Colouring the Narrative: How to Use Storytelling to Create Social Change in Skin Shade Ideals in Malaysia

Synopsis: The course will touch on the topics of colourism, social marketing, gender equality, gender-based discrimination, and policy change to combat colourism (i.e., skin shade discrimination). This course utilizes evidence-based, case-method teaching to train learners in the design of responsive, solution-centered media advocacy campaigns. It will provide learners with an exciting opportunity to work with their professional peers in an active-learning online environment and to gain critical skills for planning, implementing, and evaluating an effective media advocacy campaign.

Working with a multinational team of writers, scholars, eating disorder specialists, and instructional designers, the Harvard STRIPED team has developed this case-based e-course to engage students in real-world dilemmas, problem-solving, and teamwork to build knowledge and skills that can address the impacts of colourism on the health and mental health of Malaysian adolescents and support education, personal growth, and social change ideas. Grounded in a fictional case narrative written by Malaysian creative writer Jinghann Hong and illustrated by illustrator Nelson Tsen, this course utilizes evidence-based case-method teaching to train learners in the design of responsive, solution-centered media advocacy campaigns.

Skills: Students will develop skills in media advocacy and strategic storytelling techniques by creating a media- and storytelling-based campaign in response to the toxic skin-lightening product industry.