“Unrealistic realities”: Child abuse and the aesthetic resolution

Abstract OnlyThis article addresses the complex social realities of organizational life through aesthetic theory. After reviewing aesthetic theory and its relationship to organizational communication, we discuss the issue of suspected child abuse as a social and organizational communication concern. Suspected child abuse is considered a socially constructed phenomenon surrounded by multiple realities. Two such realities are the naturalized inclination and the simulation. A third reality is discussed‐the aesthetic reality. The aesthetic reality is exemplified in this case through the stories collected from former elementary school teachers who discuss the topic of child abuse and at times create aesthetic narratives that serve multiple functions

Narrative approaches to raising consciousness about sexual harassment: From research to pedagogy and back again

Abstract OnlyIn this paper we discuss narrative from both a theoretical and pedagogical perspective. After briefly reviewing the theoretical possibilities of narrative for addressing the problem of sexual harassment, we discuss how feminist pedagogy both draws from and advances our notions of narrative. We then focus on three forms of narrative as they are used to raise consciousness concerning the issue of sexual harassment. The three specific approaches include: (1) the personal narrative, (2) the case study, and (3) the interactive narrative or collective story. After providing illustrations of these three approaches as they are used in academic settings, we explore the possibility that utilizing these approaches might provide heuristic tools for the classroom instructor, useful strategies for the workplace practitioner, and insight into the theoretical exploration of sexual harassment

Viewing Film from a Communication Perspective: Film as Public Relations, Product Placement, and Rhetorical Advocacy in the College Classroom

Academics approach film from multiple perspectives, including critical, literary, rhetorical, and managerial approaches. Furthermore, and outside of film studies courses, films are frequently used as a pedagogical tool. Their relevance in society as well as their valuable use in the classroom makes them an important and pragmatic medium deserving further attention. The ability of film to be used in a socio-political way may sustain, challenge or change the status quo, which supports studying film as well as teaching students about the power of film. The purpose of this article is to share the development of a course which points out to students how film is used in society. Film theories are discussed, selected films are reviewed, and class assignments related to the theories and movies are summarized. In particular, this course explores films’ relationship to corporate agendas as well as to social justice. This approach to film crosses film studies with rhetoric and public relations connecting the course to other courses often taken by communication majors

Contestation and Opportunity in Reflexivity: An Introduction

Academic discourse on ideas and techniques of reflexivity in ethnographic research are common and essential. Less common are collections devoted entirely to this topic, and those conducted by diverse researchers who draw on distinctive intellectual values and commitments for cultural inquiry. Also strange to the literature are discussions about ethnographic reflexivity that are grounded in everyday personal and professional experiences of ethnographers, those lived but less-examined (and often contested) realities that constitute what it means to be ethnographers and do ethnography. This introduction briefly discusses this void in the literature and previews the current issue of Cultural Studies-Critical Methodologies