David Hornsby

Carleton University, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Faculty Member

University College London, Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy, Faculty Member

University of the Witwatersrand, Department of International Relations, Department Member

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Papers by David Hornsby

Conclusion: Pandemic Pedagogy

Teaching International Relations in a Time of Disruption, 2021

Teaching and learning in universities is one of the most impactful things that higher education o... more Teaching and learning in universities is one of the most impactful things that higher education offers to society. Just think about it: our degree programs and classrooms are spaces where thousands of students come annually to learn about disciplines, from each other, and to apply their knowledge and understandings in creative and interesting ways. The scope of possibility for meaningful societal change through teaching and learning is enormous. But what happens to our teaching and learning environments in a time of pandemic? This chapter seeks to conclude this edited volume by speaking to the approaches we employ in our learning environments to teach and foster learning in a context of a serious health crisis and the spread of a new disease. Health crises are nothing new. But this moment feels and is different. The response has been unprecedented and global, resulting in the cessation of normal social, political and economic activity in the name of preventing the spread of COVID-19. As we all engage in social distancing and the closure of our campuses, we must ask, what does the present pandemic mean for a core mission of universities: teaching and learning?

Teaching as a Form of Disrupting International Relations

Teaching International Relations in a Time of Disruption, 2021

We are witnessing ‘disruption’ within higher education and the field of International Relations (... more We are witnessing ‘disruption’ within higher education and the field of International Relations (IR) via two central forces: increasing pressure on universities to change the way they fundamentally function; and international events that shape our everyday lives—ranging from natural disasters, cross-border migration, and violent conflict to #Brexit, rising power diplomacy (e.g., BRICS), and Trump—which are upending conventional approaches and understandings. Despite robust discussions of IR pedagogy in scholarly work, we have seen little attempt to question the position of teaching as it relates to the advancement of the discipline. To fill this gap—and disrupting the orthodoxy—our chapter interrogates the place and position of teaching so as to reinforce its importance in IR. To that end, our chapter elucidates three ways in which educators can reposition the role of pedagogy within the discipline and their institutions: (1) how teaching IR plays an important part in constituting international affairs now and in the future; (2) how teaching IR is one of the main mechanisms through which we are most impactful as scholars; and (3) how we as educators approach learning—and the student experience—influences how the IR discipline evolves and progresses.

Introduction: Teaching International Relations in a Time of Disruption and Pandemic

Teaching International Relations in a Time of Disruption, 2021

In the introduction, the editors begin with a recognition that the volume was completed during th... more In the introduction, the editors begin with a recognition that the volume was completed during the midst of a global pandemic. They argue that in an era of pandemic pedagogy, the insights of the volume are of even more significance. They then turn to focus on two themes that are common to the volume chapters. The first common theme across the volume is a critical pedagogy epistemology which acknowledges that students are central to the advancement of our discipline and to foster their success requires us to consider how the different ways we teach, matter. Such a viewpoint is underpinned by the work of Paulo Friere (Pedagogy of the oppressed. Herder and Herder, 1970) which focuses directly on the question of pedagogy and empowerment. By recognising that students come to the classroom with their own experiences and understandings of the world, Friere (Pedagogy of the oppressed. Herder and Herder, 1970) argues that the power of pedagogy to draw out new possibilities for thinking and theorizing within a discipline becomes evident. The second common theme across the volume is ‘disruption’. All of the authors adopt the idea of disruption as a central theme and this provides for a nuanced set of interpretations that show us that disruption is complex. The volume includes chapters that frame teaching as disruption, the disruption of the discipline through teaching and IR itself as disruption. Several chapters also include discussions of disruptions to teaching IR. The chapter concludes by identifying the value of the volume and focuses on contributions to our unlearning and relearning as a discipline. Readers are invited to reflect on the politics of teaching and also provides models for application in their classrooms. Finally, the editors advocate for an ongoing ethic of care.

