Abstract
In college classrooms, topics such as immigration and the global refugee crisis can be labeled as “controversial” and thus difficult to engage in, especially when students are asked to call into question their own privileges they carry with them in society. Negative stereotypes can be brought implicitly into discussions unless students have the chance to explore narratives of marginalized people (especially migrant and refugee children) while also explicitly challenging and reflecting upon their own biases. “If we are to undo the racial inequities that continue to plague us, we must find constructive ways to talk about them and intervene constructively and consciously to end them” (Carter et al., 2017, p. 209). This study investigates how engaging in reading children’s literature may have altered students’ perceptions of the global refugee crisis and immigration policies to become better global citizens. Participants were unique in that they were undergraduate students from the United States enrolled in a semester-long study abroad program in Luxembourg, all from various majors enrolled in a children’s literature course. Texts included graphic novels, young adult literature, picturebooks, and self-selected titles centering protagonists seeking immigration or asylum as a refugee. Data are pre- and post-questionnaires, visual projects, and reflections. Findings include students’: 1) initial interpretations of who an “immigrant” or “refugee” is shifted pre-to-post experience; 2) empathy increased after putting themselves in the protagonists’ shoes (using literature as a “window”) (Bishop, 1990); and 3) appreciation of the urgency of the global situation in which the “refugee” protagonist fled their homeland.
Presenters
Katherine BatchelorAssociate Professor, Teacher Education, Miami University, Ohio, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Vectors of Society and Culture
KEYWORDS
Critical Literacy, Children's Literature, International education, Marginalized Voices, Immigration, Refugees
