Follow us for the latest updates:
Instagram
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Welcome to the home of ISA's growing family of podcasts. This page will be a work in progress while we develop our content and coordinate with sections and caucuses to facilitate their recordings. Please check back or keep an eye on our Facebook, Bluesky, Instagram, or LinkedIn to learn about new additions!
The Teaching Curve is a podcast exploring the teaching and learning of global issues. The Teaching Curve can be contacted on Twitter at @TeachingCurve or by email at TeachingCurve@isanet.org.
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Podcasts | Watch on ISA's YouTube Channel
(October 1, 2024) This month’s episode is with Dr. Jessica Auchter, Full Professor at the Graduate School of International Studies at Université Laval in Quebec, Canada. Jessica moved to her current role after 10 years teaching at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga in the United States. Her research is on visual culture and politics, including the visual representation of atrocity and corpses and human rights. She teaches courses on the visual representation of human rights, methodologies of visual analysis, gender, and humanitarianism. She teaches in English and in French.
Our conversation explores:
The interview was edited for length.
For more stories about innovative and effective teachers of international studies, check out Pedagogical Journeys through World Politics, Palgrave Macmillan, 2020.
(May 28, 2024) This month’s episode is with three scholar/teachers from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts in the US. Phi Su is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Williams. Liz Gallerani is Curator of Mellon Academic Programs at the Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA), and Christine Ménard is Head of Research Services and Library Outreach for Williams College Libraries. The three have collaborated on the design, execution, and revision of two courses that earned Phi recognition as the recipient of ISA’s 2024 Deborah Gerner Award for Innovative Teaching.
(March 4, 2024) This month’s episode is with Dr. James Der Derian, Michael Hintze Chair of International Security Studies and Director of the Centre for International Security Studies and Dr. Jayson Waters, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow with the Centre for International Security Studies, which is part of the University of Sydney in Australia. They have been working together on the fundamentals of Quantum IR, which seeks to find connections between the quantum theory that explains the dynamics of subatomic particles and explanations of global political dynamics.
(November 8, 2023) This month’s episode is with Dr. Anahita Arian, a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Centre for Geopolitics and a College Research Associate at King’s College at Cambridge University in the UK. Among other positions in Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, Anahita has taught International Relations at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and at the University of Erfurt in Germany. She is the author of a forthcoming chapter on teaching Non-Western IR theory that will appear in the Palgrave Handbook of the Pedagogy of IR Theory.
The episode explores:
(October 7, 2023) Dr. Misbah Hyder, a Visiting Assistant Professor at the Teaching Excellence Center at the United States Naval War College in Rhode Island in the US. She consults with faculty there and trains instructors in trauma-informed teaching in professional military education environments. She is co-editor with Michael Murphy on a forthcoming volume Teaching Political Science and International Relations for Early Career Instructors.
(September 5, 2023) Jochen Kleinschmidt is a Research Associate and Coordinator of the Center for Latin American Studies (ZILAS) at Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt in Germany. Margaryta Rymarenko works for humanitarian organizations in Kyiv, Ukraine. Jochen taught at two institutions in Colombia from 2014 to 2020, and Margaryta was a CEU Global Teaching Fellow in Myanmar, teaching undergraduate students in Political Science and International Relations programs at the University of Yangon. They are co-authors of a forthcoming chapter on teaching IR Theory as visitors to classrooms in the Global South.
(April 12, 2023) This episode’s conversation is with Dr. Luba Levin-Banchik, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Cal State University San Bernardino and the 2023 recipient of the International Studies Association’s Deborah Gerner Award for Innovative Teaching. Luba has published on using simulations and other active learning techniques and is a leader in the ISA West region.
(March 12, 2023) Charity Butcher is the Director of the School of Conflict Management, Peacebuilding and Development, and a Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at Kennesaw State University in Georgia in the US. Alasdair Blair is Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Academic at De Montfort University, in Leicester in the UK.
