Knowledge Production, Learning and Cognition in International Relations Theory: A Case Study in Brazil

This paper investigates the learning and the sociological production of theoretical thinking in International Relations (IR) undergraduate courses in Brazil. One of the greatest problems faced by professors in Brazil is students’ inability to read and write academic texts, especially in understanding the relations between arguments and their importance to the development of scientific theories. This situation is further aggravated by the character of IR theoretical disciplines whose traditional theories – realism and liberalism – still permeate most of the curricula. However, it is assumed that these theories do not provide knowledge that is related to the context of developing country in which Brazilian students are inserted. As a result, they fail to stimulate a critical cognition among students, who tend to simply repeat concepts when producing academic texts about international politics. Thus, it is important to combine critical theories and pedagogies in the expansion of thinking spaces. The theoretical basis comprehends principles from critical pedagogy, sociology and cognitive sciences, mainly linguistics and psychology.