Research Paper Number

9/2016

View the research paper on SSRN here.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2016

Keywords

International Law, teaching, International Legal Pedagogy, critical pedagogy, epistemic responsibility, virtue epistemology, pedagogical persona

Abstract

This brief essay draws on the insights of virtue epistemology to argue for an agent-based approach to international law pedagogy. It suggests that pedagogical personae built on epistemic virtues -- including epistemic responsibility -- can best fulfill the promises of critical pedagogy. A virtue account, the essay argues, offers new avenues for a more reflective stance on international law as an intellectual medium through which to relate to the world more responsibly. It does so by shifting the focus from ontology to epistemology; by offering an integrative approach without the moralizing baggage of foundations; by accounting for experience without the risk of subjectivity; and by reconciling intellectual demands and dispositional traits to avoid a hegemonic pedagogical blueprint and instead allow for responsible creativity.

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