Charity is the Editor-in-Chief and Alasdair is the Lead Editor of the Journal of Political Science Education, which is published under the auspices of the American Political Science Association.
(February 7, 2023) Dr. Alexander Cromwell is a Professorial Lecturer and the Associate Director of the Dean’s Scholars and Experiential Learning program at the Elliott School of international affairs at George Washington University in Washington, DC in the United States. He is the coauthor, along with Saaya Miyashiro, of a recent article in International Studies Perspectives entitled “Promoting Learning about Precarity and Resilience in War: Virtual Encounters between Afghan and American Students in International Studies Courses.”
(January 5, 2023) Dr. Mark Harvey is an Associate Professor and Director of the Masters of Business Administration Program at St. Mary University in Kansas in the United States. He teaches courses on global management, international political economy, international business and leadership.
Dr. James “Pigeon” Fielder is an instructor at Colorado State University in the United States. He joined CSU after retiring from the U.S. Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel and Associate Professor of Political Science at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Dr. Ryan Gibb is an Associate Professor teaching courses in International Relations and Political Science at Baker University in Kansas in the United States. His research focuses on East Africa and issues of land reform.
For 23 more stories about innovative and effective teachers of international studies, check out Pedagogical Journeys through World Politics, Palgrave Macmillan, 2020.
(December 6, 2022) Dr. Anna Meier is an Assistant Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. Her research concerns terrorism, white supremacist violence, and racism in national security institutions and policies.
Dr. Liam Midzain-Gobin is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Brock University in Ontario, Canada. His research concerns settler coloniality, Indigenous governance practices, and Indigenous-settler relationships as a form of international politics.
The episode was edited for length.
(October 30, 2022) Dr. Naeem Inayatullah is a Professor of Politics at Ithaca College in New York in the US. He has invested significant energy in thinking about how students learn global politics and how to create environments where that can happen. The most recent text exploring this is Pedagogy as Encounter: Beyond the Teaching Imperative (2022 Rowman & Littlefield). Naeem has also published widely on IR Theory and Global Political Economy.
(October 14, 2022) This episode is with Dr. Maïka Sondarjee, Assistant Professor in the School of International Development and Global Studies at the University of Ottawa in Canada. Maïka’s research investigates multilateralism and international organizations, the white savior complex and feminist theories in international relations.Her article “We are a Community of Practice, not a Paradigm: How to Meaningfully Integrate Gender and Feminist Approaches in IR Syllabi” in the August 2022 issue of International Studies Perspectives explores how to integrate gender and feminist approaches into IR.
Among other things, we discuss:
(September 17, 2022) Today’s conversation is with Dr. Jenny Lobasz, Associate Professor in the Department of Women and Gender Studies at the University of Delaware in the United States. Jenny teaches courses and researches on feminist and gender theory, human trafficking, interpretivist research methodologies, and teaching using non-traditional texts. For the last several years she has served as a mentor for the pedagogy workshops that are an annual part of the ISA Northeast Regional Conference.
Our conversation explores
(September 17, 2022) This episode's conversation is with Dr. Mauro Caraccioli, Associate Professor of Political Science and Core Faculty in the Alliance for Social, Political, Ethical, and Cultural Thought (ASPECT) at Virginia Tech University in the United States. Mauro teaches courses on political theory, history of political thought, theories of political domination, empire and imperialism, religion and narrative, Latin America and the politics of historiography.
(September 17, 2022) Today’s conversation is with Petra Hendrickson and Daisy Lupa. Petra is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at, and Daisy a 2022 graduate of, Northern Michigan University in the United States. Petra has published on student engagement, and she and Daisy together presented a workshop at the Innovative Pedagogy Conference that preceded the 2022 International Studies Association Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. This is the first time the podcast has had both instructor and student together to explain a strategy for teaching and learning global politics.
