Teaching International Relations Research Articles

Dark Horse Didactics: Design Thinking in the Teaching of International Relations

Teaching International Relations (IR) today takes place in a challenging context. While the international community appears disoriented in formulating effective answers to the overall destabilization of the world of global affairs, students of IR may feel increasingly lost applying their heavily standardized grids of analysis to a confusing and ever-changing realm. In light of significant global challenges like global warming, opening up the syllabi to new and creative approaches seems overdue. In this paper, I provide in-depth observations of an alternative approach to teaching IR, based on the innovation method Design Thinking. The insights are based on two experimental seminar style courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Over the entire duration of the respective course, the students were invited to tackle specific international problems such as migration governance in the Mediterranean, making use of the full creative potential of Design Thinking tools. The hands-on character of the method helped translate complex social or political issues into tangible ones and inspired the students to enlarge their perspective. The positive outcomes in terms of both the quality of resulting work and active student participation show that creative methods, while not in and of themselves able nor sufficient to fully replace more established concepts of teaching IR, can and should play a greater role in encouraging a more hands-on approach to understanding the international context, in which we live.

Floating on uncertain waters: navigating ‘sensitivity’ while teaching politics and international relations in Mainland China

This article gives autoethnographic sketch of teaching International Relations in Mainland China. Attention is given to the issue of ‘sensitivity’, a phenomenon typically associated with Chinese State censorship. The article will however argue that sensitivity is much more complex than a top-down State prohibition on certain topics, arguing instead that it is an opaque and continually in flux phenomenon produced by multiple actors within society. The article will further argue that the surest means of navigating this phenomenon for an academic is to listen to students and use insights gained from them as a means of navigating sensitivity. These insights can provide both further knowledge of how sensitivities are constructed as well as how to safely discuss them – an awareness that can serve as inspiration for critical discussions on political issues. In completing this sketch, the article fills the notable gap in pedagogical literature on Higher Education in China concerning both politics as a challenge to teaching in mainland China, most studies almost exclusively concerning themselves with the challenges posed by cultural Confucianism, and as content, previous studies being almost completely contained within disciplines such as Business Management and Foreign Languages.

Examination of Digital Transformation Reflections in International Relations Teaching: The Case of Turkish Universities

Bu çalışmada uluslararası ilişkileri etkileyen yönüyle dijital dönüşümün, Türkiye’deki Uluslararası İlişkiler programlarının eğitim içerikleri ve öğretim teknikleri üzerine yansımaları incelenmiştir. Çalışma kapsamında Türkiye’nin yedi farklı bölgesinden seçilen 11 üniversitenin Uluslararası İlişkiler programlarındaki dijital dönüşüm eğilimlerinin belirlenmesi için ilgili programların müfredatları derinlemesine incelenmiş, öğretim elemanlarının dijital yeterlilikleri belirlenerek dijital dönüşüm süreçlerine ilişkin deneyimleri görüşmeler yoluyla ortaya çıkarılmış ve dijital dönüşüm süreçlerinin öğretim süreçlerine yansımaları öğrenci perspektifinden ele alınmıştır. Bu kapsamda müfredat inceleme kontrol listesi, dijital yeterlilik anketi ve görüşme formu gibi veri toplama araçlarından faydalanılmış, 35 öğretim üyesi ve 102 öğrenci yapılan anketlere katılmış, beş farklı öğretim üyesi ile derinlemesine görüşmeler gerçekleştirilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgularda dijital dönüşümün Uluslararası İlişkiler program müfredatlarına ve ders izlencelerine yeteri kadar yansıtılmadığı ve araştırmaya katılan öğretim üyelerinin bu yetersizlik konusunda ortak kanaate sahip olduğu belirlenmiştir. Öğretim üyelerinin dijital teknolojileri kullanma becerilerinin ve bu becerileri eğitim-öğretim süreçlerine yansıtma düzeylerine ilişkin algılarının yüksek olduğu, bu sonucun öğrenciler tarafından desteklendiği görülmüştür. Çalışmada ulaşılan sonuçlar incelendiğinde yükseköğretim alanındaki yeni küresel rekabetin teknolojik ve dijital dönüşüme adaptasyon ile belirlendiği 21. yüzyılda Türkiye’deki dönüşüm sürecinin kurumsal düzeyde beklenen seviyeye henüz ulaşamadığı, ders içeriklerinin güncellenmesi gerekliliği konusunda bir farkındalığın olduğu, fakat bu farkındalığın müfredat ve ders izlencelerine tam anlamıyla yansıtılmadığı tespit edilmiştir.

