FAU Counter-Publics Discussion

Robert Asen warns us not to see “a particular person, place, or topic as necessarily defining the limits of a counterpublic” (“Seeking the Counter” 426).  Yet over the last several weeks, we have looked at counterpublics that seem focused on either categories of people or particular issues.  Does that make us guilty of “reductionism”?  That is, have we overlooked important aspects of what makes a public “counter” in order to fit them into categories?  Is there a difference between counterpublics that focus on people and counterpublics that focus on issues?  What particular challenges do counterpublics that form around the exclusion of research and dicussion of medical issues from larger public spheres?

Remember, you can discuss any or all of the questions posed in the module or you can discuss something else that you found interesting in the reading.  Discussion posts should be your original ideas that identify important concepts from the readings.  You shouldn’t quote or paraphrase extensively, except to point out what aspect of the articles you are commenting on.  Discussion posts should deal with the course reading for each week, and not general observations on the public sphere or material you have read in other classes.  Material quoted from the readings should total no more than 10% of a discussion post and should include an accurate reference to the source (author and page number).   Original posts should explore an issue in some depth, so they should be at least 200 words.