Post on 23-Apr-2023
Development Communication 1
CMNS 346
Simon Fraser University
School of Communication
Summer 2015 (J100) (NoW)
Class: Saturdays, 12.30-4.20 pm
Segal 2800, 500 Granville Street
Instructor: Anis Rahman
Email: abur@sfu.ca
Office: HC 2154 (Sat, 4.30-5.30 pm) Development Communication
Overview
This course explores the roles of media and communication in
development issues. We will critically assess the strategic use of
communication and media tools in advancing the goals of social,
cultural, and political change. In the first part of the course, we will
examine various approaches, models, and strategies of development
communication, from both theoretical and historical points of view.
The second part of the course will focus on selected areas of
development communication, including global poverty, hunger, health,
gender, environment, and sustainability. We will also explore
emerging and alternative strategies of communicating social change,
such as open development, indigenous movements, cultural resistance
and digital media activism. Students will produce case studies and map
out specific communication strategies aimed at particular development
issues from a global, national, or local perspective. The course will be
enriched by frequent active learning techniques, several guest lectures
and field visits.
Objectives
By the end of this course, you will:
Demonstrate an understanding of the theory and history of the role
of communication in development
Critically assess the strategic use of communication and media
tools in development goals
Generate case studies on contemporary perspectives on
development communication
Apply strategies of communicating social change on various
development issues from a local, national, and global perspective
Work collaboratively, design and present a research project
Required Texts
Dutta, Mohan J. (2011)
Communicating Social Change:
Structure, Culture, and Agency. New
York: Routledge. ISBN: 0415878748.
(Available at
the SFU
Bookstore)
Other
readings will
be made
available via
Canvas
system
Recommended Texts
Wilkins, Karin Gwinn, Thomas
Tufte, and Rafael Obregon (2014)
The Handbook of Development
Communication and Social Change.
New Jersey: Wiley Blackwell. ISBN:
9781118505311
Selected
chapters
will be
required
readings
Development Communication 2
Lecture Topics
Theoretical components
Definition of Development Communication
Historical Contexts of Development Communication
Theories and Approaches to Development Communication
Models and Strategies to Development Communication
Media Development and Media Intervention
Applied/Practical components
Inequality, Global Poverty and Hunger
Environment and Sustainability
Health and Gender
ICT and Open Development
Humanitarianism, Activism and Social Change
Assessment Tasks
The assessment tasks for this course include:
Literature Review (20%): A 4-6 pages long individual assignment
to a) define of a topic area, b) shows connections between the
theories of communication and development issues, c) proposes a
research outline for a possible case study.
In-class Presentations (15%): A 15-20 min long collaborative and
visually creative group presentation outlining the key arguments,
core theories, and case study findings.
Term Paper (30%): A 14-15 pages long group assignment
presenting a complete case study and peer-evaluation. This is the
final output of the collaborative work.
Final Exam (20%): Cumulative examination of course knowledge
based on lectures and readings, composed of essay questions.
Class participation (15%): Individual presence and performance in
overall classroom activities, including contribution to classroom
discussions.
Course Materials
Copies of lecture slides, syllabus, announcements, and weekly
modules, some of the required readings, a group discussion area and
other useful resource information and course materials will be made
available on Canvas site of this course: CMNS 346 J100.
Grading
Literature Review (individual) 20%
In-class Presentations (group) 15%
Term Paper (group) 30%
Final Exam (individual) 20%
Participation (individual) 15%
Due Dates
Week 5 – June 13
At the start of lecture
In between June 20 – July 25
Submit group proposal by week 4,
June 6
Week 12 – Aug 1
At the start of lecture
Aug 8
2 hours, in class
Ongoing
Course Canvas site
https://canvas.sfu.ca/courses/21072
Students are required to check the
Canvas site of the course on regular
basis.
Development Communication 3
Weekly Topics and Readings
Week 1, 16 May: What is Development Communication?