What is The Employability Value of a Degree in Politics and International Relations?

Students entering contemporary higher education have the question of employability at the forefront of their minds, both when deciding which institution to study at and which subject to study. However, the notion of the “employability agenda” is not often welcomed by academics. Focusing on teaching and learning in the UK, this article draws on Daubney’s (2022) concept of “extracted employability” to ask what students of Politics and International Relations can expect in terms of employability outcomes from their degree and how that employability value can best be communicated. Highlighting resistance from academics and students to integrating employability into a demanding curriculum, this article, referencing the 2023 QAA Subject Benchmark Statement for Politics and International Relations, offers a subject-specific employability proposal. This suggestion could enhance Politics and International Relations degrees and be incorporated into institution-wide curricula and student recruitment activities. The Subject Benchmark Statement is utilized as a common understanding of the nature and standards of study in a subject area; one that can be applied in the delivery and promotion of degrees to help answer the call for those delivering Politics and International Relations teaching and learning to be more confident in their articulation of the employability value of a degree in the field.

Teaching International Relations in Indian Universities: Issues and Challenges

Teaching International Relations in Indian Universities: Issues and Challenges

Teaching International Relations in the Philippines: Opening Spaces While Maintaining Traditional Approaches

Contemporary Southeast Asia (CSEA) is one of the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute"s flagship publications. Now in its fourth decade of publication, CSEA has succeeded in building up an international reputation as one of Southeast Asia"s premier academic journals. The aim of the peer reviewed journal is to provide subscribers with up to date and in-depth analysis of critical trends and developments in Southeast Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific region. The primary focus of the journal is on issues related to domestic politics in Southeast Asian countries, regional architecture and community building, military, strategic and security affairs, conflict zones and relations among the Great Powers. CSEA publishes authoritative, insightful and original contributions from scholars, think-tank analysts, journalists and policy-makers from across the globe. The Editorial Committee is guided by the advice of the International Advisory Committee which is composed of eminent scholars from Asia, the United States, Australia and Europe.

Teaching Academic Literacies in international relations: towards a pedagogy of practice

ABSTRACT Academic Literacies elucidates how undergraduate students with diverse skillsets can effectively engage with socially constructed and discipline-specific knowledge(s) through writing. Over the last two decades, language specialists and education researchers have developed a robust, student-focused epistemology. However, it remains unclear how lecturers understand and teach Academic Literacies in their courses. This article shifts the focus by exploring how we – a teaching team in International Relations at a Swedish university – translated the knowledge claims and ideological commitments of Academic Literacies into an applied pedagogy. We employ collaborative, reflective practice to investigate how we progressively integrated Academic Literacies in an introductory, bachelor’s level course from 2010–2019. Specifically, we illustrate how we used formative feedback, peer assessment, and reflective journaling to teach International Relations through academic writing. We conclude with a discussion of the best practices and unresolved challenges of our evolving pedagogical design.

Corrigendum to: The Politics of Teaching International Relations in the Arab World: Reading Walt in Beirut, Wendt in Doha, and Abul-Fadl in Cairo

Corrigendum to: The Politics of Teaching International Relations in the Arab World: Reading Walt in Beirut, Wendt in Doha, and Abul-Fadl in Cairo

A disciplina de “Arte e estética nas Relações Internacionais”: Movimentos teórico-práticos extracotidianos

This article aims to describe the construction path of the discipline “Art and Aesthetics in International Relations”, its objectives and how the interaction occurred in the classroom. To this end, we begin with a theoretical discussion on the role of art and aesthetics in the teaching of International Relations and then we present the structuring and development of the minicourse “Art and International Relations”, which served as a stimulus for the emergence of the discipline. Finally, we will approach how the discipline took place, as well as the students’ perception of it, for this the “open” interview model was applied. This text is based on the action research methodology - particularly on participant observation -, in which the investigation is instrumentalized to understand, develop and improve the practice; in this case, the goal is to improve alternative pedagogical practices in the teaching of International Relations, strengthening the logic of peacebuilding through the arts.

