Course Title
Exploring ...ISMS: Ethnicity, Gender, and Visual Communication
Teaching Team
Dr. Jose Maunez-Cuadra, Dr. Lin Huff-Corzine, Dr. Maria Christina Santana
Curriculum
As technology advances and the earth, in effect, grows smaller, understanding diverse cultures is becoming more important to the successful survival of the world community. This course will explore a variety of "isms" -- including but not limited to sexism, racism, ageism, classism, feminish, multiculturalism, and individualism -- which have often ripped communities apart. Students will be required to identify their own unique "isms", those for whiche there are well-known terms and those for which there are none (e.g., religion-ism, ethnic-ism). Once this has been achieved, students will be required to examine how their own unique "isms" influence their daily lives and communication with persons from various groups. An important part of this course will be the use of still life photography and video for students to record events in their lives as well as in the lives of persons in their communities. The overall goal of the course will be positive social change and respect for and improved communication with persons from diverse cultural groups.