Our Year of Critical Thinking: Global Citizenry, Literature, Memory, and Trauma

As our year is coming to an end, I thought it was fitting to look back at where it started. Our first lecture of ASTU 100 began with a discussion on global citizenship as well as memory, trauma, and literature. Viewing the lecture slides for that day I saw the learning outcomes for the course, which at that time seemed quite daunting (at least for me). Through discussions, reading, watching, writing, greatly appreciated guidance, and plenty of thinking I believe that the members of our class transformed into 23 little scholars. The learning outcomes primarily focused on thinking critically as well as understanding and shifting the world around us through reading and writing. From reading the most recent blog posts written by the class, I can see the ways we have learned and nurtured our critical thinking, literary skills, and the way we see the world around us.

The topic of global citizenship was quite frequently mentioned in the blogs and explored through a variety of ways. The idea of what makes a global citizen, what that entails, and how to be a global citizen was put into question. Brenna begins with acknowledging that she did not know what it meant to be a global citizen but throughout the year in CAP she mentions that her understanding took shape in ASTU. The question of what does it mean to be a global citizen was suggested by some such as Avril, Julian, and Benny. Avril mentions that one way of approaching an answer could be through the “could be the affirmation of multiple different perspectives and experiences.” This theme of multiple perspectives is shared as Julian offers the meaning of global citizenship as “acknowledging and attempting to understand the perspectives, history, and culture of other regions than one’s own.” Benny likewise views global citizenship as connections, working “towards taking responsibility for others across all borders.” Julian mentions that in ASTU the literature we read “has helped us on this path of becoming ‘global citizens’.”

By reading and watching our most recent class material “Redeployment” and American Sniper, evident in the blogs, have illuminated how our class can think critically, make connections and utilize theories or concepts discussed in all of our CAP classes. Amanda employs the work of Patrick Deer to think about militarization in American Sniper. Brenna also uses Deer to analyze American Sniper, but also brings in Butler’s first chapter, “Survivability, Vulnerability Affect” from her novel Frames of War: When is Life Grievable? to think critically of what is being presented by the film.

The ideas offered to us by scholars provide us with ways we can “question ‘American Sniper’ for its uncommon sense and its addition to the patterns we see in popular culture” according to Alexa. Daanish recognizes how the scholars we have focused on in ASTU and their “respective ideas about critical global fiction, precariousness and grievability, and the militarization of culture” have provided a framework to which “tie into the larger tool of models and frameworks that our CAP courses have equipped us with and which we can use to holistically evaluate the world around us.” This way to think critically and view the world with learned lenses is exemplified in Edwards blog. Edwards mentions that he “watched the movie ‘Downfall’ last year for a history class, and looking back on it, [he can] think of the scenes much more differently like recognizing that ‘oh this scene relates to Butler’s idea of grievability’.” Melody’s blog post is one example of how our class has learned to “see beyond the surface” and “notice and consider the different levels of understanding and interpretation,” like how scholars have influenced our ideas (Melody). Melody demonstrates this point exceptionally, as she has used “Joseph Darda, who speaks of the “fantasy of mastery”” to further her understanding of how the “event of 9/11, which Chris Kyle sees on television, gave him a stronger reason for military service.”

Many members of our class have recognized the connections between the class material. Silvana noticed the theme of silence in “Redeployed” and “Obasan.” Anna H also observed a connection between texts, the perspective of authors. Anna H notices how similarities and differences of the authors perspectives between our course material.

It was a pleasure to be the one to wrap up our year of blogging, to see the growth and our years’ worth of acquired knowledge was wonderful. I truly appreciate the discussions we have had in this class; memory, trauma, perspective, and global citizenship have taken a new form in my mind. Academia better watch out, there are 23 new scholars to watch out for! 🙂

Anthony

from blogs by: Brenna, Edward, Silvana, Anna H, Avril, Julian, Benny, Daanish, Amanda, Melody, and Alexa.

https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/pid-4446023-dt-content-rid-22824248_1/courses/CL.UBC.ASTU.100.G02.2017W1-2.99808/Slides_1_Sep%207.pdf

Julian – https://blogs.ubc.ca/julianyau/

Brenna – https://blogs.ubc.ca/brennasblog/

Silvana– https://blogs.ubc.ca/silvanamastu/

Benny – https://blogs.ubc.ca/bennyastu/

Edward – https://blogs.ubc.ca/edwardyinblog/

Alexa – https://blogs.ubc.ca/alexafordyblog/

Amanda – https://blogs.ubc.ca/amandasblog/

Daanish – https://blogs.ubc.ca/daanishsayani/

Melody – https://blogs.ubc.ca/melosastu100blog/