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Pedagogies of Discomfort: Teaching International Relations as Humanitas in Times of Brexit

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Pedagogical Journeys through World Politics

Part of the book series: Political Pedagogies ((PP))

Abstract

The bureaucratization of British universities transforms the purpose of higher education from forming students’ intellectual and moral personality in relationality to the pursuit of skills that are of immediate relevance for employability. In contrast to this development, Karl Jaspers urged for humanitas in higher education. To provide for humanitas, I explore the prospects of the aesthetic turn for teaching IR further by providing my students with the space to engage with and reflect upon arts and popular culture. Particularly modern dance has proven useful in this regard, as my students can experience the gap between representation and represented, learn to negotiate their ambiguity, and embrace critical hope by taking ownership of their relations and the space they perform them.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    All translations are by the author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Coventry University, Coventry, UK

    Felix Rösch

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  1. Felix Rösch
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Correspondence to Felix Rösch .

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  1. Center for Engaged Learning, Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, VA, USA

    Jamie Frueh

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Rösch, F. (2020). Pedagogies of Discomfort: Teaching International Relations as Humanitas in Times of Brexit. In: Frueh, J. (eds) Pedagogical Journeys through World Politics. Political Pedagogies. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20305-4_9

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