Social Media Advocacy & Activism Minor

What is Social Media Advocacy & Activism? 

Advocacy (arguing in support of a specific cause, policy, or set of ideas) is core to activism (organizing, educating, campaigning, and protesting for social change). In the 21st century, the Internet and social media are integral to the organization and social impact of every advocacy and activist movement. From online networks to the streets to the state, all kinds of advocates and activists are using social media to raise consciousness about social problems, advance solutions, and catalyze real change. #MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter and #Green New Deal moves across Twitter; YouTube is a massive informational battlespace between influencers across the political spectrum; and everywhere online, ordinary people are posting, liking sharing support for many social causes. The minor in Social Media Advocacy and Activism consists of 7 courses (21 credit hours). Students learn the foundations of social media and strategic communications studies, and then choose from a list of courses related to specific areas in media advocacy and activism. The minor is available to all students in any major program in any faculty at Ontario Tech University.* 

To earn this minor, complete:

All 2:

COMM 1420U – Living Digitally: Social Media, Culture & Society
COMM 3610U – Strategic Communications for Influence: Rhetoric, Persuasion and Propaganda

+

5 of:

COMM 2413 - Science Communication: Media for creative, fun, and effective STEM communication 
COMM 3310U – Communication for Social Change, Communities and Development
COMM 3350U – Environmental Communication: Media and Tech for Sustainability
COMM 3710U – Media, Identity and Intercultural Communication
COMM 4420U – Political Communication, Digital Media and Democracy
COMM 4510U – Public Relations: Social Power, Social Media, and Social Responsibility
COMM 4710U – Global Media, the Internet and International Relations
COMM 4120U - AI, Ethics and Communication
COMM 4530U - Media Activism and Protest Cultures
COMM 4610U – The Struggle is Real: Communication for Transformation, Conflict, and Peace

*please note: the courses linked to this minor are subject to change in the future, and scheduling availability.