addresses the strategic calculus of resistance: Under what specific conditions do states prioritize sovereign autonomy over entrenched multilateral obligations? By synthesizing International Relations theory with empirical legal studies, we dissect the antecedents and consequences of the global institutional architecture. Students will analyze how domestic institutional mobilization and the structural imperatives of anarchy influence a state’s decision to commit to—or repudiate—the international rule of law. Ultimately, the objective is to cultivate an advanced analytical framework for understanding how power and legal constraint co-constitute the contemporary global order
習作
討論
其他
講授
口頭報告
作業
其他
授課內容(單元名稱與內容、習作/每週授課、考試進度-共16週加自主學習)
週次 授課內容
第1週 Introduction – The Legalization of World Politics

Theme: Defining our terms. What is ”Legalization”?

Key Readings:

Abbott, Keohane, Moravcsik, Slaughter, & Snidal (2000), ”Legalization and World Politics,” International Organization.
第2週 Realism & The Skeptical View – Is IL a ”Cheap Talk”?

Theme: If the system is anarchic, does law matter at all?

Key Readings:

Mearsheimer (1994), ”The False Promise of International Institutions.”

Goldsmith & Posner (2005), The Limits of International Law.
第3週 Rational Institutionalism – Law as a Tool of Cooperation

Theme: Law as a solution to coordination and collaboration problems.

Key Readings:

Koremenos, Lipson, & Snidal (2001), ”The Rational Design of International Institutions.”
第4週 Constructivism & The Power of Norms

Theme: Logic of Appropriateness vs. Logic of Consequences.

Key Readings:

Finnemore & Sikkink (1998), ”International Norm Dynamics and Political Change.”
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2158244019832703
https://www.ejiltalk.org/a-constructivist-theory-of-international-law/
https://utoronto.scholaris.ca/server/api/core/bitstreams/eab48e6a-0bf8-4b4e-9b90-38fdf95bf089/content
https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/wps/gus06/gus06.pdf

第5週 same as above (Week 4)
第6週 Domestic Politics and International Commitments

Theme: Why do governments sign treaties? Credible commitments and domestic signaling.

Key Readings:

Simmons (2009), Mobilizing for Human Rights: International Law in Domestic Politics (Intro & Theory).
第7週 Legal Mobilization – How Citizens Use Law

Theme: My core thesis—law changes the domestic political agenda and empowers specific actors.

Key Readings:

Simmons (2009), Mobilizing for Human Rights (Empirical Chapters).

Dai (2005), ”Why Comply? The Domestic Constituency Mechanism.”
第8週 Regime Type & The Rule of Law

Theme: Do autocracies behave differently toward IL than democracies?
第9週 Methodological Interlude – How to Measure ”Compliance”

Theme: Selection effects and the ”Screening vs. Constraining” debate.

Key Readings:

Von Stein (2005), ”Do Treaties Constrain or Screen? Selection Bias and Treaty Compliance.”

Simmons & Hopkins (2005), ”The Constraining Power of International Treaties: Theory and Methods.”
第10週 Backlash and Withdrawal – The Current Crisis

Theme: Why are states leaving the UNFCCC, ICC or the WHO?
第11週 Human Rights – The Ultimate Test Case

Theme: Why would a state give up sovereignty over how it treats its own people?

Key Readings:

Hathaway (2002), ”Do Human Rights Treaties Make a Difference?”
第12週 International Trade and Investment Law

Theme: Credible commitments in the global economy.
第13週 The Law of War and Force

Theme: Can law regulate the ”High Politics” of security?

Key Readings:

Morrow (2007), ”When Do States Follow the Laws of War?”

Valentino, Huth, & Croco (2006), ”Covenants without the Sword: International Law and the Protection of Civilians in Times of War.”
第14週 Global Warming Governance & Decarbonization

Theme: Collective action and the limits of soft vs. hard law.

Key Readings:

Victor (2011), Global Warming Gridlock.

Bodansky (2016), ”The Legal Character of the Paris Agreement.”
第15週 Group Thinking, Debate, and Discussion: Part 1 (Looking backward)
第16週 Group Thinking, Debate, and Discussion: Part 2 (Moving forward)
自主學習
內容
   01.參與專業論壇、講座、企業分享等產官學研相關交流活動
   02.閱覽產業及學術相關多媒體資料

學習評量方式
In this seminar, the central goal is training you to be professional political scientists in the field of IR. Therefore, the grading reflects the rigor required at the doctoral level.

1. Classroom Participation (50%): This is the most critical component of your grade. A seminar is a collective intellectual endeavor, not a passive lecture. I expect Ph.D.-level engagement: your contributions must be substantive, theoretically grounded, and evidence-based. I have zero tolerance for ’fluff’ or superficial commentary. If your intervention does not advance the scholarly dialogue or demonstrate a mastery of the assigned logic, it will not be considered meaningful participation.

2. Mandatory Preparation (20%): Academic research is a serious vocation. You are required to have thoroughly analyzed all assigned texts before entering this room. If you have not done the reading, do not come to class. Attending unprepared is a profound insult to your own education, an affront to your peers who have done the work, and a violation of professional standards. A student who has not read offers nothing to our discourse; your absence is preferable to your unprepared presence, and this will be reflected directly in your final standing.

3. Research Proposal (30%): You must produce a rigorous research design that employs political science methodology to explain the antecedents or consequences of international norms. This paper must demonstrate the same level of logical precision expected in our weekly discussions.
教科書&參考書目(書名、作者、書局、代理商、說明)
Voeten, Erik. (2021). Ideology and International Institutions. Princeton University Press.

https://ehb.ucsd.edu/pdfs/iril.pdf

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ajps.12687

https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1802&context=cjil
課程教材(教師個人網址請列在本校內之網址)
TBA
課程輔導時間
TBA
聯合國全球永續發展目標(連結網址)
04.教育品質   05.性別平等   12.責任消費與生產   16.和平與正義制度提供體驗課程:N
請尊重智慧財產權及性別平等意識,不得非法影印他人著作。
更新日期 西元年/月/日:2026/02/27 06:24:21 列印日期 西元年/月/日:2026 / 3 / 22
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