AoK = SPA; ECIC Tags = SR, IEJ
Meeting schedule is a bit wonky due to it being an accelerated J-Term course, click here to download the meeting schedule.
Required Book
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Sample Film Trailer
About Course
General Description: This bidisciplinary course examines social, political, environmental, and economic issues represented in documentary film. With a focus on social justice, this course will introduce students to various thoughts on corporate social responsibility and conscious capitalism from theorists and practitioners working within the business/management and organizational communication disciplines. Specifically, a variety of ethical decision-making models regarding organizations, individual morals, and societal values will be explored. Students will also learn various theories and methods of media analysis. These models and theories will form the basis for viewing, analyzing, and discussing both the quality of films and the issues presented by films' directors. In addition to becoming thoughtful citizens, leaders, or managers, students enrolled in this course will become critical consumers of visual media.
*IMPORTANT NOTE: Some films include very disturbing content, including those of a violent or sexual nature (e.g., nudity, blood, and animal torture). You will be made aware of these films in advance and provided alternative films to watch if this type of content should violate your personal, religious, political, or philosophical beliefs. However, this is not an ideal situation and many of the movies without explicit content cover uncomfortable topics. So please continue with this course only if you are open to watching movies that will make you uncomfortable.
*IMPORTANT NOTE: Some films include very disturbing content, including those of a violent or sexual nature (e.g., nudity, blood, and animal torture). You will be made aware of these films in advance and provided alternative films to watch if this type of content should violate your personal, religious, political, or philosophical beliefs. However, this is not an ideal situation and many of the movies without explicit content cover uncomfortable topics. So please continue with this course only if you are open to watching movies that will make you uncomfortable.
Learning Objectives
Course Learning Objectives (Also those related to the ECIC's SR tag and IEJ & SPA AoKs)
LO 1: Judge application of the four tenets of Conscious Capitalism in combination with multiple ethical decision-making perspectives in various organizational settings.
LO 1: Judge application of the four tenets of Conscious Capitalism in combination with multiple ethical decision-making perspectives in various organizational settings.
- Understand several distinct systems of ethical reasoning and theories of value and justice. (IEJ AoK LO1)
- Evaluate specific historical and contemporary theories or actions as used in context (IEJ AoK LO2)
- Articulate and evaluate multiple perspectives on ethics and social justice. (IEJ AoK3)
- Synthesize the media communication through the five canons of rhetorical analysis and persuasive ethos, pathos, and logos.
- Apply appropriate analytic tools such as PEST, Levels of Organizational Development, Hofstede Cultural Dimensions and Loden’s Wheel.
- Describe social, political, economic and cultural institutions and processes, the relationships between them, and their impact on individuals and groups. (SPA AoK LO1)
- Describe how differences of class, race, ethnicity and gender are related to these institutions and their outcomes.(SPA AoK LO2)
- Apply tools learned in LO1 and LO2 to develop a “Creating Institutional or Social Justice Change” Documentary Proposal.
- Identify, use, and evaluate the paradigms, theories and methodologies which describe and explain social, political, economic, and cultural institutions and their outcomes (SPA AoK LO3).
- Construct a view of citizenship and its responsibilities in diverse democratic societies and the global community.(SR tag LO1)
- Demonstrate knowledge of varied responses to issues of social justice.(SR tag L03)
- Incorporate personal values assessments and understanding of institutional impact of societal and organizational values systems on individual values by constructing a “Personal Values & Social Justice Declaration” statement.
- Articulate their own values and demonstrate how these values reflect or respond to society (SR tag LO2)
- Respond to civic, service, or social justice issues. (SR tag LO4)
- Identify means through which individuals can affect change in social, political, economic or cultural institutions. (SPA AoK LO4)
Readings /Assignments
- Reading packets and handouts are supplied with material from communication and business perspectives.
- Dr. Engstrom will teach concepts related to communication, including documentary film concepts and rhetorical/symbolic analysis.
- Dr. Simpson will teach concepts related to business, including those related to capitalism and ethics.
- There will be required reading before our first class meeting and each subsequent class meeting (~10-15 pages of material).
Films (Short-List)
- Not Business as Usual
- The Smartest Guys in the Room
- Waste Land -- You should read w/ Tom Szaky's book Revolution in a Bottle.
- Food, Inc.
- Paul Willis Story
- Blackfish
- Park Avenue
- How to Make Money Selling Drugs
- Beer Wars
- Urbanized
Alternative Films (wish we could show)
| Additional Documentary Films (Suggestions) |
Resources
- Submit Tumblr Post
- Intercultural Film Series (UK)
- Intercultural film database
- International Movie Database (IMDb)
- Roger Ebert's Reviews
- How to Write a Film Script Treatment
- How to Write a Film Review
- Logline vs. Tagline (also frame your script pitch in terms of movies we watch
Pedagogy
Assignments
- Intensive reading
- Quizzes or exams
- Papers
- Presentations--e.g., speeches or podcasts
- Group and individual activities
Methods of Instruction
- Intensive reading
- Lecture
- Class discussion
- Group and individual activities
FAQ
Will films be subtitled? Some, it's the best way to watch films. Hearing the tones and expressions of actors is important. So, for the films that include non-English dialogue, you will be reading subtitles. Dubbing is B.S.
Will there be reading? Yes. This is a college-level course.
Will we be meeting the whole time, from 8:00 to 4:45 p.m.? Yup. We have to watch on about two films a day, lecture, discuss, and so on. It's a full semester class, truncated.
But what if I miss a class? You'll be watching a few make-up films and doing a little extra writing.
Will there be reading? Yes. This is a college-level course.
Will we be meeting the whole time, from 8:00 to 4:45 p.m.? Yup. We have to watch on about two films a day, lecture, discuss, and so on. It's a full semester class, truncated.
But what if I miss a class? You'll be watching a few make-up films and doing a little extra writing.