Facilitating Knowledge Sharing on Social Media for Students of International Relations and Conflict Studies in Nigeria

Abstract

This chapter has examined ways of facilitating knowledge sharing for the benefit of students of international relations and conflict studies in Nigerian universities. It is evident that tertiary institutions' students of the 21st Century cannot study now without the use of social media which serves as a platform for information sharing and knowledge production. It is a medium through which knowledge is transferred to users by think tanks and organisations across the world. Given that not only students benefit, people from all walks of life are not also left out as social networks record large number of users daily. This explains how social media serves as data bank for scholars and why students now need to continuously search to find related materials on social media. Using qualitative data the author used observation method in the classroom setting in the University of Ibadan and Wellspring University, Benin City, Nigeria. It should be stated that the type of digital device used by students can as well determine their level of access to the social media in Nigeria. Observations show that social media is very relevant for students especially in the study and teaching of international relations and conflict studies given the number of global courses like new states in world politics, democracy and human rights, post-cold war politics, global refugee regimes, international law problems of peacemaking and peacekeeping, among others which all generate issues on daily basis that need to be shared as relevant academic materials for among students.