The Politics of Teaching International Relations in the Arab World: Reading Walt in Beirut, Wendt in Doha, and Abul-Fadl in Cairo

AbstractCan International Relations (IR) as it is taught in the Arab world be said to be an “American social science” or is it taught differently in different places? The forum addresses this question through an exploration of what and how scholars at Arab universities are teaching IR and how institutional, historical, and linguistic, as well as political and individual factors shape classroom dynamics in the Arab world. This forum attempts to bring the classroom into the Global/Post-Western debate by showing how IR can be taught differently in different places with a focus on a region under-represented in IR debates: the Arab world. The essays, exhibiting diversity in pedagogical strategies and theoretical perspectives, provide a window into how the “international” is perceived and taught locally by teachers and students in various Arab contexts. While the influence from the American “core” of the discipline is obvious, the forum documents how the theoretical and conceptual foundations of IR based on Western perspectives and history do not travel intact. The essays collectively provide evidence of different kinds of IRs not just across but also within regions and show that studying pedagogy can become a way to study how disciplinary IR varies contextually.

Film and Its Unused Potential for Teaching International Relations – Exploring New Possibilities in a Classroom Experiment

The social sciences increasingly utilize film as a teaching tool. This is reflected by a growing amount of publications on the topic, which are predominantly reporting positive results. Incorporating the medium seems to allow for more adaptive and engaging ways of teaching. Judging from the existing literature, however, its application in the classroom still lacks variety. Therefore, this article attempts to fully uncover the plethora of possibilities film offers. Focusing on international relations (IR), it outlines a framework which was developed for an introductory level course, and reports on the practical experiences that were made with it. When designing the course concept, the meta-theory of Critical Realism was used to explore the complex relationship between film, teaching and the subject matter of IR. It is argued that there are at least four educational functions of film which should be taken into account when teaching IR (or other subjects): productive, demarcating, creative and pedagogical. The participating students were supposed to discover and reflect on those functions during the course. Thus, instead of merely using film as a supplement to enhance learning effects, the relationship between film and IR itself functioned as a thematic leitmotif. Combining four feature films, accompanying literature and classroom discussions, this explorative attempt at teaching IR yielded promising results.

The Effect of Using Circular House Strategy on Teaching International Relations Unit on Achievement and Attitudes towards Social and National Studies for Grade 8 Students

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the roundhouse strategy related to teaching international relations unit on grade eight students’ achievement and attitudes toward national and social studies module. The researcher prepared a teaching unit in international relations embedded in the one of the units of national and social studies module taught to grade eight students. The researcher also prepared a teacher’s guide in using roundhouse strategy. The sample comprised forty students in grade 8 at Al- majmaah governance. The students were divided into two groups: an experimental group taught using roundhouse method, and a control group following the traditional instruction. The results showed that there was a statistically significant difference (α ˂ 0.05) in the post-testing results of the international relations unit in favor of experimental group students. In addition, a statistically significant difference (α ˂ 0.05) was found in the post-testing of the attitudes scale in favor of the experimental group. Due to its role in strengthening student's national allegiance, loyalty and acknowledgement of kingdom's efforts.

Scattered and Unsystematic: The Taught Discipline in the Intellectual Life of International Relations

AbstractPrompted by Hagmann and Biersteker's (2014) call for a critical pedagogy of international relations, this article addresses the “taught discipline” of international relations arguing that the field needs a sustained and systematic debate on the role of IR pedagogy. In typical disciplinary stocktaking, scholars focus primarily on the “published discipline” and the “practiced discipline,” leaving a gap in our understanding of a major component of academic international relations—teaching. This article maps the discipline's intellectual system of influence and exchange to demonstrate the attenuated influence of the taught discipline. Then it presents critical questions to initiate a robust debate on the place, purpose, and scope of IR pedagogy. The purpose here is to improve the quality and thoughtfulness of classroom teaching, and to explore the underappreciated potential of the taught discipline as a site of rejuvenation in the intellectual life of international relations.

