The aim of this course is to engage with contemporary debates on civil society and globalization, and to explore the emergence and activism of non-state actors in global politics. The course examines the upsurge in civil society engagement with national and international structures of governance and the challenges posed by civil society actors to regional and global institutions in the contemporary global order. Civil society actors have become increasingly visible in international relations and these actors have pushed discussions on a range of issues from human rights to trade liberalization into the wider public domain, increased demands for civil society inclusion in regional and global negotiations, and constructed alternatives to official policy proposals.

The course is divided into two parts. The first part examines the theoretical debate on the concept of a “global civil society”, and explores the meaning of global governance. We will discuss the history of the idea of civil society in political thought and explore how the concept can be understood in a global context. We will then examine the concept of global governance and the relationship between global civil society and state actors (and associations of states) in the construction and maintenance of networks of global governance.

The second part of the course focuses on civic actors and their roles in specific regimes or governance areas. It will examine the resources available to civic actors and the influence potential for civil society actors such as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), social movements, advocacy networks and protest movements to influence global politics. Any assessment of the potential and limitations of global civil society should engage with specific case studies. Hence, in this part of the course we will examine the activities of civic actors in the areas of human rights, landmines, gender equality, environmental sustainability, global economic justice, and religion. Civil society is a contested space and the course is focused on encouraging critical debate and reflection on the discourse of global civil society.