Our conversation covers
(September 17, 2022) This episode is a conversation with Dr. Franklin Obeng-Odoom, Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science Associate Professor of Global Development Studies at the University of Helsinki in Finland. In addition to being a prolific and accomplished scholar, Franklin is a Fellow of the university’s teaching academy, the highest recognition bestowed on its distinguished teachers, and he is the recipient of ISA’s Deborah Gerner Innovative Teaching Award for 2021.
(September 17, 2022) This episode is an interview with Andrew Szarejko and Sibel Oktay. Andrew is a Donald R. Beall defense fellow in the Defense Analysis Department at the Naval Postgraduate School. Dr. Sibel Oktay is Associate Professor of Political Science and Global Studies and Director of the School of Politics and International Affairs at the University of Illinois Springfield in the US. Andrew is the editor and Sibel a contributor to Pandemic Pedagogy: Teaching International Relations amid COVID-19 (2022) from Palgrave Macmillan.
(September 17, 2022) Patrick James is Dean’s Professor of International Relations at the Dornsife College of Letters Arts And Science at the University of Southern California. He has served as president of ISA Midwest and president of the International Studies Association. He is the recipient of numerous distinguished scholar awards including, in 2022, the distinguished scholar award from ISA’s Active Learning in International Affairs Section (ALIAS).
(September 17, 2022) This episode is a conversation with Victor Asal, Professor Political Science at the University at Albany, part of the State University of New York system. In addition to his research on the use of violence by non-state actors and how states discriminate against groups within their borders, Victor has long been a leading voice promoting the use of games, simulations, and non-traditional exercises in political science and international relations pedagogy. After six years of service, Victor stepped down as Editor in Chief of the Journal of Political Science Education in July 2022.
(August 30, 2022) The Teaching Curve is a podcast exploring the teaching and learning of global issues. This episode with Dr. Kate Schick and Dr. Claire Timperley. Dr. Schick is Senior Lecturer in International Relations and Dr. Timperley is Lecturer in Political Science at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand. They are co-editors of Subversive Pedagogies: Radical Possibility in the Academy (Routledge 2021). The episode explores how pedagogical choices can subvert the constraints of the neoliberal, colonial university for the benefit of students, instructors, and society at large.
(August 30, 2022) The Teaching Curve is a podcast exploring the teaching and learning of global issues. This episode with Dr. Jack Kalpakian, Associate Professor in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane in Morocco explores how to deal with religious perspectives in a social science classroom, using liberal arts pedagogies in a culture where education is traditionally based in respect for authority, and how simulations help students find their own voices.
(August 30, 2022) The Teaching Curve is a podcast exploring the teaching and learning of global issues. This episode with Dr. Rebecca Glazier, Associate Professor at the School of Public Affairs of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in the US explores attitudes and strategies for connecting with students in online teaching environments. Dr. Glazier is the author of a new book on the subject, Connecting in the Online Classroom: Building Rapport between Teachers and Students from Johns Hopkins University Press.
(August 30, 2022) The Teaching Curve is a podcast exploring the teaching and learning of global issues. This episode with Dr. Jan Luedert, Associate Professor and Director of Curriculum and Instruction at City University of Seattle, in Washington state in the US. Jan is currently Visiting Research Scholar at the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies at City University of New York's Graduate Center. The conversation explores a liberal arts approach to teaching and the benefits for student skills and attitudes, the value of having students identify assumptions as they embark on learning IR theory, and signature pedagogies as a concept that enables reflections on teaching.
This episode explores
(August 30, 2022) The Teaching Curve is a podcast exploring the teaching and learning of global issues. This episode with Dr. Ralph Carter, Piper Professor of Political Science at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas in the US, explores case study techniques in US Foreign Policy courses, methods for helping students engage their power as both analysts and decision makers in ways that serve them well beyond the classroom, and the role that happiness should play in the career and lifestyle choices we as scholars make.
(August 30, 2022) Today’s conversation is with Dr. Eric Leonard, Professor of Political Science and Henkle Family Chair in International Affairs at Shenandoah University. Eric has run Shenandoah’s General Education Program and edited a textbook for teaching International Relations Theory.
