The classes I will teach (online) in the coming summer

COM 250 Communication and Society

COM 325 Intercultural Communication

COM 250 / Week 2 Discussion: Class identity: Why are we aversive to talking about it?

       Ninety percent of our population identifies themselves as middle class while there are huge income gap among these middle class people (from quarter million to 20k). We Americans have deep aversion to discussing openly our social class identity. Our media tend to make us believe we are living in a classless society. TV shows try hard to erase social class identity so they can be accepted by largest number of audience. But we all know class identity is over there and it is a very defining factor in our life and our communication. Is it time for us to openly discuss our social class identity so we can accurate perceive the inequality in our society?

COM 250 / Week 2 Discussion: The performative nature of identity communication: Is it making us snobbish and insincere?

   "People enact identities by performing script that are proper for their desired identities" (p. 65 of textbook). But the problem is, does this make us less authentic and less genuine? I mean, somebody might project an identity in public life and project a different identities in private life because of the performative nature of our identity. So, by performing identity, we somewhat become an impostor. Is identity communication making us snobbish and insincere? What should we do to overcome this irony? 

COM 250 / Week 2 Discussion: Self-esteem, overrated?

  Recently I came across a video called "self-esteem, overrated." It related to the discussion in our textbook about self-concept and identity. My question is, does self-esteem prevent us from facing the true reality? Are we addicted to this distorting mirror like Harry Potter kept going back to the mirror called "erised"? 

self esteem is overrated

    The problem is, even if a person with good self-esteem (- feeling good about himself?) can in some way surround themselves with people and thing that make them happy, they sometimes don't have a choice to have that luxury. They have to live with people who won't make them happy. How to deal with this kind of reality? 
    Self-esteem is overrated and wrong exactly because it can create a false reality surround a person with certain reality so they can not deal with the true reality. 
    In my life, I have read some self-improvement books and try to control things around me. I end up hiding from the true reality. I create a reality which is a paper house. Eventually it will be torn down by the storm of reality. 
    So I try to get used to true reality and try to forget this silly self-esteem stuff. Both good and bad, high and low self-esteem is kid stuff you see in kindergarten. When we grow up, we can not depend on it. It is vanilla, totally a turn-off. 

COM 250 / Week 2 Discussion: Social identity and identity politics

   Our identity has two layers: one is personal identity which separate us from others in an individual level ( - I am different from you because I choose to drive this kind of car); one is social or collective identity which separates my group from your group ( - we are different from your people because your people are not good at hygiene). In our political life, our collective identity has been tied with political power struggle. Politicians are very good at using our collective identity to form alliance, to conduct litmus test, and to pit one group against another group. Cite some example in your life experience that you feel your group/social identity has been tied to identity politics. In what way has identity politics empowered you and in what way has identity politics being divisive and hurtful?

COM 250 / Week 2 Discussion: Communicating identity: My story

    How we communicate and how our communication is received by others can be shaped by (1) our sense of "who we are" (our identity), (2) our sense of "who they are" (their identity) and  (3) their sense of "who we are." Often we feel good that we can use communication to enact our desired identities and that our communication is well received by others because it confirms their perception of "who we are." But sometimes our sense of identity can distort our communication and make us feel we need to communicate in a specific way to conform to others' expectation of "who we ought to be." Tell us some stories in your life that sometime you feel being empowered by your sense of identity and sometimes you feel being intimidated or disempowered by this "identity" thing.