“Becoming Responsibly Engaged in the World,” otherwise known as BREWing, is a superlative goal at Concordia, but I have recently noticed an opportunity for the college to put more meaning into the phrase. Rather than it just being something students poke fun at during campus events, it should be a crucial part of our daily lifestyle. What I am suggesting is that current events be added to the curriculum in every class offered on campus, particularly core classes.
I am quite the enthusiast when it comes to staying up to date with the world’s political issues. Recently, I have sparked conversations with students on Concordia’s campus concerning what is happening in Syria, asking questions such as: Should we act? Keep to our own problems? What can we do for common good? Do you think Syria would attack Israel if we were to get involved? What is the best thing America can do to help? If we do become involved, what would that look like?
My primary point here is that not one single person I talked to could answer or give input on any of these questions or ideas. The reason for this is ultimately that they had not even thought about it. Most of them responded with their exact words being: “Wait, what’s going on in Syria again?” I am not blaming these students for their lack of knowledge of current events; however, it is necessary for schools, especially colleges and universities such as Concordia that emphasize “Becoming Responsibly Engaged in the World,” to address and discuss current events in class.
It is essential for all of us to be aware of what is happening around the world we live in and release ourselves from the personal bubbles formed on our college campus and workplaces. It is all too easy for us Cobbers to fall into the “Concordia Bubble.” We naturally and unknowingly disregard important events on the world’s stage outside our own steadily scheduled lifestyle.
I am sure you would all agree with me by saying, “And that’s why we BREW,” but sometimes we think we are BREWing by merely knowing the idea of what it is to BREW. Because students naturally get caught up in college life and innately disregard events taking place outside their own lives, current events must to be tied into class time in order to ensure that students are truly becoming engaged in the world.
I am not asking every professor to change his or her syllabi but to incorporate some type of current event into the class curriculum, whether it is by discussion or current-event connections associated with the lecture. I am aware that a handful of classes on campus do this already. Nonetheless, it is essential for students to be informed on world issues regardless of whether it relates to a particular class or not. My main justification is this: Are we truly “Becoming Responsibly Engaged in the World” if many of us are not even aware of the most ethically corrupt government actions taking place today?
What can Concordia do to BREW within the bigger picture in matters aside from religious inequality, diversity or experiences abroad? Although these are important topics to BREW about, current events seem to be put on the backburner. What Obama and Congress decide America’s stance is on this particular, humbling situation is out of our power, but being conscious of global issues around us is something we can be in control of.
This letter to the editor was submitted by Andrea Major.
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