This is a class about social movements, so I want to know what you care about and how you engage with it outside of class. This assignment stresses the creative elements of sharing your message, and I hope you are able to make something you're excited to share with others.
Autoethnography is an approach to research that "seeks to describe and systematically analyze personal experience in order to understand cultural experience... and treats research as a political, socially-just and socially-conscious act....[it is] both process and product" (Ellis, Adams, & Bochner, 2010).
The "democratic process" in the title of this assignment refers to the United States' system of everyday people forming our government through the election and voting process. This includes all levels of engagement by the "demos" (the people) in trying to direct or lead their communities : university, city, county, state, tribal, federal.
Ultimately, the goal of this assignment is to reflect upon and share your experiences engaging with your community in relationship to the democratic process. Perhaps this means:
How you "describe and systematically analyze" your personal experiences can look a lot of ways, and what you turn in can vary. In many cases, autoethnography takes the form of writing, but it could also be a video, podcast episode, spoken word poetry, or just about any form you can think of. Check with me if you want to talk more about what form you're thinking of for your autoethnography.
While self-reflection is a key aspect of auto-ethnography, your submitted piece should be a well thought out, designed, and produced. It is not simply stream-of-consciousness.
A file or url link from which I can access your work.
It should have been created specifically for this class, not a recycling of something you've created for another class or purpose. If it's not self explanatory, include a brief description of what I need to know to better understand what you're turning in and how it meets the needs of this assignment.
Reminder: When taking part in a community's movement when you are an outsider to that community, be particularly aware of amplifying voices rather than speaking for them.
Reference for autoethnography definition: Ellis, Carolyn; Adams, Tony E. & Bochner, Arthur P. (2010). "Autoethnography: An Overview." Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 12(1), Art. 10, http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1101108.
This assignment addresses the learning objectives:
*This assignment used with permission from Christy-Dale Mauer, University of Colorado Boulder Department of Communication