Concordia class seeks to stop genocide worldwide

Never Again. These two words have become the slogan for eradicating genocide, made famous in the aftermath of World War II. Since that time, “never again” has been the basis for countless holocaust remembrance speeches, genocide museums and activist groups around the world. But as we continue to look back at the events of the holocaust 60 years ago, many have seemed to turn a blind eye to the present. Though we say “never again”, unless you are two years old, countless genocides have occurred during your lifetime, millions of people have been killed, thousands of women and girls have been raped, and most likely, you knew nothing about them.

The CUC Commission on Genocide meets every Tuesday
and Thursday to collaborate research and ideas.

One course on campus, however, has united students in an effort to change that. The CUC Commission on Genocide, or the students of the Concordia Honors Program special topics course “Genocide” taught by Dr. Jenna Mahay, has spent their entire spring semester investigating genocide since World War II in hopes to ultimately take action to make “never again” a true reality.

A new course on campus

Every semester the Concordia Honors Program offers special topics courses covering a wide variety of educational categories from social sciences, to language arts and even theology. Each course is designed for students to focus on and think critically about a specific topic. Professors of the Honors College are encouraged to propose new potential courses each year. These courses are then reviewed by the Concordia Honors Council and are picked accordingly. Though professors have the opportunity to suggest whatever topic they are interested in teaching, Dr. Mahay proposed this year’s genocide class after students in her Globalization and Human Rights course expressed interest in the topic.

“We studied Darfur in class and students were kind of surprised that this had happened in their lifetime and that they didn’t know very much about it,” Mahay said. “Then, when they heard there were other genocides besides Darfur that had happened in the last 40 or 50 years, students were just shocked. So I polled the class and asked them what were they interested in learning more about and they said genocide.”

Studying slaughter and suffering

Made up of 17 students, the CUC Commission on Genocide has concentrated their study on four distinct genocides: Cambodia from 1975-1979, Bosnia from 1992-1995, Rwanda in 1994 and Darfur from 2004-2010. Throughout their investigations the students seek to identify warning signs within the problematic countries, assess different techniques and artifacts used during these genocides to promote terror, evaluate international responses and ultimately identify ways the situation could have been prevented.

This graph depicts the total number of deaths
recorded in the genocides studied by
 the CUC Commission on Genocide.

“We focus on ways these genocides started, came to fruition, the damage they have done and what still needs to be done in these countries,” said Tegan Pfortmiller, a student taking the course. “I believe it is important to study because we tend to have a narrow view of genocide. It is imperative to realize the patterns that are caused by genocides and ways that we can make a difference to make sure it never happens again.”

Bringing progressive study to Concordia

As Concordia’s first ever course on genocide, Mahay admits that it is an investigation for both 

she and her students.

“I really see it as a collaboration,” Mahay said. “It’s a process of discovery where we are teaching each other and we are going through it together because it’s hard to learn about. It’s hard to read this material daily.”

Savo Heleta, a survivor of the Bosnia genocide Skypes with
CUC students from his home in South Africa.

Not only is the class new on campus, it is proving to be one of the more progressive courses in the Concordia curriculum. Students are encouraged to take charge and suggest new ideas on how to seek information. With this mind-set, in addition to studying from the typical textbook or novel, the class has incorporated other mediums of information into their investigation such as watching documentaries, collaborating research on their own blog site and even using Skype. The class was able to Skype with Savo Heleta, a survivor of the Bosnian genocide and the author 

of the memoir Not My Turn to Die.

“Talking with Savo has been one of the highlights of my college career,” Pfortmiller said. “It was neat to be able to hear information from a first person perspective, versus always reading it in articles and in books. We had the chance to ask him questions, which he answered very thoroughly. We learned not only about his work, but what he believes is important to truly work towards a world without genocide.”

Promoting campus-wide genocide awareness

One of the class’ main goals is to take action. After learning about the horrors of genocide, the class decided it was their responsibility to do something.

The Commission on Genocide created a book display at
the entrance of Concordia's Klinck Memorial Library in
honor of Genocide Awareness Month.

“We can stop genocide by awareness, which is key,” Pfortmiller said. “We need to inform the world about these conflicts and make sure that our governments do not turn a blind eye when conflicts start to occur. It is imperative to keep our governments accountable for their actions and bring things to their attention so that we can help countries that need it. ”

In honor of Genocide Awareness Month, which takes place during April, the class worked with the campus library to create a genocide book display. The display included general information about genocide, quotes from some of the novels the class studied and genocide-related books that the library had for students to check out. In addition, the class teamed up with the Human Rights Club to put on a campus-wide film screening of Shake Hands with the Devil, a documentary about the Rwandan genocide.

Spreading awareness from Concordia to community

Invested in making a difference, the class hopes that their efforts to spread awareness do not just stop at the campus level and are brainstorming ways that they can spread awareness to the entire community. The class encourages everyone to check out their website to learn more about genocide and how you can help bring a stop to it.

