Engagement, authenticity and resistance: using Game of Thrones in teaching law

Abstract

It is clear that law, like many other disciplines taught at tertiary level, includes material that can be challenging to teach and to learn. Student engagement, and thus learning, is at risk when students become bored or distressed. Conventional pedagogical theory suggests that the use of authentic or ‘real world’ examples is often an aid in engaging students, but in this paper we have explored the ways in which sometimes this is not the case. A fictional example such as Game of Thrones has much to offer in providing a pathway to engagement. This paper explores various barriers to student engagement and how particular scenes from Game of Thrones have been used to overcome them.