Equity & Communication: Strategies for Institutional Change

Catalog description

Communication is always embedded in power relationships with unstated social rules that govern who is able to say what when. But communication also offers us a tool for rewriting oppressive social scripts. In this class, we will examine both the inequities embedded in communication practices and strategies for transforming them. Our focus will be on practical actions that you can take to improve your school, workplace, or extracurricular groups. Course readings will come from diverse sources and fields, including sociolinguistics, psychology, education, organizational communication, and writing studies. While our readings might occasionally depress (or enrage) you, the course as a whole will be forward-looking and optimistic, encouraging you to imagine and implement solutions to the problems we explore. Prerequisites: 76-101 or 76-102 or ( 76-106 and 76-107 ) or ( 76-106 and 76-108 ) or ( 76-107 and 76-108 )