Zombies and International Relations: A Simple Guide for Bringing the Undead into Your Classroom

Abstract

Interest in zombies is booming across campuses. International Relations (IR) scholars have likewise begun to pay attention to the undead, as the zombie invasion scenario—envisioned in a variety of movies, television shows, and books—brings to bear many of the key issues and controversies of international relations theory. Here I provide some concrete suggestions for incorporating zombies into undergraduate classes. Drawing from a leading book in this genre (World War Z), I sketch out some of the ways that the zombie wars can be applied to key issues taught in introductory‐level IR classes. I then provide specific suggestions to incorporating these insights into the classroom, including discussion guides and simple role‐playing exercises.

Gamification, social problems, and gender in the teaching of social sciences: Representations and discourse of trainee teachers

“…From a constructivist perspective, another educational possibility offered by gamification is the gradual construction of learning by the students when they interact with novel, rich, and diverse environments [59]. To this can be added the development of compromise and autonomy [60, 61] through overcoming challenges and skill acquisition, and superior thinking and coordination skills [62]. Activities gamified with technology also promote the stimulation of certain affective factors such as the development of student interaction and social skills.…”

O Storytelling como ferramenta de aprendizado ativo

“…No contexto do aprendizado ativo, o uso do storytelling surge ainda como uma estratégia versátil e complementar a outras estratégias de aprendizado. Seu papel como estratégia de aprendizado ativo encontra apoio, por exemplo, na sua aplicação junto a elementos de cultura popular, como a partir de sua inserção em role playing games e em videogames (HAYDEN, 2010;KUCHINSKY, 2010;BLANTON, 2012;CARVALHO, 2014). Esse é um novo uso, mas que nos permite conectar elementos e sentidos associados à construção de conhecimento, através de meios que espelham a própria cultura atual.…”

“History Has Its Eyes on You”: Hamilton and the Introductory American Government Course

“…Some incorporate debates into the classroom (Oros 2007) which is useful both for learning the material and for giving students the experience of choosing and defending a perspective. Another popular method of encouraging active learning are simulations that make students adopt a particular role in the classroom (Bernstein 2008; Blanton 2013; Glazier 2011; Horn, Rubin, and Schouenberg 2016; Woessner, Winters, and Kopko 2017). Bromley (2013), however, argued for diversifying our teaching techniques beyond simulations to appeal to different types of students, mixing case studies, small-group work, and in-class writing exercises.…”