[TYPE THE COMPANY NAME]
COM2614 Assignment 3
PORTFOLIO (COMPLETE
ANSWERS) Semester 1
2025 - DUE 22 May 2025
NO PLAGIARISM
[Pick the date]
[Type the abstract of the document here. The abstract is typically a short summary of the contents of
the document. Type the abstract of the document here. The abstract is typically a short summary of
the contents of the document.]
, 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.
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" deeply challenged my
perception of museums as neutral spaces for preserving history. The speaker highlighted how
many museums have historically excluded indigenous voices, reinforced colonial narratives, and
treated cultural artifacts as objects rather than living symbols of identity. I was struck by the idea
that museums are not just physical buildings but systems of meaning-making shaped by power
dynamics and communication. This challenged my previous understanding of communication
theory as primarily interpersonal or media-based; I now see it as deeply embedded in
institutional practices, especially in how stories are told and whose voices are prioritized.
Coming from a Kenyan background, I could personally relate to the speaker’s emphasis on
reclaiming narrative spaces. Kenya’s colonial history and the removal of cultural artifacts—some
still held in British museums—resonated strongly with me. I remember school trips to national
museums where the focus was more on colonial explorers than on the cultures they encountered.
This TED Talk forced me to confront how passive acceptance of such narratives can perpetuate
marginalization. Communication, in this sense, becomes not just a tool for expression but a
COM2614 Assignment 3
PORTFOLIO (COMPLETE
ANSWERS) Semester 1
2025 - DUE 22 May 2025
NO PLAGIARISM
[Pick the date]
[Type the abstract of the document here. The abstract is typically a short summary of the contents of
the document. Type the abstract of the document here. The abstract is typically a short summary of
the contents of the document.]
, 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.
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" deeply challenged my
perception of museums as neutral spaces for preserving history. The speaker highlighted how
many museums have historically excluded indigenous voices, reinforced colonial narratives, and
treated cultural artifacts as objects rather than living symbols of identity. I was struck by the idea
that museums are not just physical buildings but systems of meaning-making shaped by power
dynamics and communication. This challenged my previous understanding of communication
theory as primarily interpersonal or media-based; I now see it as deeply embedded in
institutional practices, especially in how stories are told and whose voices are prioritized.
Coming from a Kenyan background, I could personally relate to the speaker’s emphasis on
reclaiming narrative spaces. Kenya’s colonial history and the removal of cultural artifacts—some
still held in British museums—resonated strongly with me. I remember school trips to national
museums where the focus was more on colonial explorers than on the cultures they encountered.
This TED Talk forced me to confront how passive acceptance of such narratives can perpetuate
marginalization. Communication, in this sense, becomes not just a tool for expression but a