Readings:
1. Mohan J. Dutta (2011) Introduction, Communicating Social Change:
Structure, Culture, and Agency, pp. 1-28
2. Florencia Enghel (2015) Towards a Political Economy of
Communication in Development? Nordicom Review, 36, pp. 11-24,
access here:
http://www.nordicom.gu.se/sites/default/files/kapitel-
pdf/nordicom_review_36_2015_special_issue_pp._11-24.pdf
Week 2, 23 May: Historical Contexts of Development Communication
Readings:
1. Arturo Escobar (1995) Development and the Anthropology of
Modernity. Encountering Development: The Making and Unmaking of
the Third World, pp. 3-20, access here:
http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/s9564.pdf
2. Toby Miller (2014) Globalization and Development. The Handbook
of Development Communication and Social Change, pp. 20-39
3. Karin Wilkins (2014) Emerging Issues in Communicating
Development and Social Change. The Handbook of Development
Communication and Social Change, pp. 138-144
Week 3, 30 May: Theories & Approaches to Development Communication
Readings:
1. Mohan J. Dutta (2011) Theorizing Social Change Communication.
Communicating Social Change: Structure, Culture, and Agency, pp. 29-
63
2. Srinivas R. Melkot (2003) Theories of Development
Communication. International Development Communication: A 21st-
Century Perspective, pp. 129-146
3. Alfonso Gumucio-Dagron (2014) Indigenous Communication:
From Multiculturalism to Interculturality. The Handbook of
Development Communication and Social Change, pp. 108-124
Supplementary reading: Pradip N. Thomas (2015) Communication for
Social Change, Making Theory Count. Nordicom Review, 36, pp. 71-78
Key Topics & Activities
Overview of the Course
Classroom discussions
Readings questions for week 1:
1. What does development
communication mean to you? Why
it is important?
2. What are the problems of
development communication, in
theory and in practice?
Classroom Discussion
Week 2 key theories and concepts:
Globalization
Modernization
Dependency theory
Imperialism
Cultural imperialism
NWICO movement
Classroom Discussion
Week 3 key theories and concepts:
Modernization paradigm
Communication for social
change theories (CSC)
Culture-centered approaches
Postcolonial theory
Political economy
Pedagogy of the oppressed
Participatory action research
Indigenous knowledge
Form groups by this week
Development Communication 4
Week 4, 6 June: Models and Strategies to Development Communication
Readings:
1. Robert Huesca (2008) Tracing the History of Participatory
Communication Approaches to Development. Communication for
Development and Social Change, pp. 180-198
2. Jan Servaes (2008). Communication for Development Approaches
of Some Governmental and Non-Governmental Agencies.
Communication for Development and Social Change, pp. 201-218
3. Karin Wilkins (2014) Advocacy Communication. The Handbook of
Development Communication and Social Change, pp. 57-71
Supplementary reading: Silvio Waisbord (2005) Family Tree of
Theories, Methodologies and Strategies in Dev. Communication.
