North America: Canada “Teaching IR Theory in a Canadian Bilingual Institution”

This chapter addresses the challenges and gratifications of teaching IR theory in a Canadian bilingual University. It situates this teaching geographically within the context of Anglophone, post-imperial countries and in proximity to the US, as well as between two Canadian provinces with two different predominant languages. It then addresses the challenges around bilingualism in teaching upper-year undergraduate and graduate courses in terms of course materials and construction as well as in-class pedagogy. It also addresses how gratifying it is to teach in a University that is characterized by a very diverse student body and how creating space for discussions that will bring the diversity of lived experiences into the conversation is central to teaching IR theory. Making space for these types of discussions in the classroom and through online settings, allows students to develop a deeper understanding of the importance of theory, the links between theory and practices, as well as the way in which theoretical knowledge is always already embedded in power relations.