Chapter 33: Raising Awareness of Biopiracy and Reenvisioning Learners as Advocates

Aligning with the broader missions of the humanities and liberal arts education, one goal in the field of language learning centers on facilitating in learners the ability to “interact with awareness, sensitivity, empathy and knowledge of the perspectives of others” (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages [ACTFL], 2014; Churchwell, 2016; Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences, 2013). Learners have been socialized into a particular cultural view shaped largely by their own experiences of the world; thus, broadening their awareness of alternate worldviews and helping them progress toward an appreciation of unfamiliar perspectives is not without challenges. In fact, despite increased global interconnectivity and instant access to information, research suggests that postsecondary learners in the United States are largely unaware of world affairs and the “cultural and historical traditions of other countries or peoples” (Sperandio et al., 2010, p. 14). One way to expand learners’ understandings of others in personally meaningful ways is through a social justice-oriented curriculum in which deliberate educational interventions highlight diverse cultural backgrounds, perspectives, and narratives and then prompt learners to critically analyze, process, and reflect on them.