Maher on Teaching Hope: An Interdisciplinary Challenge

Imelda Maher, University College Dublin School of Law, has published Teaching Hope: An Interdisciplinary Challenge as LSE Legal Studies Working Paper No. 33/2025. Here is the abstract.

This paper is a reflection on the experience of creating an interdisciplinary module on Hope with a community of scholars interested in exploring the nature of hope within the classroom. The paper reflects on the elusive nature of hope as a concept and the rewards and challenges for the interdisciplinary group of faculty teaching on it. It explores how that interdisciplinarity creates the need to be aware of implicit hierarchies and known separations between disciplines (methodologically, substantively, theoretically). It notes the importance of making an open space of enquiry to allow for creative engagement on the common concept of hope. The role of academic hospitality in this interdisciplinary space is also explored before concluding.

Download the paper from SSRN at the link.