(Ext. 2896)
For further information, see our World Wide Web page:
http://web2.uwindsor.ca/faculty/socsci/comstudies/index.htm
Romanow, Walter I.; B.A. (Saskatchewan), M.A. (Windsor), Ph.D. (Wayne State)—1965.
Edmunds, Hugh H.; B.A. (Saskatchewan), M.Ed. (Wayne State)—1971.
Professors
Cunningham, Stanley B.; B.A. (Manitoba), M.S.L. (Pontif. Inst. of Mediaeval Studies), M.A., Ph.D. (Toronto)—1961.
Selby, Stuart A.; B.A. (Hamilton College, N.Y.), M.A., Ed.D. (Columbia)—1970.
Linton, James M.; B.A. (York), M.A. (Pennsylvania)—1972.
Cuthbert, Marlene L.; B.A. (Queen's), M.A. (Columbia), Ph.D. (Syracuse), Dip. Communication Policy and Planning for Development (The Hague)—1986.
Gold, Mary; B.A., M.A. (Windsor), M.A. (Wayne State), J.D. (Detroit)—1967. (Head of the Department)
King, Christopher R.; B.A. (Grinnell College), M.A., M.A., Ph.D. (Wisconsin), M.B.A. (York)—1974.
Winter, James P.; B.J., M.J. (Carleton), Ph.D. (Syracuse)—1981.
Goldman, Irvin; B.A. (Winnipeg), M.S. (Purdue), Ph.D. (Iowa)—1981.
Lewis, Richard F., B.S. (Loyola College), M.S., M.S., Ph.D. (Syracuse)—1983.
Hildebrandt, Kai; M.A. (Hamburg), M.A., Ph.D. (Michigan)—1985.
Ruggles, Myles A.; M.A. (Simon Fraser)—1994.
The Department of Communication Studies is devoted to the study, analysis, and understanding of the role of communication in contemporary culture.
The major in Communication Studies provides a concentration of communication-related courses within a general university education.
The Honours Communication Studies program is designed to provide greater depth, synthesis, and understanding of communication theory and research methods, cultural studies, communication policy and systems, and the design and application of media content. An honours degree or equivalent is also necessary for entry to graduate programs.
The combined honours programs are designed to provide depth in two related areas. This permits students opportunities to fulfill requirements for high school teaching certificates, to become more proficient in dealing with social research, and to allow for greater concentration and experimentation in specialized areas of communication.
Students are encouraged to discuss these possibilities with advisors in the Communication Studies Department and in other departments offering combined programs.
Courses fit into seven groups. All students majoring in the Department of Communication Studies are required to take the two Basic courses, 40-100 and 40-101, and the specified Foundation courses as appropriate. These courses provide a common core of knowledge and skill for all other courses. After completing the Basic and Foundation courses, students may choose courses focusing primarily on one of the Design and Applications, Policy and Systems, or Culture and Theory streams. The Research Methods and Practica courses have been designed to complement the student's area of focus. Alternatively, students may create programs to match particular academic or career goals by selecting a blend of courses from these seven groups.
Basic: 40-100, 40-101.
Foundations: 40-200, 40-202, 40-234, 40-257, 40-275.
Research Methods: 40-333, 40-335, 40-337, 40-434, 40-435, 40-453.
Design and Applications Stream: 40-110, 40-205, 40-211, 40-212, 40-214, 40-216, 40-217, 40-222, 40-226, 40-250, 40-251, 40-252, 40-272, 40-311, 40-315, 40-316, 40-350, 40-380, 40-381, 40-411, 40-417, 40-426, 40-441, 40-442, 40-489.
Policy and Systems Stream: 40-245, 40-280, 40-352, 40-361, 40-374, 40-385, 40-452, 40-457, 40-461, 40-474, 40-487.
Culture and Theory Stream: 40-225, 40-240, 40-241, 40-262, 40-300, 40-321, 40-330, 40-343, 40-344, 40-365, 40-370, 40-400, 40-423, 40-430, 40-443, 40-475, 40-477, 40-486, 40-488.
