Jawaher Dabas

Lucia Elden
English 111
November 5, 2016

Students and Current Events

In a world where there are so many people and so many crises, there
has to be some effect on to each and every person. For the first time in quite
a long time the world has another very large crisis on its hands; the refugee
crisis. With nearly 60 million people displaced by war and prosecution and
nowhere to go and no one to turn to, many have resorted to dangerous
measures to attempt to reach safety. Many try to reach Greece, Turkey,
Jordan, Britain, Germany, and surrounding countries of asylum. And although
many have made it, a great deal of people have not due to various
difficulties such as the camps being closed off, blocked roads, checkpoints,
and eventually people turning to attempts at crossing the Mediterranean Sea
and often times not making it. But what is the effect of this crisis on
students, particularly those with family in the Middle East? What more can
we do to encourage students that they too have an obligation to these
humans as part of their life long education? Although there is much debate
on these questions, it is important for teachers to consider the many aspects
of this problem.

Students often get the reputation of not caring or even knowing what
is going on in other places and in what ways that could affect them. I on the
other hand would challenge that by saying that students know better than
most, we have to for it effects our generation more so than most as we will
be the ones to deal with the aftermath of such things and be responsible to
decide what happens in many situations across nations. As students, often
we have many varying opinions on everything that affects us. But what
shapes these opinions and in turn the reactions we have to such things as
the crises and politics and treatment of people and so much more?
Depending on who students were to ask and or read, they would more likely
than not get many varying answers. Naomi Klein, author of Fences of
Enclosure, Windows of Possibility uses the metaphorical and physical fences
that exist all over the place, Some of these fences are hard to see, but they
exist all the same (454). In many situations, the fences representing the
many barriers and different forms of exclusion; while the windows express
opportunities, alternate routes, and ideas. A fence may be something
metaphorical/visual or it could be something physical; those barred from
entering a country by fences or kept in enclosed areas are examples of
fences. In turn the windows are seen as an escape, or a new idea of some
kind; the windows from the point of view of a refugee could be reaching a
safe area, finding family again, or even thinking of ways to help make the
difficult process of adjusting to new surroundings and a new life easier.
Although in Kleins article she focused mainly on globalization and the many

fences and windows in so many places aside from America, this applies
directly to many other situations in many other questions. These fences and
windows are very significant when looking at a crisis, such as the refugee
crisis happening now, and analyzing it through a students lens.
Our fences and windows play large part in how we think and react,
theyre usually the ones that have the most direct effect on us such as
culture, where students live, politics, or political views, even religion. These
are fences in this situation as they often can create a sort of encasement on
students from all over seeing as how within that cage is what we know and
how we know to feel. To get out of this cage requires many things and
sometimes its nearly impossible to escape. Cages and habits of mind as well
as view points go hand in hand as Jack Mezirow states, We can try out
anothers person point of view and appraise it, but we cannot do this with
habit of mind (88). Mezirow illustrates perfectly how that cage plays in and
how a frame of reference is a cage of sorts. A habit of mind would compare
to a cage in that it hinders being able to accept others point of views and
even in some situations others opinions. This would prove to be quite
problematic in that it can cause a disturbance in how others react to certain
points of view and opinions. Throughout the course of Mezirows article the
concept of frames of reference and habits of mind are continuously repeated,
these are important concepts as they provide insights not only to Mezirows
Transformative Learning but it also lends itself to being used in tandem
with Kleins article. Culture and religion play into this in that they often

dictate how we are brought up and how we form our views considering what
we learn from both things and how they shape our views. On a personal
level, I have a very different view of the world and of this crisis, I have been
raised in a very different culture alongside that of the dominant one in
America, but it has shaped me in many ways. I see things quite differently
than most do. Where many people grow up only knowing that of where they
came from and that which their parents know; I was raised in many
countries, giving me a very unique frame of reference of the refugee crisis
and the effect it has on the seven billion people on Earth. The many different
views of students everywhere give each and every one a very different view
of the world, which in turn gives each a unique frame of reference. Politics
and region, on the other hand, have more of an effect on where the students
have grown up and what their perception of normal is. The normal for these
things differ not only from one country to another, but also one student to
another even if they do live within the same country or region. Religion,
culture, political views, and region are all examples of frames of reference
and fences; both ideas mesh together as they represent the same thing from
two different situations.
Kwame Anthony Appiah author of Cosmopolitan Patriots who is more
of the opinion that people would accept the citizens responsibility to
nurture the culture and the politics of their homes. (459). This is the idea of
cosmopolitanism which is that all humans belong to one singular community
based on a shared morality of a shared economic relationship, or political

