COM2614
Assignment 3
PORTFOLIO
(COMPLETE
ANSWERS) Semester
1 2025 - DUE 22 May
2025
NO PLAGIARISM
[Pick the date]
[Type the company name]
, Book
Decolonizing Communication Studies
COM2614 Assignment 3 PORTFOLIO (DETAILED ANSWERS) Semester 1 2025
- DISTINCTION GUARANTEED - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED - DISTINCTION
GUARANTEED Answers, guidelines, workings and references ,.
Decolonising the museum Watch TedTalk entitled “Museum in Progress:
Decolonizing Museums” After watching this TedTalk, make an entry in your
COM2614 Reflexive Journal. For this entry, think of a system in which you are
a member, then respond to the following prompts and questions: • Describe
the system. • What communicative action could you change that would
change the system? • What do you think the effect would be? In your
response, please follow the below structure: 1. Reflection Entry Date: [Insert
date] Reading/Video/Topic: [Insert weekly topic or reading] A. Initial
Reactions (200-250 words) • What were your immediate thoughts and
feelings about this week's content? • Which aspects challenged your existing
understanding of communication theory? • What connections can you draw
to your own cultural background and experiences?
1. Reflection Entry
Date: 19 May 2025
Reading/Video/Topic: Museum in Progress: Decolonizing Museums
A. Initial Reactions (200–250 words)
Watching the TED Talk “Museum in Progress: Decolonizing Museums” was both eye-opening
and unsettling. My immediate reaction was a mixture of admiration for the speaker’s courage
and frustration at how deeply colonial legacies still shape institutions like museums. The speaker
highlighted how museums have historically functioned as tools of empire—curating narratives
that celebrate conquest, erase indigenous voices, and commodify cultural heritage. This
challenged my understanding of museums as neutral, educational spaces. I had always viewed
them as preservers of knowledge rather than as selective storytellers tied to power structures.
The concept of decolonisation in communication theory became much clearer through this lens.
Communication is not just about exchanging information—it is about whose voice is heard, how
stories are framed, and which histories are prioritised. The speaker’s emphasis on community
involvement and shared authority made me reflect on how institutions can adopt more dialogic
and inclusive forms of communication.
As someone raised in a post-apartheid South African context, this talk resonated deeply. I
remember school trips to museums where African artefacts were displayed behind glass with
little context, often described in anthropological or primitive terms. I now realise how those
displays subtly taught us whose history mattered. This talk encouraged me to think critically
, about how communication systems uphold or dismantle power—and how we can begin to
change that.
B. System Description and Communicative Action
One system I am a part of is the university classroom. It operates within a hierarchical model
where lecturers are the primary source of knowledge, and students are expected to passively
receive it. Much like traditional museums, this system privileges certain voices and marginalises
others.
A communicative action I could change would be to initiate student-led dialogue circles where
diverse cultural narratives and experiences are shared and validated as knowledge sources.
Instead of only responding to lecturer prompts, students could co-create the learning experience
by contributing their perspectives, especially those informed by indigenous knowledge and lived
experience.
The effect of this change could be profound. It would decentralise authority in the classroom,
create a more inclusive and participatory learning environment, and challenge the assumption
that only Western academic frameworks are valid. Just like the speaker in the TED Talk
advocated for collaborative curation in museums, this approach could help decolonise the
educational space—transforming it from a top-down system into one that values reciprocal
learning and multiple truths.
1. Reflection Entry
Date: 19 May 2025
Reading/Video/Topic: Museum in Progress: Decolonizing Museums (TED
Talk)
A. Initial Reactions (200–250 words)
Watching the TED Talk on “Museum in Progress: Decolonizing Museums”
evoked a strong emotional and intellectual response. I was struck by how
museums — which I had previously seen as neutral spaces of learning — are
deeply influenced by colonial history. The speaker challenged the
assumption that museum collections are objective and instead highlighted
how these institutions often display artefacts stolen during colonisation,
without context or consent from the communities of origin.