http://www.communicationforsocialchange.org/pdf/familytree.pdf
Week 5, 13 June: Media Development and Media Intervention
Readings:
1. Mohan J. Dutta (2011) Mediated Social Change. Communicating
Social Change: Structure, Culture, and Agency, pp. 267-286
2. James Deane (2014) Media Development, The Handbook of
Development Communication and Social Change, pp. 226-241
Supplementary readings: Linje Manyozo (2012) The Media
Development Approach: Emphasis on Structure. Media,
Communication and Development: Three Approaches
Jessica Noske-Turner (2015) 10 Years of Evaluation Practice in Media
Assistance: Who, When, Why & How? Nordicom Review, 36, pp. 41-56
Week 6, 20 June: Inequality, Global Poverty and Hunger
Readings:
1. Mohan J. Dutta (2011) Poverty at the Margins. Communicating
Social Change: Structure, Culture, and Agency, pp. 67-95
2. Mohan J. Dutta (2011) Agriculture and Food: Global Inequalities. Communicating Social Change: Structure, Culture, and Agency, pp. 96-
122
3. Janice Nathanson (2013) The Pornography of Poverty: Reframing
the Discourse of International Aid's Representations of Starving
Children. Canadian Journal of Communication, 38(1), pp. 103-120
Classroom Discussion
Week 4 key theories and concepts:
Participatory Communication
Advocacy Communication
Indigenous Communication
Community media
Social Marketing
Social Mobilization
Entertainment Education
Empowerment Framework
KAP
ICT4D
Submit informal group proposal
by this week
Classroom Discussion
Week 5 key theories and concepts:
Media development
Monitoring and Evaluation
BBC Media Action
UNESCO (2008) Media
Development Indicators
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/i
mages/0016/001631/163102
e.pdf
Literature Review due today
Group 1 Presentation topics:
Extreme poverty and
inequality (e.g. global slam
development, urban-rural
disparity, homelessness,
unemployment)
Exploitation of labor
Global hunger and food security
* Field Visit (experimental observation)
** Guest Lecture: Daniel Tseghay,
Writer and activist in Vancouver
Development Communication 5
Week 7, 27 June: Development Communication and Environment and
Sustainability
Readings:
1. Adam Corner & Alex Randall (2011) Selling climate change? The
limitations of social marketing as a strategy for climate change
public engagement. Global Environmental Change, 21(3), pp. 1005-
1014
2. Readings provided by the guest lecturer
3. Readings provided by the guest lecturer
Week 8, 4 July: Development Communication and Health and Gender
Readings:
1. Mohan Dutta (2011) Health at the Margins. Communicating Social
Change: Structure, Culture, and Agency, pp. 123-144
2. Mohan Dutta (2011) Gendered Marginalization. Communicating
Social Change: Structure, Culture, and Agency, pp. 145-165
3. Colin Tinei Chasi (2014) Public Health. The Handbook of
Development Communication and Social Change, pp. 92-107
Week 9, 11 July: No class
Week 10, 18 July: ICT and Open Development
Readings:
1. Paula Chakravartty (2012) Rebranding Development
Communications in Emergent India, access here:
http://ojs.ub.gu.se/ojs/index.php/gt/article/view/1291
2. Katherine Reilly & Matthew Smith (2014) The Emergence of Open
Development in a Network Society, Open Development: Networked
Innovations in International Development. Access here:
http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Resources/Publications/Pages/IDRCBo
okDetails.aspx?PublicationID=1274
3. Robert McMahon (2014) From Digital Divides to the First Mile:
Indigenous Peoples and the Network Society in Canada.
International Journal of Communication, 8. Access here:
http://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/2456
Supplementary article: Gurstein's Community Informatics (2015)
Group 2 Presentation topics:
Global warming and climate
justice
Power generation (e.g.
electricity, coal, nuclear, gas,
oil)
** Guest Lecture
Professor Robert Anderson, School
of Communication, SFU
Group 3 Presentation topics:
Group 4 Presentation topics:
Health Communication for
marginalized people
Gender rights and violence
(e.g. violence against women,
rape, media representation of
gender)
Work on your term paper
Group 5 Presentation topics:
Open development (e.g. open
government, open education,
public engagement)
Digital divide and Internet for
poor (e.g. free and open
internet debates)
ICT for indigenous
communities
Strengthening Information
Society Research Capacity
Alliance (SIRCA)
** Guest Lecture
Dr. Robert McMahon, Community
Informatics, University of Alberta
Development Communication 6
Week 11, 25 July: Humanitarianism, Activism and Social Change
Readings:
1. Mohan Dutta (2011) Participation, Social Capital, Community
Networks, and Social Change. Communicating Social Change:
Structure, Culture, and Agency, pp. 243-266
2. John Downing (2014) Social Movement Media in the Process
of Constructive Social Change. The Handbook of Development
Communication and Social Change, pp. 331-350
3. Doutze Lettinga (2015) How revolutionary are global human
rights? Open Democracy, 13 May 2015. Access here:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/openglobalrights/doutje-
lettinga/how-revolutionary-are-global-human-rights
Week 12, 1 August: Course Review
Course Overview
Final exam review
8 August: Final Exam
* Field Visit
We will explore various aspects of developmental communication by
conducting field visits during the class time around downtown
Vancouver. The purpose of the field work is to enhance our
understanding of complex subjects (for example, inequality and
poverty) through experimental observation. You will be able to identify
and problematize development efforts (or its absence) from the
surrounding settings and will be encouraged to relate their observation
to the theories presented in the classroom.
