COM1511 Assignment 1 Semester 1 (323799) 2026 Due 26 March 2026

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA (UNISA)

College of Human Sciences

Department of Communication Science



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COM1511
Principles of Decolonial Communication
Assignment 1 – Semester 1, 2026

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Module Code: COM1511

Module Name: Principles of Decolonial Communi-
cation
Assignment: Assignment 1

Unique Number: 323799

Semester: Semester 1, 2026

Due Date: 26 March 2026, 20:00

Institution: University of South Africa

Faculty: College of Human Sciences

Total Marks: 50 marks

,UNISA | COM1511 Principles of Decolonial Communication


Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for COM1511 – Principles of Decolonial
Communication




Contents



Introduction 3

1 Learning Unit 1: Introducing Communication 4
1.1 1.1 The African Perspective of Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.2 1.2 The Seven Elements of the Shannon-Weaver Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3 1.3 Two Types of Communication from the African Perspective . . . . . . . . . 9

2 Learning Unit 2: Media, Framing, and Agenda Setting 10
2.1 2.1 Priming, Framing, and Missing Voices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2.2 2.2 Agenda Setting Theory and Its Two Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3 Learning Unit 3: Listening and Hearing 13
3.1 3.1 Listening and Hearing: Differences, Processes, and Examples . . . . . . . . 13
3.2 3.2 Four Elements of the Shannon-Weaver Model (Scenario-Based) . . . . . . . 14
3.3 3.3 Intrapersonal Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.4 3.4 Cultural Influences on Perception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

4 Learning Unit 5: Decolonial Communication Concepts 17
4.1 5.1 De-centring and Re-centring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4.2 5.2 Indigenous Knowledge Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
4.3 5.3 Intergenerational Trauma Barriers to Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

5 Barriers to Communication 20
5.1 6.1 Four Barriers and How to Overcome Them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Conclusion 24

Reference List 25




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, UNISA | COM1511 Principles of Decolonial Communication



Introduction



Communication is not a neutral act. It carries within it the values, power relations, and world-
views of those who practise it. In the context of African societies, communication has histori-
cally been shaped by colonial frameworks that privileged Western models while marginalising
indigenous ways of knowing and relating (Mhlambi, 2004). Decolonial communication scholar-
ship seeks to recover, centre, and validate African communicative traditions alongside a criti-
cal engagement with dominant models.

This assignment addresses core themes from Learning Units 1, 2, 3, and 5 of COM1511: Prin-
ciples of Decolonial Communication. The questions engage with the Shannon-Weaver model,
the African perspective on communication, listening and hearing processes, framing and agenda-
setting theory, intrapersonal communication, cultural perceptions, Indigenous Knowledge Sys-
tems, and barriers to communication. Each section provides theoretically grounded responses
supported by practical examples drawn from the scenario of Lucy and Thabo, as well as from
everyday lived experience.




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