Assignment 3
PORTFOLIO
(COMPLETE
ANSWERS) Semester
1 2025 - DUE 22 May
2025
NO PLAGIARISM
[Pick the date]
[Type the company name]
, Book
Decolonizing Communication Studies
COM2614 Assignment 3 PORTFOLIO (DETAILED ANSWERS) Semester 1 2025
- DISTINCTION GUARANTEED - DISTINCTION GUARANTEED - DISTINCTION
GUARANTEED Answers, guidelines, workings and references ,.
Decolonising the museum Watch TedTalk entitled “Museum in Progress:
Decolonizing Museums” After watching this TedTalk, make an entry in your
COM2614 Reflexive Journal. For this entry, think of a system in which you are
a member, then respond to the following prompts and questions: • Describe
the system. • What communicative action could you change that would
change the system? • What do you think the effect would be? In your
response, please follow the below structure: 1. Reflection Entry Date: [Insert
date] Reading/Video/Topic: [Insert weekly topic or reading] A. Initial
Reactions (200-250 words) • What were your immediate thoughts and
feelings about this week's content? • Which aspects challenged your existing
understanding of communication theory? • What connections can you draw
to your own cultural background and experiences?
1. Reflection Entry
Date: 19 May 2025
Reading/Video/Topic: Museum in Progress: Decolonizing Museums
A. Initial Reactions (200–250 words)
Watching the TED Talk “Museum in Progress: Decolonizing Museums” was both eye-opening
and unsettling. My immediate reaction was a mixture of admiration for the speaker’s courage
and frustration at how deeply colonial legacies still shape institutions like museums. The speaker
highlighted how museums have historically functioned as tools of empire—curating narratives
that celebrate conquest, erase indigenous voices, and commodify cultural heritage. This
challenged my understanding of museums as neutral, educational spaces. I had always viewed
them as preservers of knowledge rather than as selective storytellers tied to power structures.
The concept of decolonisation in communication theory became much clearer through this lens.
Communication is not just about exchanging information—it is about whose voice is heard, how
stories are framed, and which histories are prioritised. The speaker’s emphasis on community
involvement and shared authority made me reflect on how institutions can adopt more dialogic
and inclusive forms of communication.
As someone raised in a post-apartheid South African context, this talk resonated deeply. I
remember school trips to museums where African artefacts were displayed behind glass with
little context, often described in anthropological or primitive terms. I now realise how those
displays subtly taught us whose history mattered. This talk encouraged me to think critically
, about how communication systems uphold or dismantle power—and how we can begin to
change that.
B. System Description and Communicative Action
One system I am a part of is the university classroom. It operates within a hierarchical model
where lecturers are the primary source of knowledge, and students are expected to passively
receive it. Much like traditional museums, this system privileges certain voices and marginalises
others.
A communicative action I could change would be to initiate student-led dialogue circles where
diverse cultural narratives and experiences are shared and validated as knowledge sources.
Instead of only responding to lecturer prompts, students could co-create the learning experience
by contributing their perspectives, especially those informed by indigenous knowledge and lived
experience.
The effect of this change could be profound. It would decentralise authority in the classroom,
create a more inclusive and participatory learning environment, and challenge the assumption
that only Western academic frameworks are valid. Just like the speaker in the TED Talk
advocated for collaborative curation in museums, this approach could help decolonise the
educational space—transforming it from a top-down system into one that values reciprocal
learning and multiple truths.
1. Reflection Entry
Date: 19 May 2025
Reading/Video/Topic: Museum in Progress: Decolonizing Museums (TED
Talk)
A. Initial Reactions (200–250 words)
Watching the TED Talk on “Museum in Progress: Decolonizing Museums”
evoked a strong emotional and intellectual response. I was struck by how
museums — which I had previously seen as neutral spaces of learning — are
deeply influenced by colonial history. The speaker challenged the
assumption that museum collections are objective and instead highlighted
how these institutions often display artefacts stolen during colonisation,
without context or consent from the communities of origin.
