Films “The Pedagogy of Film and International Relations Theory”

International Relations (IR), built upon a complex web of theories, often challenges many students to both recall and apply them during and after completing a course. James and Gokcek show that film can be an ally to professors in meeting the pedagogical challenges posed by IR theory. The authors, as teachers of introductory level IR, at different institutions, present the concepts and theories before students view the movies, and then right after requiring them to re-imagine the material considering the story lines and characters. A set of block-buster movies (from the Fast and the Furious, James Bond, Marvel Superheroes, Mission Impossible, Star Trek, Star Wars, and Warner Brothers/DC Comics franchises) is used in one university setting, while the Lord of the Rings films are viewed exclusively at the other. Their approaches, respectively, emphasize the breadth and depth of fictional content to help students grasp and retain IR theory.