Dr Vafa Ghazavi1
1University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
Biography:
Dr Vafa Ghazavi is a Lecturer in Political Science and Public Policy at the University of Sydney. He was the inaugural Executive Director for Research and Policy at the James Martin Institute for Public Policy (2021-2025) and has taught at the University of Oxford (2018-2020). He previously worked at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet in Canberra, and served as an Australian diplomat in Afghanistan, the Balkans and to the United Nations.
Abstract:
A significant body of political theory argues that the contemporary international system is unjust or at least morally troubling in significant ways, and that the foreign policy of wealthier and more powerful states often perpetuates this. Recognising that many students of international studies are preparing themselves to ultimately work in this system – across various professions and roles – this paper will consider some of the potential pedagogical implications of this ethical critique. In a constructive mode, the paper proposes that greater educational attention be paid to (i) deepening understanding and reflective capacity on the virtues, (ii) building capabilities of moral and political imagination, and (iii) cultivating civic patriotism in light of global responsibilities. Each of these proposals focus on developing capability, rather than transmitting knowledge. They are pedagogical moves that can be integrated into different areas of the field – including foreign policy, peace and security studies, and international political economy – rather than remaining restricted to the domain of normative theory. Finally, the paper will suggest that these kinds of pedagogical reforms can enable better practical responses to the ‘polycrisis’ that the world is experiencing.