University teaching and learning on corruption: insights on the challenges faced by scholars and practitioners and how to address them

Similarly to concepts like populism, democracy, or dictatorship, what constitutes corruption may be illusive and prone to misunderstandings. From the existing literature, we are aware that in places where corruption is prevalent, it may be perceived as a usual and even acceptable political behaviour (Gherghina et al., 2023). In places where corruption is less common, there may be lack of sensitivity for the more subtle ways in which corruption manifests itself. These contextual circumstances makes it particularly challenging to teach about corruption, where nuance and perceptiveness may be even more in demand from the students than in other university subjects. The proposed paper aims to engage in a pedagogical discussion onto the main challenges of teaching corruption at universities. Basis for this study will be series of interviews with scholars with practical experience of teaching about corruption and its various forms at European and, potentially, North American institutions. The discussion will provide guidance on practitioners and scholars for addressing these challenges in teaching and learning.