From the time of its creation in 1559 by Jean Calvin, the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has continued to grow and develop in a manner commensurate with its longstanding tradition of excellence and its international approach. It has been listed as one of the top 12 research universities in Europe and since 2002 is a member of the League of European Research-intensive Universities.
Teaching and research at the UNIGE benefit from the University's large network of institutional partnerships thanks to which its scientists work closely with researchers from UNEP, CERN, ESO, ESA and NASA. For many years the University has been a respected partner to « International Geneva ». The many close ties and instances of collaboration that exist between the University and governmental and non-governmental international organizations (IOs/NGOs) have proven to be both invaluable assets and a distinguishing feature of our University.
The Global Studies Institute (GSI) was created in 2013 to bring together, under one roof, the Bachelor?s programme in International Relations (BARI; formerly managed by the Department of Political Science and International Relations) and innovative Masters? programmes benefitting from the Universities partnerships with Geneva based IOs and NGOs. The GSI is an interfaculty center and as such draws on the expertise of professors and researchers from the faculties of humanities, law, political, social and economic sciences. Its Master?s programmes attempt to respond to the changes in the production and transmission of knowledge induced by the process of globalization. Against this backdrop, the GSI is committed to developing new research and training programmes in fields such as Global Health and Sustainable Development.
While the ever-more-sophisticated mechanisms and modalities of relations between states (the principal focus of International Studies) remain at the heart of the BARI, the GSI encourages further study and understanding of the role of non-state actors in contemporary multilateralism. Globalization brings with it both the removal of barriers between international and national matters, and the emergence of new forms of governance at the global, regional, national and subnational level. As illustrated by sustainable development, global health and international trade, the intersectoral and transnational challenges of globalization require society to articulate knowledge in new ways. A national perspective has long been insufficient, and in the 21st century the isolated study of the international domain is similarly obsolete.
European Studies provide some of the first toolkits for analysis, albeit at a regional scale, of this superseding of national frameworks and the integration of individuals in a society that could be described as supranational. The GSI is based on the structure of the former European Institute of the University of Geneva and thus examines if and to which extent the lessons Europe has to offer on supranational integration, can be applied to the ever more interconnected world in the early 21st century.
The GSI's ambition is to develop this new field of study, guided by the principles of excellence and openness to the stakes of a rapidly changing world - a world that Geneva as an important hub of multilateral diplomacy and its University are well-positioned to analyze. The Global Studies Institute currently offers a Bachelor?s programme in International Relations (BARI) and four interdisciplinary Master?s programmes designed to enhance concrete decision-making, problem-solving and negotiation skills. In addition, it organizes several summer schools, e.g. on ?Understanding Global Governance? or ?Global Environment, Energy and Risk? as well as conferences related to transnational and interdisciplinary challenges such as ?Business and Human Rights? and Sustainable Development. The University of Geneva is part of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and hosts an interdisciplinary information platform on Sustainable Development (IS@DD, http://cms.unige.ch/isdd/). Furthermore, the University in partnership with UNEP organizes annually an Executive Summer School on Global Environmental Policy to provide professionals with a broad training programme in order to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and professional expertise related to core environmental themes. Against this backdrop, the University is committed to contribute to the science-policy interface to be promoted by the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.
Several researchers and PhD students at the Global Studies Institute are currently pursuing their research on the negotiations of a post-2015 development agenda and related topics including environmental governance, disaster risk reduction and urban settlements. In this context, the University closely cooperates with the Swiss Special Envoy for Global Sustainable Development. Furthermore, the University of Geneva will launch a MOOC course on ?Water Resource Management and Policy? in cooperation with the Geneva Water Hub in September 2015. The University of Geneva's Bachelor's program in International Relations (BARI) is the only interdisciplinary degree program of its kind in Switzerland. It is the result of collaboration between the Faculties of Law, Economics and Management, Humanities, and Social Sciences, within the framework of the Global Studies Institute. BARI students gain greater understanding of the different strategic issues presented by globalization, by the foreign policy of nation-states, and by new actors on the international and global stages such as international organizations and NGOs. They also gain hands-on experience with academic methodologies by producing a research project in the field of international relations.
Furthermore, the GSI designs, coordinates, and promotes Master's programs and research on Area Studies and the challenges of globalization from an interdisciplinary perspective. To that end the GSI brings together professors and researchers from the Faculties of Law, Letters, Medicine, Social Sciences, and from the Geneva School of Economics and Management. We offer a four-semester program leading to a Master's in European Studies, and a three-semester program leading to a Master's in Russian and Central European Studies. In 2015, two new programs will be offered: a Master's in Middle Eastern Studies and a Master's in Global Health.
In June 2013, the GSI launched the Geneva Global Studies Network, a group of universities with a strong interest in international and/or global studies as well as interdisciplinary research, including, amongst others, Boston University, Université libre de Bruxelles, Université de Montréal, Princeton University, Renmin University of China, National University of Singapore and Yonsei University.
Professors of the Global Studies Institute are part of, to name a few, the International Association of Political Science, the European Consortium for Political Research and the Swiss Political Science Association. Yes - Rapport_Gestion_20142.pdf Director, Global Studies Institute ? Prof. René Schwok, Switzerland
Director, Master?s programme in European Studies ? Prof. Sandra Lavenex, Switzerland
Director, Bachelor?s programme in International Relations - Celine Carrère, France
Director, Master?s programme in Global Health ? Prof. Antoine Flahault, France / Switzerland
Director, Geneva Global Studies Network ? Prof. Ludovic Tournès, France statut_universite2.pdf