"Initially founded to address the challenges of international armed aggression associated with World War I and World War II, the United Nations (UN) has grown and evolved in significant ways since its establishment in 1945, and is now charged with confronting a wide range of threats, including atrocities, poverty, hunger, disease, and climate change. This international organization—simultaneously a forum for countries to pursue their respective national interests and a mechanism for fulfilling collective goals—has become the centerpiece of world order, playing a pre-eminent role in issues of international peace and security, economic development, and human rights and humanitarian affairs. Over the course of the class students will probe the nuts-and-bolts of the UN system (including a review of major organs and specialized agencies), develop their abilities to analyze UN policies and practices, and connect UN evolution to patterns of change and continuity in international affairs." Application and admission into the United Nations Summer Study program is required to take this course. For more information, send an email to unstudy@newschool.edu