Visiting Professor at the UN University of Peace Costa Rica, October-November 2018
In October-November 2018, I had the great honor of teaching again as a visiting professor at the University of Peace in the Department of Conflict and Peace Studies in the MA Gender and Peacebuilding program.
The political is international!
What makes teaching at the UN University of Peace exciting is that the students and their experiences could not be more international: Students this year came from all over the world including Canada, Japan, India, Australia, Europe, Latin America, the Philippines and the US.
“Cordula possesses everything you’d look for in a teacher. She is knowledgeable, organized, and dynamic. Her course on gender and sustainability was challenging and insightful and the feedback she provided thoughtful and authentic. By weaving together her expertise and personal experience in the field, Cordula captivated the class. There wasn’t a day that wasn’t engaging. I only wish we had had more than weeks to learn from her”.
(Katharine Zaun)
Cordula possesses everything you’d look for in a teacher. She is knowledgeable, organized, and dynamic. She is thoughtful and authentic. By weaving together her expertise and personal experience in the field, Cordula captived the class. There was not a day that I was not engaged. I only wish we had more than weeks to learn from her.
“Dr. Cordula Reimann is able to deliver impressive lectures drawing both from extensive personal experiences and professional knowledge. She can uniquely blend competences, up to date information and coaching skills making it delightful to be interactively part of her class. I particularly appreciated the personal insight provided on each topic and the critical thinking and analysis we as students developped during the course.“
(Frederica Lacava)
The personal is political!
Lectures and students’ inputs on climate change, land grabbing, free trade agreements, human trafficking, human rights, violent conflicts, poverty and mental health were illustrated by practical examples from the global South and the North. Both students as well as me shared their own personal and practical experiences on the individual topics.
“Prof. Cordula’s course enriched my understanding on how capitalism and patriarchy are so intertwined in different aspects of the society- economic policies, employment, education, media, etc. that traps women and non-binary individuals in a marginalized and exploited position because of gender inequalities. Coming from a “developing country”, I really appreciate that our standpoints were in class discussions: Case studies were analyzed from an intersectional feminist lens to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of the issue and possible interventions. Prof. Cordula has made the course very interesting by sharing her personal life stories and professional experiences d. Her genuine passion for the subject matter and her concern for students and their academic performances have inspired me to give my best in class”.
(Angel Marie Ysik)
The political is international and always personal …
This led to exciting discussions, some of which also showed how challenging it can be to recognize and tolerate different opinions and differences, and to learn from them in order to sharpen and question one’s own perspective.
“I had the pleasure of learning from Dr. Cordula Reimann at the UN University for Peace in 2018. She is a dynamic and passionate educator who easily engages students from different nationalities by presenting complex material in an accessible manner. I particularly appreciated the linkages between theory and practice, which situated the academic discourse in the context of real world experiences. Dr. Cordula challenges her students to step out of their comfort zones in a supportive environment, making our time together much more than a class and more of a personal journey. Her insights and humour were greatly appreciated!”
(Marisa Ashley Dowswell)