Class Instructions – You have now spent several months studying the complexities of social advocacy communication. This team-based assignment invites you to apply concepts, theories, and vocabulary related to social advocacy in a role-playing scenario. The “case study” method is widely used in business schools as a way for students to practice addressing complex problems. Here, the class will be given a social issue with teams designated by stakeholder groups (see attachment). As a team, you must work together to strategize your advocacy position, gather evidence and other supporting data relevant to your stance, and participate in a town hall-style public debate. The debate will be held in-class during week 13 (Nov. 15 & 18); after the debate, you are invited to compose a reflective analysis. Read all instructions and guidelines listed below very carefully.
Specific guidelines for completing this project:
1. This is a group project. Everyone must participate, but tasks may be broken up in whatever way fits your group members’ strengths. Every student must speak during the in-class debate.
2. Review the attachment for background on the case study and a complete list of stakeholder groups. You will be randomly assigned a stakeholder group, you must complete the project from these stakeholders’ perspectives.
3. Your team must work together to construct your stakeholder group’s identity and strategize your advocacy position. You must complete external research on the debate issue and collect relevant evidence that supports your group’s interests. Think strategically about what kinds of data are salient for the topic at hand, what constitutes evidence for your group, and what types of information the average person in your stakeholder group would have access to. Cite sources.
4. Prepare a brief position statement to be shared in the town hall as well as arguments/rebuttals for the debate. Be prepared to defend your group’s position and challenge others’ during the debate as there will be time for open rebuttal in each town hall meeting. In class, each group will be given 3-minutes to present their opening argument, with structured open debate for the remainder of each class period. EACH STUDENT SHOULD SPEAK DURING THE DEBATE.
6. After the debate, you are asked to compose your own reflective analysis by responding to the prompt below. Your response should be based on your stakeholders’ experience in the town hall meeting. NOTE: Each student should complete their own paper. Prompt:
How did your stakeholder group leverage specific aspects of social identity (inner and outer parts of the social identity wheel) to advocate for/against the issue? Why were these categories significant for your group in relation to the case study issue?
What communicative strategies did your group use to navigate power relations and advocate for your stance? Apply at least 1 core concept (intersectionality, Bourdieu’s 3 forms of capital, performativity, ecofeminism) to the debate.
Connect your group’s experience in the debate to 1 other core concept from the list above.
Draw on course vocabulary and specific details from the debate to support your points.
7. Reflective Analysis papers should be 3 double spaced pages,12pt Times New Roman font with 1″ margins in all sides.
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