Learning International Relations Through Films
| Published date | 01 June 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/23210230241235354 |
| Author | Mithuna Jayadev Unnithan,Khwahish Agarwal,Rajdeep Pakanati |
| Date | 01 June 2024 |
Learning International Relations
Through Films
Khwahish Agarwal1, Mithuna Jayadev Unnithan1 and Rajdeep Pakanati1
Introduction
The monotony of large texts, their factual contexts, historical international events and the technical-
theoretical aspects of international relations (IR) are often the norm in the prescribed method of studying
IR in undergraduate and postgraduate courses. This repetitive approach was disrupted when we were
offered an elective in the spring semester of 2023 titled, Films and International Relations.
A notable gap in the study of IR in a university setting is the dearth of acknowledging the praxis of
the theories inside the classrooms. After having studied IR through films, we feel that the gap has been
bridged a little. The use of a popular culture resource such as movies offered a new perspective towards
understanding the nuances of IR. It provided us with a newfound lens to view the texts and events we
had been previously taught.
The movies and their narratives, though not always in congruence with how events transpired, showed
us how different ideologies play out in the international arena. Through the films, we moved beyond the
dense retrospective theoretical analyses of international events. Instead, the movies simulated an alternate
reality where we became witnesses and commentators to events and incidents that shaped the twentieth
century. We identified how ideological thought plays out in real-time (in the reality of the film), which is
almost akin to the practical application of IR theories.
When the instructor saw that two students watched the same movie, The Arrival, but arrived at two
different, yet related, readings of the film, the instructor realized that this provides an opportunity to
develop a paper about his course from the perspective of the learners. This article captures the response
of two students—one undergraduate and another a post-graduate student, who elaborate on how using
films shaped their thinking about politics, specifically international politics.
We elaborate on how using films as a resource to understand events and ideas in IR helped us gain
new insights, explore new avenues of global events, acknowledge the varying narratives of international
instances and more. We reflect on our evolution as students of IR who have become more conscious of
the politics of and in films, especially those that deal with themes that are relevant to global affairs.
The article highlights how the course provided opportunities to comprehend the use of film techniques,
Teaching-Learning Politics in India
Studies in Indian Politics
12(1) 129–134, 2024
© 2024 Lokniti, Centre for the
Study of Developing Societies
Article reuse guidelines:
in.sagepub.com/journals-permissions-india
DOI: 10.1177/23210230241235354
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Note: This section is coordinated by Rajeshwari Deshpande (rajeshwari.deshpande@gmail.com).
1 OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana, India
Corresponding author:
Rajdeep Pakanati, OP Jindal Global University, Sonipat, Haryana 131001, India.
E-mail: rpakanati@jgu.edu.in
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