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CRITICAL LITERACY & INTERACTION

(GE4C)

University of ArubaFAS: SW&D / OGM

August 23, 2010UNIT 1

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TODAY’S PROGRAM:1. Meet & greet: introduce 2. Course logistics and rules of engagement3. Unit 1:

1. Introduce the course: framework2. Communication as departing point: humans as social

beings, sharing and negotiation of meaning and identity

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MEET & GREET Let’s here each others voices: tell something

about yourself and what you expect to learn from this course

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CLASS LEARNING COMMUNITY Welcome to our learning community! We form a group (students together with

instructor) who, for a while and motivated by common vision and will, are engaged in the pursuit of acquiring knowledge, abilities and attitudes. We inspire and support each other during this learning journey. We are building together our own learning environment

YOUR ACTIVE ROLE is essential for the reaching of an overall enjoyable learning climate

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CORE PRINCIPLES OF A LEARNING COMMUNITY

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COURSE ORGANIZATION & LOGISTICS… 12 units12 classes Each unit deals with a specific theme. All themes are

connected to each other. Class: Plenary, discussions, assignments Self-study Assessment: Written Exam and Essay Optional: Bonus assignment Wikispace:

Assignments Reading instructions; core concepts etc Room for discussion, further questions (students can try to answer,

I’ll give guidance) Conversation starters: more information on the subjects (non-

mandatory)

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LINK:www.critical-literacies.wikispaces.com

More guidance: Module description Reading list

Contact teacher:Nadia Dresschernadiadresscher@gmail.com

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WHAT IS THIS COURSE ABOUT?http://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOENu0fK0uM&feature=related

The following scene of the movie “Dead Poet Society” sets the tone for the exploration of ‘Critical Literacy’

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THE (CHANGING) MEANING OF LITERACY

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THE POWER OF SYMBOLS AND LANGUAGE

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“READ THE WORLD BY THE WORD”

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CRITICAL: QUESTIONING

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IDENTITY, DIVERSITY, A COLORFUL SPECTRUM OF VOICES…

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CONCEPTS: LEARNING ABOUT CRITICAL LITERACY

Unit 1: The departing Framework module Communication as departing point: humans as social

beings, sharing and negotiation of meaning and identity Unit 2: Spinning webs of meaning, language and

social reality Unit 3: Making sense of the world and its codes:

the meaning of literacy Unit 4: The blooming of the inquisitive mind: taking

a critical stance Unit 5: Constructing reality through discourse Unit 6: Ideologies, social identities & the

reproduction of these in society

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PRAXIS: CRITICAL LITERACY IN EVERY-DAY LIFE Unit 7: Devices that generate meaning, construct

reality and shape identities 1: Metaphors Unit 8: Devices that generate meaning, construct

reality and shape identities 2: Storytelling Unit 9: Critical literacy in the 21st century 1: Media

literacy and Framing Unit 10: Critical literacy in the 21st century 2: Political

literacy: how to see through the political rhetoric Unit 11: Expression of the self and diversity: Voicing

and dialogue of voices Unit 12: Reflection on the course

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KEY COMPETENCIES The ability to think critically about the symbolic nature of

communication (messages are constructed) The ability to analyze and critique the relationships among

texts, language, power, social groups and social practices. The ability to formulate questions that explore the sometimes

hidden (implicit and discursive) intentions, creative strategies, representation of social groups, ideologies (ideas and believes) that are at the core of subjects mediated through discourse.

The ability to recognize the existence of diverse voices in terms of ideas, believes and experiences.

The ability to think critically about the self in terms of ideas, believes and experiences.

The ability to articulate the own unique voice in creative ways by using narratives and metaphors.

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Unit 1:Communication as departing point:

Humans as social beings, sharing and negotiation of meaning and identity

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OBJECTIVES: To present a starting point for the understanding

of human communication processes To explain the properties and dynamics of the

communication process To approach the communication process in a

contextual manner To try to make the ‘intangible’ communication

process more ‘tangible’ by focusing on the different components of the process

To translate the communication process in terms of transactions of ‘codes’

To relate communication with the concept of identity

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WHAT DOES COMMUNICATION TO MEAN TO YOU? ?

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ETYMOLOGY = the study of the history of words and how their

form and meaning have changed over time: Communication: from the Latin "communicare“

literally means "to put in common", “to share". The term originally meant sharing of tangible things; food, land, goods, and property.

‘communicare’‘ TO PUT IN COMMON’

‘to share’

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COMMUNICATIONTO BE HUMAN Human communication -the ability to symbolize

and use language- separates humans from animals! (this proposition is of course disputable)

Communication with others is the essence of what means to be human!

We conduct a life through communication

We define ourselves Is a vehicle; to initiate,to maintain and to terminate

relationships

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HUMANS ARE SOCIAL BEINGS Our essence being social The world is web of relationships: So, communication has a social function!

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WHY DO WE COMMUNICATE? Biological motives (nurturing a child, helpless,

need of attention, need for security) (nature/nurture debate)

Interpersonal motives (one’s identity shapes and re-shapes itself through interaction with other and the world)

Social/societal motives (societies are based on cooperation networks in the broadest sense of the word)

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SO MANY DEFINITIONS… Different, numerous, depending on what

perspective you choose! holistic approach properties of communication,

rather than 1 definition. And when we refer to ‘communication’ in a

certain context, we will use the lasso technique and define the perspective and properties we choose to focus on!

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8 PROPERTIES/DEFINITIONS (!)

