Communication 311 - DIY Media and Social Change

Do-it-yourself media has radically transformed our cultural landscape. Creativity, passion, and determination allows anyone to be a maker. While the term originates in the 1970s UK punk and US hip hop movements, it has been incorporated into mainstream commercial culture. Yet its independent, grassroots spirit remains a critical element in contemporary movements for social change. Online infrastructure allows the explosion of creative-maker content and the mobilization of political opinion in ways that challenge previous paradigms of public communication and social change. This course will integrate the making of DIY media related to social change with readings and media that present context, theory, and case studies. Consider this a laboratory-workshop; learners are active, co-creators of curriculum content and methods. This includes ongoing dialogue on how to balance the teaching of creative maker skills with practical, historical, and academic readings and media. The DIY media produced for in-real-life and online (IRL-URL) display may include signage, zines, memes, podcasts, blogs, short-form videos (Tik-Tok), music, fashion, and other forms of art media.

Pre Req: COMM 121