structure that contains many nations within. Appiah agrees along the lines of
how we view things and how we react often has to do with what Klein says in
regards to the fences and with that cage being our minds in this instance
many of us have difficulty thinking about it from another perspective. We
have that fence in our minds and we cannot empathize with the people who
are our very age but going through something entirely different. Although
something Appiah brings up is the notion of individual togetherness, in that
we are all connected to each other but on our own conditions which is also a
part of the idea of cosmopolitanism. Mezirow states, Habits of mind become
articulated in a specific point of view-the constellation of belief, value
judgement, attitude, and feeling that shapes a particular interpretation (87).
Habits of mind can directly affect how students could view cosmopolitanism;
if its an idea that is similar to a students beliefs and values and such then
they would be more accepting to it where some who have the views that
would oppose it would not take to it quite as easily. The idea of
cosmopolitanism would be a difficult one to learn once students have already
formed those beliefs, values, attitudes, and feelings that would not allow for
the idea to fit within all the others they currently possess. Although the very
idea of cosmopolitanism is essentially a habit of mind resulting in a view
point.
Imagination usually is not thought of as a problem, but in the sense of
students not only understanding what is happening throughout the world but
also caring and helping those immediately effected imagination can be

extraordinarily helpful. Appiah talks of imagination almost as a tool that can

be used when trying to identify with or make sense of another student who
you know nothing about. Imagination is immensely helpful when trying to
see, or imagine, something from another persons point of view. Appiah
states, The problem of cross-cultural communication can seem immensely
difficult in theory, when we are trying to imagine making sense of a stranger
in the abstractyou may like or dislike him, you may agree or disagree; but,
if it is what you both want, you can make sense of each other in the end
(99). Using imagination to help you not only understand but also to
empathize with other students and people going through the crisis. Mezirow
also emphasizes on imagination and empathy as foundations of the specific
learning (90). Mezirow aslso looks at imagination in a similar way to that of
Appiah, using it as a tool for learning and understanding. He states
In adulthood, the task is to strengthen and build on this
foundation in order to assist the learner to understand new
subject contenet, but, in the process of doing so, to become (1)
more critical in assessing assumptions(2) more aware of and
better able to recognize frames of reference and paradigms
(collective frames of reference) and to imagine alternatives(90)
Being able to imagine alternative frames of reference in a situation such as
this crisis would be a very effective step in putting yourself in the place of
another student who has a whole other perspective. The use of imagination
and empathy for learning, changing frames of reference, and putting yourself

in the place of a student, are tools and foundations that could create a bridge
between people directly affected by this crisis and those who may not be as
affected; as well as those trying to help the people and places caught in the
crosshairs.
With so much going on in the world right now it begs the question of
does everything effect every student? I would have to say that yes.
Everything going on does have some effect no matter how minuscule, on
every student. I would say this as there is a ripple effect that goes
throughout the world every time something happens. This idea of a ripple
effect could easily be compared to events such as that of The Shot Heard
Around the World in how one thing had a huge effect on some and little on
others; but everyone heard it in some way. Feeling that effect is rather like a
window as Klein puts it. Those windows draw parallels to feeling the effects
of a crisis as when students feel an effect of something, they then have a
hole in the fence they can then experience a small part of what someone
directly affected by the crisis would feel. Mezirow later in his article brings up
how we can transform our frames of reference, he states, We transform our
frames of reference through critical reflection on the assumptions we or
others make when we learn to solve problems (88). This is in a way
Mezirows idea of Kleins windows within the fence and how while yes,
students may have this fence in front of them whether it be physical or
metaphorical, there is a window within each that presents you with a
roundabout in regards to getting over the fence or the habit of mind.

We as a global population feel something from everything that

happens no matter where it be in the world, students are even more so
aware of this fact as not only do we see and learn about it in schools but we
also get a take on it from social media, news outlets, friends, parents, even
places of worship. As students, we begin to change our frames of reference
as Mezirow talks about, but they change for many reasons from we are
growing older and beginning to actually form our own opinions and view,
they change because of college and the people we come in contact with and
what we are learning in classes and so on. But they do change, they
continuously change until we think that we have seen all we need to for us to
make our decisions and eventually we begin to close our minds if we do not
make a conscious effort to keep them open. Even so, as our frames of
reference are changing so is our view on the world and how we relate back to
events such as the current refugee crisis. This I believe helps us to feel that
effect that such events have on every single person no matter where in the
world, such as with wars and crises and disasters and so much else that has
shaken the world and everyone on it, we continue to feel the effects of many
of these things even well past the end of them. For that reason, along with
many others I feel confident in the idea that students know better than most
about what is going on in the world and we care about not only how it will
affect us, but also how it will affect others and what will come from so many
of these crises.

Works Cited

Appiah, Kwame A. Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers. New York: W.W. Norton,
2006. 87-99 Print.

Appiah, Kwame A. "Cosmopolitan Patriots." Exploring Relationships: Globalization and

Learning in the 21st Century. Custom Edition for Mid-Michigan Community College ed.
Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2016. 458-73. Print.

Klein, Naomi. "Fences of Enclosure, Windows of Possibility." Exploring Relationships:

Globalization and Learning in the 21st Century. Custom Edition for Mid-Michigan Community
College ed. Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2016. 454-58. Print.

Mezirow, Jack. "Transformative Learning: Theory to Practice." Exploring Connections:

Learning in the 21st Century. Custom Edition for Mid-Michigan Community College ed.
Boston: Pearson Learning Solutions, 2016. 86-93. Print.