Performing and Resisting Scripts of Submission to Illustrate Critical Theory

Instructors who teach critical communication theory sometimes have difficulty explaining key concepts to students. Discussions of power, ideology, hegemony, and emancipation often bring confused expressions to students upon first exposure to these ideas. This activity provides a simple, grounded approach to examining facets of critical theory in that students role-play a script written from actual words of private country club employees to explore how power is created and maintained in "ordinary" communication exchanges. Doing so not only demonstrates how layers of structure (e.g., board, members, managers, employees) create circumstances where the interests of some individuals are maintained over other individuals, but illustrates how deeply embedded scripts of societal inequities, including differences in sex, race, and class, can emerge in the form of status and power differentials between members and employees. A list of references and suggested readings is included.