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Teaching internationalisation?
Surveying the lack of pedagogical and theoretical diversity in American International Relations
in Learning and Teaching
Author:
Christopher R. Cook
Christopher R. Cook
University of Pittsburgh ccook@pitt.edu
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Abstract
This article contributes to the discussion of internationalisation in higher education in the context of the international relations (IR) sub-field of political science. The field of IR might seem by definition to be ‘internationalised’, but the underlying theoretical assumptions of the field, its social science rationalism and privileging of the unitary nation-state exhibit an American or Eurocentric bias. This Western bias with its emphasis on security issues is then replicated in research agendas and reproduced in higher education classrooms across the United States and beyond. I argue that the way forward to promoting internationalisation partially lies with promoting plurality and diversity within research and in the classroom or what Lamy calls ‘challenging hegemonic paradigms’ (2007).
Contributor Notes
Christopher R. Cook is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. His research and writing has focused on American foreign policy and has recently examined how the U.S. press reports low-intensity conflicts in the developing world. This article stems from his ongoing interest in the pedagogy of international relations, his appointment as International Studies Director and the subsequent discussion of what international studies means in political science and in Johnstown. Email: ccook@pitt.edu