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Creative Media Activism - A
Free, Open Class #creativact
Between January and March 2012 we (i.e. the Media Department at
Coventry School of Art and Design:
http://wwwm.coventry.ac.uk/csad/mediaandcommunication/Pages/Media_home.aspx)
launched a Free and Open Undergraduate class focused on Creative
Activism. We also made the class freely available online on an
open basis to enable anyone worldwide to participate in the
class, join in the discussions or even rip and remix our
content.
The class explored the potential of creative media activism by
encouraging the participants to experiment with creating ‘live’
interventions as well as become involved in a number of crucial
cultural, political and social debates. Over the ten week course
we looked at how media activists, creatives and campaigners have
used their media knowledge, connections and skills to ask
difficult questions, provoke debate and raise awareness of
important issues and problems in their local, national and
international communities.
We have now put most of the materials from the class on our
website: http://www.creativeactivism.net
You can also download the content and participate in the ongoing
class discussion through iTunes U and the Peer 2 Peer University
(P2PU). Please feel free to share.
If you would like to find out more about the class, and our
plans for developing the project, please contact Pete Woodbridge
<[log in to unmask]>.
To date, the class has been supported by a range of
collaborators and guest speakers, whom we would like to thank.
They include:
Emily James: Director of ‘Just Do It’- A Feature Documentary
about Climate Change Activism
John Jackson, Activist and Co-author of ‘Small Acts of
Resistance: How Courage, Tenacity and Ingenuity Can Change the
World
Joey Skaggs, A Prolific New York Based Artist, Culture Jammer
and Prankster who uses the Media as his Canvas
James Cook, A Stand-up Comedian who explores what we can learn
from Comedy and Satire as a means of Political and Cultural
Activism
Sam Gregory, Programme Director and Human Rights Advocate at
WITNESS, whose work addresses the importance of video and change
Tessa Houghton, Assistant Professor in Media and Communications,
University of Nottingham Malaysia who analyses Hacktivism and
the Public Domain
Matt Mason, Author of bestseller ‘The Pirate’s Dilemma’ and
Executive Director of Marketing at Bittorent
Chris Jury, Activist, Broadcaster and Lecturer at Bath Spa
University who presents a radio show called ‘Agitpop’- exploring
the role of music and protest
Charles Tsai, Campaigner at the Creative Visions Foundation and
Social Creatives- Organisations that encourage creative thinking
to affect positive change
Ken Fero, Award Winning Radical Documentary Filmmaker – Whose
work explores Power, Inequality and Injustice.
-- Gary Hall Research Professor of Media and Performing Arts School of Art and Design, Coventry University Co-editor of Culture Machine http://www.culturemachine.net Co-founder of the Open Humanities Press http://www.openhumanitiespress.org Website http://www.garyhall.info Latest: 'There Are No Digital Humanities', in Debates in the Digital Humanities, edited by Matthew K. Gold--------------------------------------------------------