** Guest Lectures
The purpose of guest lectures is to enrich and supplement course
knowledge by bringing prominent development communication
scholars who have extensive field experience at global, national and
local levels. We may also have occasional guests who are not listed
here.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Dr. Katherine Reilly (SFU School of
Communication) and Sarah Louise Turner (SFU Teaching and
Learning Centre) for their comments and helpful suggestions to
prepare and to design this syllabus.
Group 6 Presentation topics:
Group 7 Presentation topics:
Youth, social movement, and
digital media activism
Human rights, resistance, and
social movement
Term paper due today
Course Evaluation
2 hours, in class
Inequality and poverty in
Vancouver Downtown
June 20 – Daniel Tseghay
June 27 – Prof. Robert Anderson
July 18 – Dr. Robert McMahon
Development Communication 7
Course Policies
Policy on Attendance
Students must attend at least 7 classes to pass the course.
Students are expected to come to class having completed the
readings assigned for each lecture to qualify participation marks.
Policy on Late Papers
Students who do not hand in assignments on time will receive a
late penalty of 1 numerical mark for every day they are late.
Assignments are due at the beginning of lecture. Assignments are
not accepted by fax or e-mail. In addition to hardcopies students
must also upload an electronic copy on Canvas – Assignment
section as a backup and to allow e-feedback if necessary.
It is your responsibility to keep a backup copy of your assignments
in hard and electronic format, in case your paper is lost.
Policy on no submission and/or missed exam
Not submitting Literature Review = N grade (Please refer to the
SFU Academic Calendar for grading policies)
Not contributing to Term Paper (group) = N grade
Not attending the Final Exam = F grade
Policy on Paper Submission & Formatting
All submission should contain a cover page with providing the
following information a) course number and name, b) name of the
instructor, c) type of assignment, , d) name of the student(s) e)
student number, f) word count (excluding the cover page and
bibliography) g) date of submission.
All submission should be formatted with: a) Times New Roman
font, b) 12 font size, c) double spaced, d) Normal margin, e) Letter
size paper, f) printed on single sided, g) stapled at left top corner of
the document. Unstapled hardcopies will not be accepted.
Notes on Academic Dishonesty
Read the SFU policies on cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of
academic dishonesty
(http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student.html). The
consequences of such behavior are serious. Also familiarize
yourself with the SFU library tutorial on avoiding plagiarism
(http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/tutorials/plagiarism-tutorial).
Student Meetings
Office hour is listed at the top
of the first page of this
syllabus. Alternatively, you
may also try to arrange an
appointment via email for a
different time.
Email Policies
Students are expected to
check their SFU e-mail
regularly.
Emails are normally
responded within 72 hours.
I will only respond to
questions that can be
answered in a sentence or
two. Questions requiring
longer replies should be asked
in class or during office hours.
Before you ask questions,
check Canvas to see if the
information is there.
Classroom Notes
Note: The use of mobile
phones and similar devices in
the classroom is a distraction
from our purpose, and thus is
not permitted unless our class
requires it. If you must use a
laptop, kindly use it in a way
that is unobtrusive.
Note: I may occasionally
project images or raise issues
in this class which might be
disturbing to you. If you wish
to absent yourself briefly
during that period, simply let
me know.
Development Communication 8
Assignment Instructions
Literature Review (20%), due Week 5 – June 13
Students will submit a literature review individually that will define
a key topic and a relevant theory with reference to key readings.
Superior assignments will identify contrasting definitions and
present arguments for the preferred definition.
