Feminist IR 101: Teaching through Blogs

While most blog posts discuss an issue in current events, a recent publication, an experience of the blogger, or some combination – these blog posts were meant as a different sort of introductory text. They were meant to be an introduction to feminist IR in the true sense of the word – what feminist IR is, the vocabulary it uses, how it is useful in analysis, and why it is meaningful to scholars and students of gender and global politics. Their goal is to account for both what a feminist perspective contributes to the study of global politics and why I chose to do my research from that perspective. The project as a whole (and each post within it) is not meant to characterize feminist IR as a singular project (or my interpretation as superior) but to introduce students and even scholars unfamiliar with the field to its basic assumptions, debates, and research project. The remainder of this short article will detail a bit about the “Feminist IR 101” project, its potential classroom uses, and the pedagogical value of blogging feminist IR.