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: