IOCM student taking notes

Executive Module

IOCM student taking notes
Image: Rebecca Bück

Our IOCM Executive Module is held each summer term and offers students a unique opportunity to enrich their academic knowledge in International Organizations, Peace and Conflict Studies and Crisis Management through direct engagement with practitioners in the field. This course departs from traditional classroom formats and instead immerses students in real-world approaches by offering first-hand insights into the workings, dilemmas and decision-making processes of international professionals.

Each year, a highly experienced professional from the field leads the class. Through a combination of seminars, hands-on exercises and case-based discussions, students gain a better understanding of what future work in international settings might look like.

In the past, the Executive Module has featured the following seminars:

  • Executive Module 2025

    Title: Peace Operations - Theory and Practice

    Lecturer:

    Sebastian Frowein, UNHCR/UNDP

    Summary:

    This seminar offered a comprehensive introduction to the theory and operational practice of international peace operations led by the UN and regional organizations. Combining academic readings with policy debates and practitioner insights, the seminar explored the evolution of peacekeeping from early monitoring missions to today’s robust, multidimensional deployments.
    Through a mix of lectures, case study presentations and a full-day Tabletop Exercise (TTX), students engaged with core themes such as the Protection of Civilians, the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus, crisis management, and the use of technology in modern missions. Drawing on Sebastian Frowein’s extensive field experience - from the DRC to Yemen, Mali, and New York - the course offered a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it means to work in peace operations today and prepared students for practical challenges in the field."

  • Executive Module 2024

    Title: International Sanctions Regimes as a Tool of Conflict Resolution

    Lecturer:

    Wolf-Christian Paes, International Institute for Strategic Studies

    Summary:

    This module examined the use of international sanctions as a diplomatic tool to influence state and non-state actors. Students engaged with theory and practice of sanctions regimes imposed by the UN, EU and national governments, and critically reflected on their effectiveness and limitations.
    Led by Wolf-Christian Paes, former UN Panel of Experts arms specialist for Yemen, the seminar combined policy analysis with hands-on investigation techniques. In two intensive seminar blocks, students analyzed case studies, discussed real-life dilemmas with former UN experts and practiced investigative methods used to trace weapons, draft official communications and report violations. The course shed light on the shifting landscape of multilateral sanctions in a time of geopolitical fragmentation.

  • Executive Module 2023

    Title: Leading Humanitarian Bureaucracies - Current Challenges and Essential Skills

    Lecturer:

    Dr. Hugo Slim, University of Oxford

    Summary:

    This seminar introduced students to the complex realities of leading a transnational humanitarian organization in today’s rapidly changing world. Drawing on Dr. Slim’s senior roles at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Oxfam GB and CAFOD, the course combined institutional history, sectoral analysis and personal leadership experience.
    Students explored the evolution and bureaucratization of humanitarian institutions, the sector’s shift from war humanitarianism to climate humanitarianism, and the institutional reforms currently reshaping aid organizations. The seminar also provided a deep dive into leadership skills essential for driving strategic change, navigating crises as well as managing diverse teams in complex operational environments.

  • Executive Module 2021 & 2022

    Title: The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE):
    Preparing an OSCE-Asian Conference on Global Challenges and Opportunities

    Lecturer:

    Marietta S. König, Office of the OSCE Secretary General

    Summary:

    This seminar introduced students to the structure, role and distinctive features of the OSCE, with a particular focus on its Asian Partnership for Co-operation. The course combined conceptual learning with hands-on practice by guiding participants through the preparation of a simulated OSCE-Asian Conference.
    Over the course of the module, students explored the OSCE’s history, current thematic priorities and the political as well as administrative aspects of international conference planning. They drafted annotated agendas, developed organizational modalities and assumed practitioner roles including speakers, moderators and rapporteurs. The seminar culminated in a two-part Model OSCE-Asian Conference (MOAC), during which students practiced consensus-building, negotiation and formal documentation in a highly realistic setting.
    Drawing on Marietta König’s extensive professional experience at the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna, the seminar provided students with a practitioner’s perspective on multilateral diplomacy and equipped them with both conceptual knowledge and practical skills for engaging with international organizations.