Our Common Home
Compassion and Social Communication
Based on the encyclical of Pope Francis, Laudato Si: On Care for Our Common Home. The learning journey covers 3 modules, including one on doing a project (both individual and collective; see below).
The learning journey aims at conscientising young communicators to prepare them to address the critical challenges facing us and our Common Home today. It specifically aims at shaping and nurturing spiritually-engaged strategies of communicative action consistent with the common inclusive, compassionate future that animates Laudato Si.
Please explore the methodology in full here. See testimonials of international students who journeyed through the 3-month certificate programme at Xavier University Bhubaneswar (XUB), Odisha, India. The course is a partnership between SIGNIS World (based in Brussels) and XUB. Contact me if you want to explore.
(Banner image by CharlVera, www.pixabay.com.)
The Course Content at a Glance
Module 1 : Orientation
Unit 1
(a) Exploring the local and global contemporary social and ecological issues (b) Exploring the present challenge of social and ecological collapse (c) Some understanding of global and local social movements
Unit 2
(a) How the theology of CST has come into existence (b) Understanding theology of civic/public engagement (c) Exploring some case studies, including liberation theology (d) Exploring public theology (e) Initiating a process of reexamining one's faith ( in the light of the wisdom of Laudato Si)
Unit 3
(a) Understanding the papal response, encyclicals and CST (b) Concerns of Vatican 2 (c) Insights from some key documents, introducing Laudato Si
Unit 4
(a) Key themes and principles of CST (b) Historical sketch and the growing social ad ecological concerns.
Unit 5
(a) A social science/humanities perspective of Catholic social movements inspired by CST and its impact on local and global societies (b) Reading the signs of the times (c) Exploring some case studies, including movements associated with theology of liberation (d) Liberation movements in Asia.
Unit 6
(a) The foundation of compassion: The Judeo-Christian tradition (b) Inter-faith/trans-faith exploration (c) Exploring the compassionate foundation of Laudato Si
Unit 7
(a) A critical examination of Laudato Si: Structure and Themes (b) Concepts and Narratives (c) Issues, analysis, solutions (c) Appreciation, criticisms and public debates
Unit 8
(a) Being a Catholic (b) Being a global citizen.
Module 2: Becoming a Communicator
Unit 1: Basics of Communication and the Communication Process
What is Communication? Forms of Communication/Face to Face Communication/Mass Communication/Media, Broadcasting/Narrowcasting/Social Media, Basic Communication Theories and Model/Culture and Communication/Technology and Communication/Theology of Communication
Unit 2: Development and Charters of Communication
Dominant and Alternative Paradigm of Development/Approaches to Development: Social Justice, Empowerment, Development Communication/ Communication in the Third World/Developing World/Global South/Globalization and Localisation/Development Supports Communication Actions: Social Mobilization/Grassroots Participation/Human Rights/Dignity Movements/Community Empowerment/Social Movements/People's Communication Charters and Laudato Si/Communication Orientations, including Compassionate Communication
Unit 3: Sustainability, Communication Design and Aesthetics
Conscience and Ethics, Principles of Sustainable Design, Sustainable Communication Design and Laudato Si/Reaching People and Creating Publics/Principles of Communication Aesthetics
Unit 4: Communication Theory and Media Criticism
Theories and their Importance, Value and Function of Communication Theory/Selected Theories of Mass Communication/Theories of Media and Cultural Studies/Political Economy of Media/Creating Public (Audiences/Audiences Studies)/Thinking About the Publics of Laudato Si
Unit 5: Media Research
What is Media Research?/Theory of Media Research/Media Research Methodology/Ethics and Research/Case Studies
Unit 6: Story Telling/Meaning Making and Visual Thinking /Narrative Constructions/Gaze
What is Narrative? Why Narrative?, Theory and Practice of Story and Story Telling/Theory and Practice of Visual Thinking/Visualisation/Visual Story Telling/Visualising Ecology and Social Justice (Using Laudato Si)/Case Studies
Unit7: Communication Management and Social Marketing
Organising a Campaign/Researching for a Campaign Using Laudato Si/Managing a Communication Campaign/Socially Change-oriented Marketing/ Reaching and creating publics/Case Studies
Module 3: Project Work (Individual and Collective)
Unit 1: Communication Project
Project--Campaign Thinking/Orientation/Choosing a Topic to Focus On (From Laudato Si)/Communication Project/Group dynamics/Design/Sustainability designing/Aesthetics/Creation and Audience/Details/Dependencies and Challenges/ Assumptions
Unit 2: Skill
General Communication Skills/With a focus on Writing, Social Media, Films/Video Production, Audio production
Unit 3: Project Execution/ Presentation
Scheduling/Execution/Review and Corrections/Presentations and Evaluation