I am particularly excited about teaching. It provides a unique opportunity to transfer knowledge and path-breaking ideas, to students who will, in turn, affect society through various other channels. What’s more, for a scholar researching contemporary problems at the intersection of security and development, findings from my research directly enrich my teaching with a potential to make an impact on students who will apply knowledge gained in other arenas.

My interest in peacemaking and security in developing societies affected by armed conflict poses interesting challenges for teaching given its contemporaneous nature and the emotions often associated with some of its manifestations. The direct challenges posed for teaching include among others: fluidity of some of the issues, which demands the need to constantly keep pace with developments on the ground; the necessity to take into consideration the perspective of war-affected societies; and the need to connect historical narratives to on-the-ground practical realities. I address these challenges firstly by situating the findings from my on-going research projects into teaching. Secondly, I complement classroom teaching with presentations by policy practitioners working on these issues and expert working in the field. Thirdly, I introduce “unconventional” methods like debates, video analysis and simulation exercises into classroom teaching.