The Danger of the Single Story is a yearlong interdisciplinary program that invites Evergreen-Tacoma students to critically examine how the cultural worldviews they hold in their personal, professional, economic, and social lives are shaped by powerful narratives, both seen and unseen. These stories, repeated across media, policy, education, and social structures, shape how we see ourselves and others. This course is exploratory and an entry-level interdisciplinary program for students working in various fields or for those wishing to pursue professional or graduate work in community studies, environmental studies, health, government, law and policy, social justice, restorative practice, management in public interest, cultural and media studies, and education.

 

In Winter, students will move from personal reflection to research and analysis. We will investigate the origins and implications of harmful, limiting narratives and examine historic and contemporary efforts that have sought to disrupt them. Students will select a narrative related to the group/community of their choice, that they want to dismantle, conduct community-based narrative-impact interviews, and co-design strategies that move us away from the destructive binary narratives. Students will explore the role of digital technologies such as social media in perpetuating or challenging these narratives. Visual literacy will be central to our work, as we analyze media texts with attention to framing, omission, and representation. Students will study how stories are constructed and circulated, asking: Who benefits from these narratives, socially, politically, and economically, and what is our responsibility in challenging them? Research projects will invite students to dive deep into specific case studies or fields related to their interests or career goals.