Global Responsibility. Theory and Practice in Law and Politics

3/6/9 ECTS

MA Soziokulturelle Studien Seminar: Politik und Kultur

MA European Studies

Montag, 14.15 Uhr – 15.45 Uhr, GD 203

Responsibility is an important norm in all contexts of policy-making. In a growing number of policy contexts it functions as a cosmopolitan principle reaching out to affected parties independent of their nationality, and giving them voice in own decision-making processes. The principle entails the obligation to re-draw the boundaries of the demos and to reconceptualize the notion of political community. It is already institutionalized in a number of international, supranational and transnational contexts. Comparing these contexts provides important insights into the opportunities and limitations of putting cosmopolitan responsibility into practice. The comparison also highlights that cosmopolitan responsibility is an intrinsically contested principle, which will find it difficult to become globally accepted as a legally binding norm. The class discusses various approaches to understanding the meaning, evolution and importance of responsibility in global politics.

 Certificates can be earned by submitting an essay of 5,000 words. Deadline for submission of a first draft (1,000 words) is December, 31, 2017. The final version is to be submitted until March, 15, 2018. Basic literature will be provided online via moodle.