Our conversation
(August 30, 2022) This episode with Dr. Shampa Biswas, Paul Garret Professor of Political Science and chair of the Department of Politics at Whitman College in Walla Walla Washington in the US, explores the balance of professional authority and student agency in a global politics classroom and advising, whether to share one’s own political dispositions with students, and tactics for activating students’ personal relationship to the global.
The episode explores
(July 12, 2021) Dr. Mvuselelo Ngcoya is a Senior Lecturer of Development Studies in the School of Built Environment and Development Studies (SBEDS) at the University of KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. His research and teaching is on agrarian issues as land reform, small-scale agriculture and rural development, as well as the role of subjugated philosophies in International Relations.
(June 7, 2021) Dr. Aparna Devare is an Assistant Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science in the School of Social Science at the University of Hyderabad in India. Her research and teaching is on Post-colonial Theory, Indian Political Thought, and the intersection of Religion and Politics in International Relations.
(May 6, 2021) Dr. Heather Smith is Professor of Global and International Studies at the University of Northern British Columbia in Canada. She has received the 3M National Teaching Fellowship, the Canadian Political Science Excellence in Teaching Award and numerous teaching awards at UNBC. She has held multiple leadership positions with the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.
(March 29, 2021) Dr. Esther Jordan is Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of Faculty Success at the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at the Kennesaw State University in Georgia, US and the former president of the Active Learning in International Affairs Section (ALIAS) of the International Studies Association.
Resources referenced in the podcast:
(March 9, 2021) Dr. Jeff Lantis is Professor of Political Science, Global and International Studies at the College of Wooster in Ohio, US. He is chair of the Innovative Pedagogy Initiative of the International Studies Association (ISA) and co-editor of International Studies Perspectives. He was awarded the 2020 Distinguished Teacher-Scholar Award by ISA’s Active Learning in International Affairs Section (ALIAS).
Links referenced in the podcast:
(February 10, 2021) When we recorded this episode in late 2020, Dr. Cristina Inoue was Associate Professor at the Institute for International Relations at the University of Brasilia. She is now Associate Professor of Environment at Radboud University in the Netherlands. She is a former president of the Active Learning in International Affairs Section (ALIAS) of the International Studies Association.
(January 11, 2021) Today’s dialogue is with Seb Kaempf of the University of Queensland in Brisbane Australia. I invited Seb because he is the recipient of the ISA’s Deborah Gerner Award for Innovative Teaching in 2020. He was awarded the Australian National Award for Teaching Excellence in 2013, and has earned numerous other teaching honors at UQ. The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace consistently recognizes his MOOC “Media War X” as one of the top 10 courses on Conflict Resolution worldwide. With his UQ colleague Al Stark, he hosts a podcast on teaching called HigherEd Heroes.
The ISA in the World initiative seeks to understand how international studies scholars engage with the world. We are thrilled to include Afghan Voices Matter. This is a new ISA podcast that addresses the most pressing political, economic, and social issues inside Afghanistan today. Every episode features a prominent Afghan expert who addresses harsh realities of life under Taliban rule. Looking starkly at the conditions on the ground, this series tackles tough questions about security, human rights, economic collapse, and international relations. Is the new Taliban regime a threat to global peace and security, or can it reform and integrate into the international system? What are the biggest issues facing Afghan women under Taliban rule, in both urban and rural areas? How should the international community deal with the Taliban regime, and what are the humanitarian and political consequences of each policy option? To answer these and other essential questions, this podcast gives voice to some of the most knowledgeable Afghan experts around the world, including those who stayed behind under Taliban rule. Their insights are an essential first step in understanding Afghanistan today, and in illuminating the hope that remains for that country. Their reflections also offer lessons for academics facing stark conditions elsewhere. These interviews were recorded between August and December of 2022.