Possible definition topics/theories:
1) Modernity and development
2) Modernization vs. dependency theory debate
3) Communication for Social Change (CSC) theories
4) Participatory development and communication
5) Sustainable development and communication
6) Culture-centered approaches of social change
7) Pedagogy of the oppressed
8) Political economy of development communication
9) Community and intercultural communication
10) Advocacy communication
11) Multiplatform media development in developing countries
Possible development issues/problems include:
1) Extreme poverty and inequality (e.g. global slam development,
urban-rural disparity, homelessness, unemployment)
2) Exploitation of labor (i.e. in manufacturing sector)
3) Global hunger and food security
4) Global warming and climate justice
5) Power generation (e.g. electricity, coal, nuclear, gas, oil)
6) Health Communication for marginalized people
7) Gender rights and violence (e.g. violence against women, rape)
8) Open development (e.g. open government, open education)
9) Digital divide and Internet for poor (e.g. free internet debate)
10) ICT for indigenous communities
11) Youth, social movement, and digital media activism
12) Human rights, resistance, and social movement
Informal Group Proposal due Week 4 – June 6
Develop an informal research proposal in class. The proposal
should address how different topics and theories (from the first half
of the course) connect to an issue in development (from the second
half of the course, e.g. global poverty, hunger, health, gender,
environment, open development, ICT & indigenous communities,
youth and digital media activism, etc.). I will give 0.5 participation
mark to all students who will contribute to the proposal.
Goals
Defines of a topic area and
reviews strengths and
weaknesses of an argument
Shows connections between
the theories of media or
communication and
development issues/problems
Proposes a research outline
for a possible case study.
Requirements
4-6 pages long (excluding
cover page and bibliography)
Review at least 4 academic
sources (2 from course
readings and 2 from external
sources), no maximum limit
Academic sources mean:
peer-reviewed journal articles,
books, book chapters
Extensive use of SFU Library
is recommended
Alternative ideas can be
discussed
Follow Grading Rubric on p.
10
Group Formation
Engage into classroom
reading and discussion
Share your draft literature
review ideas in a group
Develop an one-page
informal group proposal
Share your proposal with
other groups
Development Communication 9
In-class Presentations (group) (15%) - Week 6 to Week 11, in-class
Students will form research groups in order to work
collaboratively, and to design a research project. Each group will
consists of 4-5 members and each members will carry out specific
set of roles. Each group will generate an organizational case study
on contemporary strategies on development communication.
Each group will present their work-in-progress research summary
in class. The presentation will educate their peers on the topic at
hand and explore its relevance to development. Each group will
receive written and oral feedback from other groups. I will provide
with instant informal oral feedback and assign presentation marks.
Term Paper (30%), due Week 12 – Aug 1
This is the final output of the collaborative work. The goal of this
assignment is to critically assess the strategic use of communication
and media tools in development goals in a particular case(s).
The case study (25%): contains several major components:
a) Introduction & conclusion, contain background, rationale, & recommendations
b) A thesis statement or key argument about how this topic relates to development in the contemporary world, along with research questions.
c) A literature review defining the key topics and problematizing a development issue from theoretical and historical viewpoints.
d) A critical analysis of strategies of communicating social change of a particular organization on a development issue from a local, national, or a global perspective.
e) The final section will point towards the emerging and alternative strategies of communicating social change pertinent to the development issue.
Peer-evaluation (5%): Peer-evaluations will be based on: a)
contribution to research, b) contribution to presentations, c)
creative ideas, d) collegial attitude, e) timely contribution and
response. Each portion may carry up to 1 point. The average mark
of reviews from all member in each group will be assigned to the
individual members.
Class Participation (15%) – individual, ongoing basis
Students will get mark for their timely attendance (0.5 per class).
Participation marks (10%) will be assigned based on a student’s
active participation during the class, such as responding to
questions asked by the instructor/guest speaker, raising discussion
questions, contributing to discussion and active learning activities.
Presentation Length
A 15-20 min long
collaborative and visually
creative group presentation
outlining the key arguments,
core theories, and case study
findings.
