Professor Spotlight: Óscar Hidalgo-Redondo

The first thing that comes to mind when students are asked why they like studying at UNYP is national diversity and the opportunity to meet different cultures in one place. Nevertheless not only students of UNYP are diverse. We recruit our academic staff from all over the world to pass on best practices and knowledge from different backgrounds and our School of International Relations is no exception.

UNYP IR department offers a contemporary curriculum that provides an excellent theoretical base for practically applicable skills, including experience in the analysis of the latest real-world cases in the international arena.

In 2022 we have implemented 3 new concentrations in IR to reflect the current academic needs: Diplomacy & International Law, Conflict & Security Studies, and Global Governance.

Today we would like to present another Professor Spotlight with the Dean of the School of International Relations, professor Óscar Hidalgo-Redondo. 

Professor Hidalgo, you joined the University of New York in Prague in 2001, could you please briefly introduce us to your long career path here?

I taught my first course at UNYP back in 2001. I came to the Czech Republic because I was studying the democratic transition in Czechoslovakia and I wanted to conduct some field research here. I discovered UNYP during that stay and I contacted the university. UNYP needed instructors to teach courses in politics and I was offered the possibility to teach the course “Comparative Political Systems.” I was thrilled because I wanted to stay in Prague and back then that was my first teaching experience. I have to say that I was very worried about not being able to teach my students all that they needed to know about that subject and being responsible for ruining their academic life. One of the things that I appreciate today but did not no so much at that moment was the fact that I was given a lot of freedom to teach the course the way that I considered best, as long as I covered the course expectations. Having that trust forced me to make choices that strengthened my confidence. I really enjoyed that first experience and I realized at that moment that that was what I wanted to do. And since then I have been teaching at UNYP. First teaching two courses a year, then four and in 2007 I was offered the possibility to become the Chair of the Department. As an administrator, you have much more capacity to make an impact and do things the way you think they are right. Choose the right instructors, offer the best courses, and keep the academic standards high. I think we have been able to create a wonderful academic team and the work and dedication of all of them make the programs that the School of International Relations offers very good. Nevertheless, I always think of myself as a teacher since it is teaching what brought me here and what I like the most about what I do.

What attracted you to the field of Politics and Sociology in the early stages of your academic life 

In my last years at the high school, I was considering different disciplines: history, law, journalism… I had always enjoyed the social sciences. I chose politics because I was considering working in diplomacy or for an international organization. When I began my studies at the university I realized that it was the right choice because I really enjoyed my classes. There were particularly two aspects that attracted me a lot: the processes of democratization and conflict resolution. That was the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall and many communist regimes were transforming into liberal democratic societies. That was an amazing process to witness and study.

What is the achievement that you are the proudest of in your academic career?

It might sound a bit stupid but to be completely honest the most important thing that a teacher can do is to earn the respect and the gratitude of those students that you teach. There is nothing comparable to the feeling you get when you meet a former student who smiles at you and says that they still remember your classes and that they are happy they were there because they learned many things that are useful for them today. That is a great feeling, a feeling of purpose. I guess that is what teachers are there for: not to give grades but to help others to learn. That is why I think that being a teacher is the best job in the world.

Here at UNYP, you teach both politics and international relations courses what is your favorite one to teach and why?

I knew there was going to be a tricky question! It is like being asked which one of your kids you love more. Each is different. However, some are indeed more special because they are emotionally attached to the class. I would choose two courses. The first one is “Comparative Political Systems” which is the first course I taught. It was the most difficult course for me to prepare but this is a subject that I loved when I was a student.
Being for the very first time in front of a class and having the responsibility to lead is an unforgettable experience. The second course is related to my life as a student and is “Classics of Political Theory.” This was my first class when I joined the university. I will never forget the excitement to be starting a new stage of my life: the university years. And it was a great class, one of the best I had despite it being really hard. Today, I am teaching the same course and it makes me remember that very special time.

Why do you think students should study International relations? What advice do you have for students in your faculty today?

It is self-evident these days that international relations are of extreme importance. Most of the challenges that we are facing have an international nature and we need citizens that can understand not just the domestic dimension of our problems but the international connections too. In an increasingly interconnected world, those who can understand have an advantage. International Relations deals with very complex and multi-faceted processes and issues and those who study this field must make an effort to understand that can be explained from many angles and under different lights. Mastering this makes you a person with a strong capacity for critical thinking and that is a skill that in our days is absolutely necessary for a successful professional career at a higher level. As for the advice, I would ask our students to keep on caring that is another feature that characterizes the students of international relations. You study this field because you care and want to make the world a better place. This empathy and this desire to make the world a better place is the only force that can bring real progress to our societies.

One of your current research interests is non-conventional violence could you please describe its concept?

Coming from the Basque Country, a place that has been known for having a long-standing conflict, I know well the value of peace. I think that studying violence and trying to understand the mechanism to eliminate it from those places where it exists is very important for our societies. Most of the violence that we encounter these days has little to do with the traditional wars where national armies fought each other. Today, most of our conflicts are characterized by the use of non-conventional armed violence where groups resort to the use of force to resolve problems. Studying its forms and, especially, its solutions is one way in which students of international relations can contribute to making the world a better place.