For more information about this podcast, contact Aisha Ahmad on Twitter at @ProfAishaAhmad. Dr. Ahmad is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto, the Director of the Islam and Global Affairs Initiative and a Senior Researcher of the Global Justice Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs, and the Chair of the Board of Directors of Women in International Security-Canada.
Haroun Rahimi (he/him) is an Assistant Professor of Law at the American University of Afghanistan and also a visiting Professor of Law at Bocconi University School of Law in Milan, Italy.
Playback not working? Click to download MP3 audio.
Obaidullah Baheer (he/him) is a lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan who stayed in Kabul for months after the Taliban seized power, and is now a visiting scholar at the New School.
Zainab Hakimi (she/her) is a university lecturer in Kabul who has continued to teach at Qalam University in Afghanistan (although she is now affected by the latest Taliban edict).
Ghizaal Harees (she/her) is a constitutional lawyer who served as the first ever ombudsperson in the Republic of Afghanistan. She was also an Assistant Professor of Law at the American University of Afghanistan before the Taliban takeover.
Pashtana Durrani (she/her) is the founder of LEARN Afghanistan and a human rights activist who specializes in girls’ education in Afghanistan.
Mohsin Amin (he/him) is a Fulbright scholar, engineer, and policy expert who spent 12 years working on infrastructure development in Afghanistan.
Modaser Islami (he/him) is a journalist, writer, and social activist who continues to live under and report on Taliban rule, with a ground-level perspective.
Ajmal Burhanzoi (he/him) is a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto and an Adjunct Instructor of Political Science at the American University of Afghanistan (and our podcast co-host!) who was on the ground in Kabul during the Taliban takeover.
When looking to pursue a scholarly career in international studies, one crucial question is: how? How do you decide where you want to live? How do you determine what you'll study? Teach? How do you think about what the job is and what it entails?
How do you remain a whole person in a job that can demand ever-increasing amounts of your time?
Hosted by aspiring academic Rebekah Pullen (Season 1), this series of interviews will look at 'how' people have built and managed careers in academia, exploring some of the potentials, pitfalls, and positives. Aimed at early career scholars (graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and ECRs) our guests share the lessons they've learned, the advice they've been given, and the successes that have shaped their careers. This podcast is produced with support from ISA Canada, through their Professional Development Committee; and we focus on Canadian academics in international studies - but there is certainly something for everyone, whatever your career stage, discipline, or research.
The host, Rebekah Pullen, and the team behind Acting Like A Doctor can be reached through the podcast's email at aladoctorpodcast@gmail.com.
Listen on Buzzsprout | Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Podcasts
(September 18, 2025) It's our final episode of season 1! Joining Rebekah, over zoom, is Dr. Gabrielle Daoust, who is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Global and International Studies at the University of Northern British Columbia. In our season finale (!), Rebekah and Gabrielle talk about the benefits and challenges of a multi- and interdisciplinary academic trajectory, the ways we can demonstrate kindness, to ourselves and others, in our shared academic spaces, and the joys of procrasti-baking.
You can view the full episode description by clicking one of the "Listen on..." links above.
(September 4, 2025) Joining Rebekah and Liam, over zoom, is Dr. Philippe M. Frowd who is an Associate Professor in the School of Political Studies at the University of Ottawa. In this episode, Rebekah and Phil talk about the wide variety of advice that graduate students and ECRs receive, how to support yourself through the various stages of academia, and the importance of differentiating between what's urgent and what's important.
(August 27, 2025) This description is cross-posted under part 1.Joining Rebekah and Liam, over zoom, Dr. Will Greaves shares his 'deceptively straightforward' academic journey, and the role that travel has played throughout his teaching, research and service projects. Will is an Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Victoria, and was elected as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Victoria in April 2025.
We were very fortunate to have the time to extend our conversation with Will a bit longer than planned, so his interview will be split over two episodes. As noted in the title, this is part one. Part two will be released next week, where Will and Rebekah continue to talk about the highs and lows of working in academia, the joys - and challenges - of teaching undergrads, and the magic of e-bikes!