1. Process2. Dynamic3. Interactive - Transactive4. Symbolic5. Intentional – unintentional?6. Contextual7. Ubiquitous (omnipresent)8. Cultural

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DYNAMIC PROCESS Ongoing, ever-changing, and continuous Doesn’t have a specific beginning or endpoint Not static, always moving, change analogy: human body is a process: it is always

aging communication is always developing. For verbally their may be a beginning/end. Non-

verbally is more intangible. it does not stop, is irreversible: it affects future

communication Can’t be captured easily: flexible, fluid, adaptive Models, pictures, graphs give just a little help; ‘the

dynamics of communication’ are impossible to replicate identically

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TRANSACTIVE-INTERACTIVE It happens between people Active participation of people, sending and

receiving, consciously directing: two-way flow Transactional implies simultaneously sending and

receiving; negotiations Example: tell me what you did last weekend? See

how I communicate with you, with my eyes and my face expressions, while listening to your story…

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UBIQUITOUS (OMNIPRESENT) Simply means that communication is everywhere,

done by everyone, all the time. Whenever one goes there is communication happening

“ one cannot not communicate” (Watzlawick et.al)Ok, let’s get philosophical, what does this mean?

“ one cannot not communicate”

???

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LOGIC OF THIS ARGUMENT:Reasoning:(a) Behavior has no opposite, one cannot not

behave in an interactional setting. (b) All behavior has informational (message) value,

since behavior is informative, it is communicative

(c) And one cannot not behave, then one cannot not communicate

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COMMUNICATION IS SYMBOLIC The fundamental difference between information

and communication Example:

informationcommunication

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INFORMATION VS. COMMUNICATION Everything that reaches our human senses is

information. What ‘you’ use as information, depends on your needs, knowledge and experience

Communication implies signals (example sounds and images) that are symbolic in their nature.

Symbolic = an arbitrarily selected and learned stimulus that represents something else. They don’t have any natural relationship with what they represent.

Symbols are the vehicle by which the thoughts and ideas of one person can be communicated to another person.

Both verbal as non-verbal symbols are arbitrary!

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(UN)INTENTIONAL? Communication is intentional people

consciously engage in interaction with a purpose!

Eduard: “ do you want to go tonight to the movies?”Sarah: “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea”

Communication is unintentional think about the statement: “One cannot not communicate?”

PURPOSE=FUNCTION

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PURPOSE FULFILLED? Effective communication implies that the purpose

of a communication utterance was fulfilled! “Did he get my message?”“ I didn’t mean that at all, you misunderstood me completely” “ That Is precisely what I meant”

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COMMUNICATION IS CONTEXTUAL Communication is dependent on the context in

which it occurs What is context?

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CONTEXT (1) Refers to the setting, situation, circumstances,

background and overall framework within which communication occurs.

example, study the following picture, and imagine the context where the communication process takes place:

multilayers

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“GIRL TALK” OR “GOSSIP”?

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DIFFERENT CONTEXTS Psychical context: girlfriends talking to each other

after class, in the university’s beautiful garden Social context: friend to friend (relationship) Psychological context: each girlfriend’s thoughts

and emotions

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CONTEXT (2) A world filled with people producing

communication utterances: people who have social, cultural and personal identities, knowledge, beliefs, goals and wants, and who interact with one another in various socially and culturally defined situations (Schriffrin, 1994)

We can perceive this world as a frame (frames in frames) that surrounds the communication process

Our meanings and understandings of a utterance are dynamic, and constantly re-adjusted in the progression of communication

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CONTEXT (3) Dimensions of context are not fixed and

immutable Instead they are dynamically and socially

constituted by the communication processes themselves.

Communication is constrained by context, but it also reveals, sustains, and provides context

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COMMUNICATION IS CULTURAL Culture shapes communication, and

communication is culture-bound A specific context that influence communication:

the cultural context This topic will be extensively elaborated in UNIT 5

of this course.

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CAN YOU GRASP IT?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Omc-LerO92c

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CAPTURING THE PROCESS Communication is a dynamic process! Now let’s

try to ‘take a picture’ of this process; let’s try to capture it for the purpose of awareness, analysis and reflection.

What components are involved in this process?

Let’s visualize and appointthe components

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COMPONENTS INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS Sender & Receiver (continuous role switching) and their

psychological personal world consisting of: accumulated knowledge, experience, attitudes, believes…

Channel Medium Message Coding of message Decoding of message Multiple layers of context Negotiation of meaning interpretation Feedback Noise

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WE USE A MODEL TO HELP CAPTURE THE PROCESS

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But models, just like maps, or frames only capture a specific aspect of reality: always keep this in mind!

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COMMUNICATION MODELS When trying to capture the communication process

in order to analyze it, models can be helpful! What is a model? =a systematic representation of an object or event

in idealized and abstract form. The act of abstracting eliminates certain details to focus on essential factors

= it is a metaphor. it allow us to see one thing in terms of another

= is merely a picture; that is even distorting, because it stops or freezes an essentially dynamic interactive or transactive process into a static picture

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FISKE, 1990 Chapter 1 Fiske tries to capture the communication model in

models Models:1. Shannon and Weaver’s model (1949)2. Gerbner’s model (1956)

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EXAMPLES OF MODELS (1):

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EXAMPLES OF MODELS (2):

Gerbner’s model: perception and meaning

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CAN THESE MODELS CAPTURE NEW FORMS OF COMMUNICATIONS?

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DIFFERENT LEVELS WHERE THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS TAKES PLACE (COMMUNICATION FORMS):

Intrapersonal (e.g. processing information, reflecting)

Interpersonal (e.g. a couple, friendly/formal conversation)

Intragroup (e.g. family) Intergroup or association (e.g. local community) Institutional/organizational Society-wide (e.g. mass communication;

magazine, TV, internet, radio)

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WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMMUNICATION AND IDENTITY? Please reflect on the interplay between the shaping of

identities and communication. How does your own identity relate to communication? Can you describe how ‘you are’ in communication? How do you relate to others when communicating and what this says about your identity?

We will discuss your findings in our next session