“Don’t be uncomfortable talking about it,” said Jillian Green, a member of the class. “It’s not only part of history, but also everyday life. It’s something that happens and if we continue to ignore it in regards to just everyday conversation or education, it’s just going to keep going.”

How can you make a global change while at Concordia? 

The Human Rights Club makes it simple:

The Human Rights Club meets every Monday at 11 am in Addison 203.

Students explore Europe with study abroad program

   Thirty-nine hundred miles across the Pacific Ocean lies the sleepy college town of Cambridge, UK. A place where only the most elite individuals attend and the professors write the textbooks, the University of Cambridge, the second best university in the entire world, was the destination for two Concordia students last spring who decided to spend their semester in England.  Taking advantage of Concordia’s study abroad program “Concordia in Cambridge,” Allison Dodgers and Blythe Harkenrider began their six-month stay in the country at the Westfield House of Theological Studies.

What is Westfield?

   Westfield House is the theological college of the ELCE (Evangelical Lutheran Church of England), which is attached to Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. Each year, Concordia sends two to three students to the college to continue their studies at what the program’s informational document notes as “one of Europe’s premier academic and cultural centers.” While at the university, students have the chance to attend lectures with students from the University at the Divinity Faculty, given by some of the world’s foremost theological scholars, participate in intermural sports and campus activities, meet people from across the world and travel throughout Europe. While promoting growth and learning, Westfield allows students to not only learn their course material, but also learn how to be independent in a brand new place.

   “It’s not like a normal study abroad where its like, oh I lived in this persons house and I learned Italian cooking and we took trips to Spain. It’s like living in England for six months,” Harkenrider said. “There’s no tour guide. I had to figure out where to go to get groceries, where to get food, where to find my classes.”

Preparing for a Journey

   Before setting foot in England, Concordia students must apply for the program through Pastor Leininger, prepare for their trip, sort out all finances and organize their schedule to ensure an on-time graduation. The Westfield House program requires applicants to have a minimum GPA of 3.0, a letter of recommendation from preferably a faculty member and completed applications for both Westfield House and the Concordia study abroad program. Though students do not have to be a theology major, it is recommended, as the college offers predominantly theological courses. Once applications are submitted, students must begin preparing their academic schedules not only for their semester in England, but for the rest of their college career.

   “The biggest thing with study abroad is you have to be smart and plan ahead,” Harkenrider said. “So for me, I laid out my schedule starting the middle of my sophomore year. I planned it to a T.”

  In addition to planning ahead, students must also consider the finances involved in study abroad. Unlike other study abroad programs offered at Concordia, the Westfield House program allows students to pay normal tuition and certain fees to Concordia, and students are still considered fulltime students at Concordia. This means that all scholarships awarded to students still apply. However, housing must be paid directly to Westfield House by students, rather than to Concordia. Though tuition and housing may be a little easier to plan for, students must also consider financing extracurricular activities such as paying for travel, food, shopping and the like.

   “Tuition wasn’t as big of a deal because there’s not that much that you have to sort out,” Dodgers said. “It was just a matter of having money to travel and do extra things. It was stressful getting ready just because I didn’t know how much I would need.”

 

Traveling Europe

While on their month-long break, Dodgers and Harkenrider backpacked
across Europe. The red person markers indicate cities visited by the duo. 

   Despite these challenges, Dodgers and Harkenrider made it to England, and the rest of Europe. Westfield House’s spring semester is broken into two parts. The first part, known as “Lent Term,” is a 10 weeklong semester in which students begin their studies. The second part, “Easter Term,” is a brief 5 weeklong semester in which students complete their studies. Unlike American universities, in between these two terms is the British form of Spring Break, which is a month long. During this time, students are free to relax and travel as they please. 

   “You can use your time there any way you choose and I feel like we did all the things we said we really wanted to do and we experienced so much more than we ever thought we would.” Dodgers said. “During the break went to the west coast of Ireland, Dublin, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Cambridge, Rome, Florence, Pisa, Edinburgh and Bath.”

   With nothing but backpacks and IPods, the women explored Europe one country at a time.

   “It was scary initially,” Harkenrider said. “We went to Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day first and I remember getting on that plane and being like, this is crazy were just two girls going around Europe with just two backpacks. No phone, no computer, no nothing. I’d message [my boyfriend] and my parents and be like, ‘hey I’m here, I’m safe, love you,’ that was it for a month.”

Finding Love Abroad

   In addition to the excitement of travel, the excitement of new love was also in the air. Of course, what is Europe without a little romance? Not only did Dodgers discover a wealth of new information while abroad at Westfield House, she also found her fiancée who was a seminarian at St. Louis studying at Westfield House during Dodger’s semester abroad.

