Description
This presentation draws on Boler and Zembylas’ explorations of Pedagogies of Discomfort to reflect on the teaching of difficult subjects in Higher Education. We provide examples from our work with undergraduate and post-graduate students of Humanitarianism as they tackle issues such as displacement as a consequence of war, gender-based sexual violence and processes of justice and reconciliation. We reflect on the use of texts and stories of the lived experience of conflict and disasters, exploring how pedagogical choices shape students’ knowledge and understanding but also, importantly, the ethical landscape of their engagement. Recognising and working with discomfort as full of pedagogical possibility, we will argue, is critical to ensuring students engage with these challenging issues sensitively and to acknowledging the emotional dimensions of such work. For scholars of international studies, we aim to connect theory and practice through critically engaged reflective practice that ensures difficult subjects such as conflict and violence are not avoided in the classroom environment.
