Fictional Television, Teaching and Learning in Politics and International Relations

This paper draws on a new monograph, situating popular culture within Politics and International Relations through an inclusive discursive theoretical framework. This framework emphasises the power of popular culture and the unique appeals of fictional television through a focus on resonance (through rhetoric, affect, and assemblage). This framework builds on my previous research on (official) foreign and security policy, as well as previous work on the role of various forms of video – including fictional television – in the classroom. The paper considers the benefits, pitfalls and importance of fictional TV in the learning and teaching of Politics and International Relations. It argues that, if popular culture matters in sculpting the contours of (‘real world’) political (im)possibility, it must be an integrated part of generalist (as well as specialist) modules.