Teaching International Relations through the Format of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

Abstract Since the early twenty-first century, tertiary education has witnessed a dramatic shift with the rise of massive open online courses (MOOCs). Celebrated by some as the ultimate “democratization” of education, this development has not been without controversy. The main purpose of this article is neither to confirm nor dispel the controversies rather it seeks to critically examine one MOOC to encourage more nuanced reflections about teaching international relations through this new format. The case study presented here is of “MEDIAWARx,” a MOOC offered on edX in the IR field since 2017. This article provides an in-depth view into the pedagogical aims and design as well as the response to and experience of one specific MOOC.

Corrigendum to “Teaching International Relations through Arts: Some Lessons Learned”

Corrigendum to “Teaching International Relations through Arts: Some Lessons Learned”

Teaching International Relations through Arts: Some Lessons Learned

Teaching International Relations through Arts: Some Lessons Learned

Adapting the DIPLOMACY Board Game Concept for 21st Century International Relations Teaching

Background. This article reports on pedagogical experiences of designing and teaching an active learning international relations (IR) course utilizing the classical board game DIPLOMACY, with added game elements and modified game rules to make the game better suited for educational purposes. Aim. Game adaptations include team play, a dedicated peace mediator team, altered win rules and a post-game debriefing discussion on different cultures of anarchy. These elements were designed to overcome a shortcoming that the game approximates a worldview akin to offensive realism, which is not practical in contemporary international relations, and also normatively objectionable to many IR scholars. Method. Teacher experiences designing and modifying the course, coupled with student feedback on the course concept from three consecutive years. Results. Student feedback has been exceedingly positive, with a 4.61 average grade (n = 210 grades) on a five-point Likert-type scale, where 1 signifies poor and 5 excellent. Conclusions. Through game modifications, students turned a game infamous for its backstabbing and breaking of promises into a game that resolves in a mediated and negotiated outcome. The findings suggest that DIPLOMACY can be useful beyond teaching the realist worldview, and adapted to create a more accurate microworld approximation of international relations.

Os desafios da interdisciplinaridade no ensino das Relações Internacionais

This article investigates the application of interdisciplinarity in the teaching of International Relations in São Paulo universities, analyzing both integration between disciplines and correlation between theory and practice. The importance of this study is think International Relations as integrated units between distinct areas of knowledge, rather than as “patchworks quilts”. The article uses data from a quantitative survey.

CiberRI ou introdução aos estudos sistemáticos sobre o ciberespaço no tripé ensino-pesquisa-extensão de Relações Internacionais

This article aims to define the limits and potentialities of studies on cyberspace in International Relations teaching, research, and extension. Therefore, curricular adaptations are suggested, both in the undergraduate and graduate levels of this scientific field, in the light of what is called Cyber International Relations (CyberIR).

Modelling Online Innovation Among IR and Politics Lecturers

ABSTRACTThis article discusses the use of collaborative online technology in the teaching of international relations and politics. Using a case study from Australia, it finds low levels of online innovation in these discipline areas that correlate with broader examinations of technology use in higher education teaching. Themes of time poverty, technical competence, and lack of career reward are frequently cited as barriers to trying new approaches. The data indicate that at present the most common outcome of any aspiration for IR/politics staff considering innovation is that the effort required to incorporate collaborative online learning is not repaid. These findings are meaningful, since the current lack of innovation and the perceptions of staff regarding support for such approaches are at odds with the marketplace pressures staff and their institutions are under. Based upon the data collected and the wider literature on technology adoption, this article proposes a “Technology-Assisted Teaching Adoption Model” (TATAM) that attempts to encapsulate the innovation judgements made by academic staff and the steadily diminishing incentives they feel towards changing their online teaching methods.