what interests you

COM 263 is an introductory course where we will cover a lot of material throughout the semester. At times we may not be able to dive deeper into specific content areas that interest you. This assignment offers you the chance to dive deeper into a content area that interests you. Being present and open to learning new things, as well as challenging your taken-for-granted assumptions, is critical for this assignment.

 

When you find a new, or perhaps a revisited, topic that interests you, write it down! Then, dig a bit deeper. In a 2-3 page essay, respond to and include the following prompts:

· What is the topic that interests you? What about the topic engages you (e.g., your interest, push-back and challenges with the topic, further questions)? Is it a new topic or did you just recently feel new insights about the topic?

· Read more about the topic (popular and/or scholarly articles) and integrate them into your paper. What new did you learn? How does your new understanding influence your approach and engagement with the topic, as well as intercultural communication as a whole?

· Find a current event that exemplifies, illustrates, or speaks to/against your topic. Explain what is happening, who the actors are, and provide an explanation with how it fits with your topic.

· Conclude with 2-3 questions you still have about the topic / would like to learn more about, in or out of class.

TOPICS IN THIS CLASS:

How do cultural spaces affect our identities, and vice versa? What role does power play in determining our cultural spaces and the cultural actors within them?

Communication is cultural, and culture is communicative, with various vectors of power flowing in multiple directions. Describe a lived example that illustrates the intersections of power, culture, communication, context, and the body. How do our intersectional identities present culture as a contested site? How does this framing show how power is systematically (re)produced through a cultural lens to communication?

What does intersectionality mean to you? How are you understanding intersectionality as both an analytic and paradigm for thinking through identity and embodiment, as well as the ways in which we are differentially impacted (and also differentially navigate the world) based on our varied intersectional axes of identity?

In your mind, what is the relationship between language and identity? Now, think of a time you engaged in code-switching. Why did you? What does this reveal about language and power?