Moving large classes online: Principles for teaching, learning and assessment

Pedagogy for Higher Education Large Classes (PHELC20) Co-located with 6th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd’20), 2020

When approaching the issue of large class teaching it is important to acknowledge that under norm... more When approaching the issue of large class teaching it is important to acknowledge that under normal conditions these types of learning spaces often pose significant challenges for lecturers in delivery and for students in learning. The present pandemic, COVID-19, is anything but normal and adds a complicating factor in approaching large class teaching. This is largely due to the fact that most institutions of higher education have ceased face-to-face instruction and are rapidly pivoting courses online, at least until the end of 2020. Under normal conditions, large classes are often synonymous with a lack of student engagement, bad performance, and few opportunities to develop important skills like critical thinking (Ehrenberg et al., 2001; McKeachie, 1980; Cooper and Robinson, 2000; Mulryan-Kyne, 2010). Under conditions of online learning, the possibilities for these challenges to be compounded is real if pedagogical strategies that reinforce passive learning are adopted, or opportunities for direct contact with students are avoided, and the use of summative types of assessments are privileged. Therefore, the purpose of this short essay is to frame and offer some principles to adopt in moving large classes online and developing assessments

format_quoteActive learning strategies promote student engagement in large online classes, supporting self-direction and group work.format_quote

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Communities and scholarship in supporting early-career academics at the University of the Witwatersrand

by David Hornsby and Ruksana Osman

The present paper reports on early-career academics’ (ECAs) experiences of support for teaching i... more The present paper reports on early-career academics’ (ECAs) experiences of support for teaching in a research-intensive university in Africa. Through conducting a questionnaire and follow up in-depth interviews greater insight into how ECAs perceive and experience support for developing their teaching practice, is gained. Our analysis suggests that most academics interviewed began their first teaching position with no preparation for all that teaching involves. Many struggled to balance the demands associated with teaching and research, in addition to familiarizing oneself with institutional teaching norms and cultures. Almost all found support from within their discipline, although such support was incidental and spontaneous rather than planned. We offer the idea of communities of practice as an approach to institutionalize support for ECAs and draw on the scholarship of teaching and learning as the theoretical framing for this study and experience from a South African institution.

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Are Universities Redundant?

by David Hornsby and James Arvanitakis

This chapter argues that Universities face becoming redundant unless the way teaching and learnin... more This chapter argues that Universities face becoming redundant unless the way teaching and learning takes place changes. Drawing on inspiration from Gramsci and Friere, the authors provides the conceptual linchpin for the rest of the book and introduce the idea that the higher education pedagogy needs to focus not just on the transfer of disciplinary content, but on developing our students into Citizen Scholars. Through proposing a set of graduate proficiencies and attributes, the authors give meaning to the concept of the Citizen Scholar and offer a way to ‘future-proof’ higher education.

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REPORT OF THE WITS UNIVERSITY PANEL ON FUNDING MODEL (S) FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA

by David Hornsby and Hlonipha Mokoena

The Wits University community appointed an eight-person Panel on Higher Education Funding to rece... more The Wits University community appointed an eight-person Panel on Higher Education Funding to receive submissions and examine possible model(s) for funding higher education in South Africa.

This Panel recorded the views expressed by students and academics at four open plenary sessions; and also obtained written submissions. The Panel also reviewed the literature pertaining to the funding of higher education and obtained information on key financial indicators from National Treasury.

While it is possible to reform the current system either through the increased infusion of more state funding into the higher education sector, this report is based on the assumption that to surpass the current crisis a new “hybrid model” is required. This envisages a multi-faceted approach in which Government (as the main custodian of higher education), the Private Sector and university revenues (fees, donor funds and endowments) all contribute in various ways to the general well-being and sustainability of the higher education sector. Such a model would also include public-private partnerships that source funding from the government as well as from the private sector. Such funding could be a complement to the current system or it could be enhanced through the use of financial instruments and Special Purpose Entities (SPEs).

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Canadian Foreign Policy Journal Living up to expectations: Canada and South Africa in the era of the Global Markets Action Plan

South Africa has been identified as the only “emerging market with broad Canadian interests” in A... more South Africa has been identified as the only “emerging market with broad Canadian interests” in Africa under the Harper Government’s Global Markets Action Plan (GMAP). Yet the story of Canada’s post-apartheid relationship with South Africa has been mostly one of unfulfilled possibilities. This leads to questions about the viability of the GMAP strategy, at least in this case. We seek to explain the growing divergence between these two states, and consider potential foundations for renewing the relationship. By applying Robert Cox’s (1989) and Eduard Jordaan’s (2003) framework for analysis, we consider how these two types of middle power have drifted apart, and how they might (re)forge a relationship that is mutually beneficial and builds on a complex and contradictory history of cooperation. Only through a concerted and broadly based Canadian effort to re-engage South Africa and South Africans can the aspirations embedded in the GMAP become a plausible prospect.

format_quoteCanadian contributions to South Africa’s constitutional process during the 1990s illustrate initial cooperation, contrasting with current disengagement.format_quote

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