Rhetorics of (Digital) Activism and Collective Action
As with other forms of human society, labor, and engagement, key elements of activism and protest have shifted to taking place in virtual spaces as well as physical ones. This course will look at different rhetorics surrounding activism, protest, labor organizing, and collective action with a particular focus on the ways folks organize in digital spaces. Topics for discussion will include social network activisms, activisms in fandom and sports-fandom spaces, the societal and social inequities that create the need for activist work, and the strategies employed by communities and organizations to push back against those inequities. We’ll read, listen to, and view a range of texts in different genres and mediums coming from authors/scholars/activists such as Krista Ratcliffe, Catherine D’Ignazio, Lauren F. Klein, Ruha Benjamin, and Virginia Eubanks.
Required text:
"They Say/I Say" by ISBN: 9780393427509Publication Date: 2021This book demystifies academic writing and shows how to engage with the views of others.
Possible Catalog Searches
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Featured Books
Activist Literacies by ISBN: 9781643363448Publication Date: 2022-10-20A groundbreaking rhetorical framework for the study of transnational digital activism
Debates in the Digital Humanities 2019 by ISBN: 9781452961668Publication Date: 2019-04-30Debates in the Digital Humanities 2019 brings together a broad array of important, thought-provoking perspectives on the field's many sides.
Digital Dead End by ISBN: 9780262295291Publication Date: 2012-09-21The realities of the high-tech global economy for women and families in the United States.
Fandom, now in color : a collection of voices by ISBN: 9781609387297Publication Date: 2020"Fandom, Now in Color" gathers together seemingly contradictory narratives that intersect at the (in)visibility of race/ism in fandom and fan studies.
Insurgent Media from the Front by ISBN: 9780253051400Publication Date: 2020-11-03Insurgent Media from the Front takes a look at activist media practices in the 21st century and sheds light on what it means to enact change using different media of the past and present.
Misogynoir transformed : black women's digital resistance by ISBN: 9781479803392Publication Date: 2021In Misogynoir Transformed, Bailey delves into her groundbreaking concept, highlighting Black women's digital resistance to anti-Black misogyny on YouTube, Facebook, Tumblr, and other platforms. At a time when Black women are depicted as more ugly, deficient, hypersexual, and unhealthy than their non-Black counterparts, Bailey explores how Black women have bravely used social-media platforms to confront misogynoir in a number of courageous--and, most importantly, effective--ways.
Race after Technology by ISBN: 9781509526406Publication Date: 2019-06-17From everyday apps to complex algorithms, Ruha Benjamin cuts through tech-industry hype to understand how emerging technologies can reinforce White supremacy and deepen social inequity.
The Revolution That Wasn't by ISBN: 9780674240438Publication Date: 2019-05-01This surprising study of online political mobilization shows that money and organizational sophistication influence politics online as much as off, and casts doubt on the democratizing power of digital activism.
Silence and Listening As Rhetorical Arts by ISBN: 9780809386161Publication Date: 2011-01-05In Silence and Listening as Rhetorical Arts,editors Cheryl Glenn and Krista Ratcliffe bring together seventeen essays by new and established scholars that demonstrate the value and importance of silence and listening to the study and practice of rhetoric.
Social Media Livestreaming by ISBN: 9780429504617Publication Date: 2018-12-07Ideal for multiple audiences, from academic researchers to professional journalists and social media practitioners as well as policy-makers and organizations.
Television, Social Media, and Fan Culture by ISBN: 9781498506175Publication Date: 2015-11-15Television, Social Media, and Fan Culture examines how fans use social media to engage with television programming, characters, and narrative as well as how television uses social media to engage fan cultures.
Gather Background Information
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Credo Reference provides access to a large number of encyclopedias, dictionaries, thesauri and other reference books. Subjects covered include art, biography, history, literature, music, religion, and science and technology.
Databases
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Need more options? Library Databases A-Z
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 8,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals. Includes searchable PDF content going back as far as 1887. - Communications and Mass Media Complete This link opens in a new window
Provides articles in areas related to communication and mass media. CMMC offers cover-to-cover indexing and abstracts for more than 500 journals, and selected coverage of nearly 200 more, for a combined coverage of more than 690 titles. Furthermore, this database includes full text for over 380 journals. - JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Provides articles from 1,900+ scholarly journals in the arts, humanities, and sciences and around 5,000 ebooks. Coverage dates for journals are from the very first issue of each journal (the nineteenth or early twentieth centuries for many) and continues to 2 – 5 years prior to the current year (moving wall). - Opposing Viewpoints In Context This link opens in a new window
Opposing Viewpoints In Context is a rich resource for debaters and includes pro/con viewpoints, reference articles, interactive maps, infographics, and more. A category on the National Debate Topic provides quick and easy access to content on frequently studied and discussed issues. Periodical content covers current events, news and commentary, economics, environmental issues, political science, and more. - Sociological Collection This link opens in a new window
Access to more than 500 full text journals, including nearly 500 peer-reviewed titles. Sociological Collection offers information in all areas of sociology, including social behavior, human tendencies, interaction, relationships, community development, culture and social structure.
Scholarly Articles
Undergraduate Research Journals
Use these resources to study potential audiences and publication venues:
- Midwest Journal of Undergraduate ResearchOur mission is to support development of high-quality original undergraduate research, recognize exceptional undergraduate scholarly efforts and accomplishments, and contribute to the undergraduate learning experience. MJUR accepts submissions from all academic fields and from any undergraduate institution, national or international.
- Undergraduate Research CommonsClick here to search for publications and conferences open for submissions.
- Undergraduate Research JournalUndergraduate Research Journal is a national double-blind, educator-reviewed print and electronic journal published annually in the Winter. The journal is a forum for multidisciplinary undergraduate research and creative endeavors within higher education such as, but not limited to: Case studies, conceptual pieces, creative endeavors, creative writing, journalism writings, literature reviews, original art, photography, scientific studies, etc.
These publication venues are accepting submissions for Spring or Fall 2024:
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Academic Leadership Journal in Student Research http://www.academicleadership.
org/ -
International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities
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Intersect: The Stanford Journal of Science, Technology, and Society
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The Kentucky Undergraduate Journal for the Health Humanities (KUJHH)
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Sociology between the Gaps: Forgotten and Neglected Topics (SBG)
Websites & Primary Sources
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