Total 30 min including
discussion and feedback
Follow Grading Rubric on p.
11
Requirements
14-15 pages long group
assignment presenting a
complete case study and peer-
evaluation
Use at least 10 academic
sources
Term Paper topic should be
an extension of the two or
more topics and issues
suggested in Literature
Review section. Alternative
ideas can be discussed
Follow Grading Rubric on p.
10
As a part of this assignment,
each member will evaluate
the effort of their team
members and submit a peer-
evaluation form (qualitative
comment and quantitative
scale) along with the Term
Paper.
Participation
Ask open ended and thought-
provoking questions based on
readings and lectures
Answer to questions based on readings and contemporary Dev Com issues
Development Communication 10
Grading Rubric for Literature Review (20%)
Criteria Excellent
(A)
Good
(B)
Average
(C)
Poor
(D)
Grace
1 Defined of a topic area and reviewed strengths and weaknesses of an argument(s) from relevant academic sources (2 pages)
5 4 3 2 1
2 Showed connections between the theories of communication or media and development issues/problem (1+ page)
5 4 3 2 1
3 Demonstrated the need for further research and proposed a research outline for a possible case study (1+ page)
5 4 3 2 1
4 Presented clear, effective, and organized writing with minimal errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation; cited sources properly (APA/MLA); adhered to course submission and formatting guidelines
5 4 3 2 1
Marks (out of 20):
Comments:
Grading Rubric for Term Paper (30%)
Segments Excellent
(A)
Good
(B)
Average
(C)
Poor
(D)
Grace
1 Introduction (background, rationale, importance to field) and Conclusion (summary, opinion, recommendations)
5 4 3 2 1
2 Thesis statement and supplementary arguments (identifying problem areas)
5 4 3 2 1
3 Literature review and theoretical framework connecting theory and practice
5 4 3 2 1
4 Critical analysis of communication strategies and offering alternative strategies
5 4 3 2 1
5 Writing and organization (structure,
grammar, coherence, evidence of incorporating suggestions from others)
5 4 3 2 1
6 Peer-Evaluation (5%) for Group Presentation and Term Paper (individual - assigned by the group members)
5 4 3 2 1
Marks (out of 25):
Comments:
Development Communication 11
Grading Rubric for Group Presentation (15%)
Grade Criteria
13 - 15
Excellent
Superlative presentation showing a high degree of originality, creativity and preparation. Memorable. A very clear and comprehensive explanation drawing on a range of resources and well substantiated. High degree of knowledge of material evident. Very well structured in a logical way. The overall summary is concise and clear with a good synthesis of the main ideas. Excellent discussion question that initiates lively and thought-provoking discussion. Demonstrate highly creative group collaboration and excellent team work.
10.5 - 12
Good
An excellent presentation with a clear explanation drawing on a range of resources. Some degree of originality and creativity in the presentation. Comprehensive subject knowledge. Structure good, though possibly flawed to a minor degree. The overall summary is concise and clear with a good synthesis of the main ideas. Good discussion question resulting in a reasonable level of class discussion. Good team work.
8.5 - 10
Average
An adequate to good presentation with a few flaws. Evidence of some research undertaken outside of the required readings. Adequate subject knowledge evident, though maybe missing a key point or two. Reasonably logical structure, but with minor flaws. The presentation provides an adequate summary of the main points. Good discussion questions leading to some class discussion. Team work needs improvement.
7.5 - 8
Poor
A barely acceptable to adequate presentation that only meets the minimum requirements of the assignment. May include reading of text off Powerpoint slides. Poorly organized. References drawn from required readings only. Discussion questions may elicit some discussion, but discussion was difficult to sustain. Unclear summary. Poor team work.
5 - 7
Grace
Some attempt at the presentation, but significantly inadequate in a number of areas. Unacceptable quality with little effort evident. Incoherent. No sign of team work.
0 Failure to undertake any of the work required for the team project and to present.
Group Members:
Marks (out of 15):
Comments: