Spring 2021 - CMNS 848 G100
Communication and Global Social Justice (5)
Class Number: 2956
Delivery Method: Remote
Overview
-
Course Times + Location:
Jan 11 – Apr 16, 2021: Mon, 3:00–5:20 p.m.
Burnaby
-
Instructor:
Daniel Ahadi
sahadi@sfu.ca
1 778 782-5322
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Examines communicative responses to transforming global communications systems and shifting structures of global economic and cultural power. Considers how communicators and producers of knowledge and culture interact with and produce these systems and structures and the implications of these processes for social justice. Note: Priority will be given to students enrolled in Global Communication Double MA Degree program. Students with credit for CMNS 858 (Special Topics: CMNS & Global Social Justice) in Spring 2014 & Spring 2015 may not take this course for further credit.
COURSE DETAILS:
How do we narrate a nation and what it stands for? In his opening sentence to A fair country: Telling the truth about Canada (2008), Canadian philosopher John Ralston Saul’s writes “A dancer who describes himself as a singer will do neither well, [and] to insist on describing ourselves as something we are not is to embrace existential illiteracy.” Saul tackles the complicated relationship between the Crown and the Aboriginal peoples of Canada and critiques the state and its institutions--specifically how they have failed to make social justice the cornerstone of social policy and governance. Even though Canada’s narration revolves around expressions of peace, order and good governance, Saul points to the dissonance between narrative and practice.
In this course we will pay close attention to the role of narrative and communication in struggles for equality, spanning the local to the global. We will begin by exploring our role as advocates and our own notions of social justice. You will have the opportunity to select and champion a cause by learning to develop an argument in an op-ed. You will learn how to deliver a persuasive speech to create momentum for change. In your final project you will develop an intervention strategy to tackle a social justice issue of your choosing. In the process you will learn about critiques of social justice alongside interventionist postcolonial, multicultural, feminist, and queer theories of social justice.
Weekly Topics
Week 1 |
Course Introduction: What is Justice? What is Communication? |
Week 2 |
National Justice to Global Justice: The Role of Communication/Op Ed Workshop |
Week 3 |
Neoliberalism and the Fight against “Social Justice Warriors” and “Grievance Studies” |
Week 4 |
Ethics and Politics of Social Justice Research: The Humanitarian/Academic Spectrum |
Week 5 |
Post-Colonial Justice: The Politics of Forgiveness and Reconciliation |
Week 6 |
Multiculturalism and Social Justice: Citizenship and Group Differentiated Rights |
Week 7 |
Social Justice and Feminist Action Research Frameworks |
Week 8 |
Queering Social Justice: Sexual Politics and Queer Activism |
Week 9 |
Social Justice and the Power of Voice I: Speech Writing Workshop |
Week 10 |
Social Justice and the Power of Voice II: Speech Delivery Workshop |
Week 11 |
Social Justice Speech Delivery |
Week 12 |
Social Justice Project Presentation |
Week 13 |
Course Conclusion and Revisiting the Social Justice Quilt |
Grading
- Seminar Attendance and Participation 20%
- Social Justice Virtual Quilt: Understanding our Community 10%
- Social Justice Paper: Understanding Myself as an Advocate 15%
- Social Justice Op Ed: Understanding the Power of Opinion 15%
- Social Justice Speech: Understanding why Voice Matters 15%
- Social Justice Project: Understanding the Power of Intervention 15%
- Social Justice Presentation: Understanding the Power of a Pitch 10%
NOTES:
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
- Cahill, D., Cooper, M., Konings, M., & Primrose, D. (Eds.). (2018). The SAGE handbook of neoliberalism.
- Calder, G. (Ed.) (2018). Handbook on Global Social Justice. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar
- Couldry, N. (2010). Why voice matters: Culture and politics after neoliberalism. Sage.
- Jansen, S., Pooley, J., & Taub-Pervizpour, L. (Eds.). (2011). Media and social justice. Springer.
- Padovani, C., & Calabrese, A. (Eds.). (2014). Communication rights and social justice: Historical accounts of transnational mobilizations. Springer.
Additional articles will be available on Canvas
Graduate Studies Notes:
Important dates and deadlines for graduate students are found here: http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/current/important_dates/guidelines.html. The deadline to drop a course with a 100% refund is the end of week 2. The deadline to drop with no notation on your transcript is the end of week 3.
Registrar Notes:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
TEACHING AT SFU IN SPRING 2021
Teaching at SFU in spring 2021 will be conducted primarily through remote methods. There will be in-person course components in a few exceptional cases where this is fundamental to the educational goals of the course. Such course components will be clearly identified at registration, as will course components that will be “live” (synchronous) vs. at your own pace (asynchronous). Enrollment acknowledges that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes. To ensure you can access all course materials, we recommend you have access to a computer with a microphone and camera, and the internet. In some cases your instructor may use Zoom or other means requiring a camera and microphone to invigilate exams. If proctoring software will be used, this will be confirmed in the first week of class.
Students with hidden or visible disabilities who believe they may need class or exam accommodations, including in the current context of remote learning, are encouraged to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112).