(August 21, 2025) Joining Rebekah and Liam, over zoom, Dr. Will Greaves shares his 'deceptively straightforward' academic journey, and the role that travel has played throughout his teaching, research and service projects. Will is an Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Victoria, and was elected as the Liberal Member of Parliament for Victoria in April 2025.
(August 6, 2025) You made it to episode two! Welcome!
Join Rebekah and our second guest, Dr. Veronica Kitchen from the University of Waterloo and the Balsillie School of International Affairs as they discuss what it means to be a successful mid-career scholar in academia. Topic Spotlights: embracing the chaos of teaching; the benefits of learning to play Taylor Swift on the guitar; and romance novels - for fun and academic reflection!
(July 23, 2025) Welcome to the very first episode of Acting Like A Doctor!
In this episode, Rebekah Pullen (our host) interviews Dr. Liam Midzain-Gobin of Brock University (also, our producer) about his experiences studying International Relations in Canada and his work as an Early Career Researcher (ECR) in academia.
They also introduce the goal of this podcast series, produced as a project with ISA Canada's Professional Development Committee.
The ISA-STAIR podcast is a place for academic discussions related to science, technology, and art in International Relations. The point of contact for this podcast is Vic Castro, by email at vica@ifs.ku.dk.
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Podcasts
(March 1, 2022) In advance of the celebration of this year’s STAIR awards at the International Studies Association annual conference in Nashville later this March, we are inviting our awardees to speak on our podcast. Asees Puri and Pedro Dos Santos Maia (Graduate Institute, Geneva) have received our very first Best Graduate Paper award for their co-authored paper "Diagrams of Ruination: Beheadings, Prisons, and the Un/Making of Violent Remains", presented at the ISA conference in 2021.
(March 1, 2022) In advance of the celebration of this year’s STAIR awards at the International Studies Association annual conference in Nashville later this March, we are inviting our awardees to speak on our podcast. Professor Olufunmilayo (Funmi) Arewa (Temple University) has received our 2022 Best Book award for Disrupting Africa: Technology, Law, and Development, published in 2021 by Cambridge University Press.
(February 15, 2022) In advance of the celebration of this year's STAIR awards at the International Studies Association annual conference in Nashville later this March, we are interviewing our awardees. Professor Marianne Franklin (Goldsmiths, University of London) is our 2022 Distinguished Scholar, and in this episode, she discusses her career studying Internet governance and the politics of music – with insights from Marxism, feminist technoscience, and postcoloniality.
(February 15, 2022) How can one research counter-terrorism financing trials while following the various forms of expertise, as well as the colonial and gendered dynamics in the courtroom? This third episode of the STAIR podcast invites Tasniem Anwar, assistant professor at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, to talk about her recently-finished PhD dissertation at the University of Amsterdam. She points to the usefulness of postcolonial science and technology studies to make sense of the field.
(December 9, 2021) State actors put cybersecurity on top of their agendas, but do they have an idea of what "cybersecurity" is supposed to mean? And how strategically do they disagree about it? This second episode of the STAIR podcast invites Clare Stevens, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Portsmouth, to talk about her PhD dissertation defended in the summer of 2021 at the University of Bristol. She highlights the contribution that "boundary work", a concept from science & technology studies, can make to International Relations.
(August 30, 2021) In this pilot episode of the STAIR Podcast, we welcome Yevgeniy Golovchenko, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen, to discuss the topic of the PhD thesis that he defended in 2020: pro-Kremlin disinformation on social media. What is digital disinformation, how can it be measured, and can talking about it actually make it worse?
Does your section, region, or caucus have a podcast or podcast idea to share? ISA can help! Contact our Director of Professional Development, Sarah Dorr, with your plans and questions.
Email Us
Links
*Events and Recordings*
ISA's YouTube Channel
The ISA Podcast Network
ISA News
ISA's Professional Development Committee