   “We had a weird beginning because we didn’t know if we should start something when we were leaving in a few months,” Dodgers said. “I was convinced that if he got placed [in a seminary] in California we would break up. But then he said, ‘it’s not just about location- I want you to want to do this too. I guess it worked because he asked me to marry him and I said yes.”

Bringing it Home

   From finding love, to exploring Europe, to learning from the best professors in the world, the Westfield House program seems to have a lot to offer to Concordia students interested in exploring abroad. For Dodgers and Harkenrider this was an experience that they both have declared they will remember forever.

Interested in Concordia's other study abroad programs? 

Peter Renn the Director for the Center for Global Outreach 

explains the other opportunities at Concordia:

Concordia students serve mission in Thailand

While in Thailand the Concordia mission group visited an
elephant farm where they learned how to ride elephants.

While most Concordia students bundled up to face the below-zero Midwest weather this January, some students spent their J-term across the globe, in the heat of a Thailand summer. Lead by Deaconess Betsy Karkan who serves as a mission trip coordinator for Concordia, a group of 14 students travelled to the country to learn about Thai culture while serving as short-term missionaries to the Hmong, a native hill tribe in Thailand.

Preparing for an Adventure

Though the group was eager to begin their work with the people of Thailand, in the months leading up to the trip, the students were required to attend regular meetings instructing them in Thai culture, customs, and song. During this training, students learned the things to do, such as the wai (the Thai greeting) and also the things not to do.

“Thailand has rules for things that you wouldn’t expect. For example, you couldn’t use your feet for things because that is supposedly the nasty part of your body,” senior Sarah Burr said. “The first day I was there, something was blowing away and, not thinking about it, I stomped on it. After I realized what I had done, I was like oh my gosh, I already broke a rule!”

In addition to using feet to touch things, touching others’ heads, believed to be the most holy part of the body, was also not allowed.

Identifying a Need

The Concordia students worked with the organization CWEFT,
tConcordia Welfare Education Foundation in Thailand, a
program founded by the LCMS.

Upon arrival in Thailand, the group made the eight hour trip to the northern Thai city of Chaing Mai, where their mission for the next week would be to help the organization CWEFT (Concordia Welfare Education Foundation in Thailand). CWEFT is a Non-Government Organization started by the LCMS in 1988 in Thailand to provide human care and education support to people living in poverty throughout the country. Though the organization carries out many different projects all over Thailand, the students helped with the organization’s current project, the Concordia Learning Center.

In Thailand there are several ethnic minority groups, including several hill tribe groups. These groups, who each have their own unique culture, language, history and style of clothing often live in remote areas of Thailand where access to free education is difficult. According to Karkan, living so far from free education forces families to make difficult decisions. A family must decide whether to let their child move to the city on their own to receive an education, or if Buddhist, let their boys become novice monks and receive their educations in that manner. However, these options pose as problems for the children of the hill tribe groups who would like to remain close to their families and are mainly Christian. CWEFT seeks to provide quality education and a safe place for children to stay and be taken care of during their studies.

“Many Christian organizations have established youth hostels for the students to stay in where they can be fed, taken care of and be nurtured in a Christian environment,” Karkan said. “This is the purpose of the Concordia Learning Center (CLC). Students live at this center and are responsible for cooking their meals, maintaining the property and eventually will grow their own food to make the project self-sustaining, all while getting an education- something that most people in their villages won’t have.”

Making a Difference

Students painted and wired electricity through newly
constructed buildings that will serve as a type of dormitory
for the Hmong students attending the CLC.

The students from Concordia spent five days in Chaing Mai helping to paint and add electricity to two new permanent housing buildings for the CLC students. Also, the group began building an adobe house, which would serve as guest housing for future visitors to the school. In addition, the students from Concordia had the opportunity to spend time in fellowship with the Hmong students in their village, playing games and talking with them, as well as, celebrating Children’s Day and the Hmong New Year with the students and their families.

The Hmong children play during their Children's Day festival.

“During the five days that we spent doing work on the houses and stuff we didn’t really hang out with the kids. But that Wednesday night and then Saturday, all day, we spent with the kids just playing music and hanging out with them,” senior Scotty Illich said. “Even though we were only able to help out for five days, and most of the time it was spent working not directly with people, they were still so appreciative. It was just really cool to see how much they appreciated the little bit that we did.”

Fun in the Sun

The entire group of Concordia gather together with their
Thailand leaders from CWEFT in front of LCMS Mission building.

Although serving the people of Thailand was their main mission, the students also found some time for a little fun and adventure. While there, the students were able to ride elephants, pet tigers, explore Bangkok and even soak up some sun while relaxing on a Thai beach.

After just 18 days in Thailand, the group returned to Concordia with a lot to share. However, in a country where less than one percent of its population is Christian, there is still much more work to be done in Thailand.

How can you Get involved?

Countdown to Thailand

Time is ticking down, the first blog story will be out soon! Next week's theme: Thailand