Marriage of convenience, love at first sight? A brief manual for teaching international relations in Brazil and beyond

Abstract

Abstract Professors may start teaching either out of love or out of convenience, with limited resources. This article provides a brief manual for planning, designing and implementing PS&IR courses. We discuss syllabi, from the basics to the inclusion of transversal topics, then present eight active learning strategies plus traditional lectures, and debate assessments. Although we consider the context of new teachers within Brazilian universities, we believe this is useful for professors from all countries and levels of experience. Thereby, we provide practical advice for teachers to live happily ever after in their pedagogical love story (even if it did not start that way).

Keywords

• teaching practices
• teaching methods
• IR teaching
• teaching challenges
• active learning