Eric Van Rythoven
Visiting Professor
| Degrees: | B.SocS (University of Ottawa), MA & PhD (Carleton) |
| Email: | Ericvanrythoven@cmail.carleton.ca |
My research examines the intersection of emotion, security, and diplomacy in International Relations (IR). It addresses questions about what political emotions are, how they shape security and diplomatic practices in global politics, and how the discipline of IR conceptualizes emotion in different ways. Methodologically, my work is primarily interpretive and historical and traces the emergence of political emotions in global politics by looking at social repertoires in areas like public ritual, memory and memorialization, and popular narrative. Empirically, my work centers on the security and foreign policy of the United States and Canada in the post-9/11 era. I also have interests in global Indigenous politics, the history of international thought in the early 20th Century, as well as pragmatist social theory.
I see excellence in teaching as the ability to impart a ‘toolkit’ which helps students make sense of the blooming, buzzing confusion of global politics. Concepts, theories, and writing strategies are not simply information to be relayed, but tools whose ‘cash value’ needs to be demonstrated. Convincing students of this value is not always easy, but it is made possible by three principles at the core of my teaching: engaging content and delivery; a commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization; and continuing professional development. My teaching rhythm is regularly punctuated by episodes of active and experiential learning featuring creative exercises with photo essays, popular culture artifacts, and social media feeds. I am also an ethusiastic proponent of emerging teaching technologies such as the social reading platform Perusal.
My articles have appeared in leading IR and interdisciplinary journals including the European Journal of International Relations, Security Dialogue, International Political Sociology, and International Theory as well as other quality refereed journals such as the Global Studies Quarterly, Journal of Global Security Studies, Critical Studies on Security, and the European Review of International Studies. I am also the lead co-editor with Dr. Mira Sucharov of Methodology and Emotion in International Relations, published with Routledge in 2019.
Course Title:
Frontiers of Emotional Diplomacy