Augmenting interdisciplinary learning: experiential methods in bridging the law and international relations studies’ divide

Abstract

As an interdisciplinary field, International Relations (IR) has drawn extensively on disciplines such as International Law (IL) to enhance its methodologies and analytical frameworks. To enhance students’ active participation, this study draws on relevant literature to examine the potential benefits of adopting an experiential learning method in the form of short-term, faculty-led programs that expand students’ horizons to other cultural and national contexts. In doing so, this qualitative conceptual analysis bridges the analytical framework of Below et al., 2021 study on study-abroad programs and provides a description of how experiential learning can be adopted in IL courses or topics within IR programs. The article offers ideas that include program design that considers variables of time, cost, and destination; curriculum that aligns with the interdisciplinary element of IL and IR; evaluation of logistical and faculty expectations considerations; as well as the conduct of pre-departure and re-entry orientations as means to counter cultural shocks throughout the course of a program in a foreign host university. As a result, the adoption of experiential learning in IL subjects within IR programs enhances active learning and expands the range of case studies that can be assessed, thanks to the unique learning environment offered to students.

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