Forum: Communication Activism Pedagogy. Critical Pedagogy Meets Transformation: Creating the Being of Communication Activists

• Published in: Communication education Vol. 66; no. 3; pp. 378 - 380
• Main Authors: Donovan, Matthew C. J, Tracy, Sarah J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 2017
• Subjects: Activism; Citizen Participation; Critical Theory; Instruction; Scholarship; Social Justice
• ISSN: 0363-4523
• DOI: 10.1080/03634523.2017.1294254

Communication activism pedagogy (CAP) is rooted in many of the same ideals as participatory action research (e.g., attending to issues of social inequality and oppression with the goal of enacting social change). Not only does participatory action serve an important role in taking research outside of the ivory tower, but also it notably gives members--both students and the communities with which they are enacting social justice activism--the agency to own and solve problems in such a way that they are empowered to transform their own situations. Frey and Palmer advocate for action in the form of practical application, where students "learn about" theories of social justice and then "apply" that knowledge to a specific case. The authors of this response essay concur that this type of practical application is one way to "real"-ize social justice knowledge. Certainly, such efforts are preferable over more typical types of pedagogical assessments like theoretical papers and exams. That said, the authors wish to push CAP one step further. How might educators do pedagogy so that students may "become," in their mundane being and action, a stand for social justice in the world? How might instructional practices create the "being" of communication activists? If educators heed the call to create students (citizens) who create social justice activism beyond the classroom, an integral step is to create students who are self-reflexive about their own experiences, attitudes, and (in)actions regarding social justice. When students develop the ability to examine their own assumptions and consider their own roles in (re)producing justice/injustice, they will develop the access necessary to consider how their realities can silence and impact others. The authors suggest they do so not only through hypothetical or actual case studies--"out there"--but also by closely examining and practicing specific ways of being in terms of social (in)justice as it emerges in students' everyday social media discussions, interactions with the homeless, and confrontations with rule makers. Communication, in this sense, serves not as an artifact of analysis, but instead a source of agency. [Other articles in this forum include: Communication Activism Pedagogy and Research: Communication Education Scholarship to Promote Social Justice (EJ1142582); Look to Our Campuses for Focus and Inspiration (EJ1142583); A Call for an Ethic of Transformation in Communication Activism Education (EJ1142584); Beyond the Charity-Service Paradigm: Building Ethical Platforms for Social Justice Education with Those Most Affected (EJ1142585); Long-Term Impacts of Communication Activism Pedagogy: Guiding Principles for Future Research (EJ1142586); Expanding CAP's Interventionist Model and Developing Proper Learning Rubrics (EJ1142587); Turning Communication Activism Pedagogy Teaching into Communication Activism Pedagogy Research (EJ1142589); and Four Typologies of Communication Activism Pedagogy (EJ1142590).]