Practica: 40-398, 40-399, 40-498, 40-499.
Total courses: thirty.
Major requirements: ten courses, including 40-100 and 40-101; plus three Foundations courses; and two Design and Application courses; and one Policy and Systems course; and two Culture and Theory courses. (Note: Foundations courses are prerequisites for several Policy and Systems, and Culture and Theory courses.)
Other requirements:
(a) eight courses from outside the Faculty of Social Science as described in 4.3.1;
(b) six courses from any department, school, or faculty, including Communication Studies;
(c) six courses from any department, school, or faculty, excluding Communication Studies.
Regarding the up to six additional Communication Studies courses provided for above in (b), and including those already required in the ten-course minimum, the following, overall program limits apply: not more than five courses may be from any one of the Design and Applications, Policy and Systems, or Culture and Theory streams; and not more than four may be from Research Methods.
Total courses: forty.
Major requirements: twenty courses, including 40-100, 40-101, and all five Foundations courses; plus two courses from each of Design and Applications, Policy and Systems, and Culture and Theory; and one Research and Methods course. Including those individual courses which are specifically listed, students fulfilling the twenty-course minimum are permitted no more than ten courses from any of Design and Applications, Policy and Systems, and Culture and Theory; and no more than four courses are permitted in Research Methods, and up to four from the Practica group. Also, at least five Communication Studies courses must be at the 400 level.
Other requirements:
(a) four 100-level courses from the Faculty of Social Science, excluding Communication Studies;
(b) two courses from the Faculty of Arts and two from the Faculty of Science;
(c) two courses at the 200-level or above from the Faculty of Social Science, excluding Communication Studies;
(d) four courses from the Faculties of Arts, Social Science, or Science, including Communication Studies;
(e) two more courses from the Faculties of Arts, Social Science, or Science, excluding Communication Studies;
(f) four courses from any department, school, or faculty, excluding Communication Studies.
Regarding the up to four additional Communication Studies courses provided for above in (d), and including those already required in the twenty-course minimum, the following, overall program limits apply: not more than ten courses may be from any one of the Design and Applications, Policy and Systems, or Culture and Theory streams; not more than four may be from Research Methods; and up to four courses from the Practica group.
Programs combining Communication Studies with another subject in the Faculty of Social Science: Any such program requires a total of forty courses, including sixteen from Communication Studies, sixteen from the other area of specialization, and eight options. The courses which must be included from Communication Studies are 40-100, 40-101, and any four Foundations courses; plus at least two (and up to six) in each of the Design and Applications, Policy and Systems, and Culture and Theory streams. (Note: Foundations courses are prerequisites for several Policy and Systems, and Culture and Theory courses.) At least three Communication Studies courses must be at the 400 level. Students also must include at least one Research and Methods course or the equivalent from other departments. The combined program requirements of all other departments in the Faculty of Social Science are shown in their sections of this Calendar.
Programs combining Communication Studies with a subject offered outside the Faculty of Social Science: Sixteen courses are required from Communication Studies, including 40-100, 40-101, and any four Foundations courses; plus at least two (and up to eight) in Design and Applications; and at least one (and up to four) in Policy and Systems and at least three (and up to eight) in Culture and Theory. At least three Communication Studies courses must be at the 400 level.
A minor shall consist of 40-100, 40-101, two foundations courses, and two additional Communication Studies courses.
Communication Studies 40-100 and 40-101 are required of all majors and are to be taken in the first year. For non-majors, these courses are recommended prior to taking even those upper-level Communications Studies courses for which no specific prerequisites are listed. These introductory studies of the media and their operations within a rich context of history, theory, and cultural policy, are designed to enhance media literacy.
Students may register in upper-level courses if specific prerequisites are met, or with consent of the instructor or Department.
All courses listed will not necessarily be offered each year.
An initial study of the evolution of mass media (print, film, broadcasting, and telecommunications) and how they shaped themselves as major agents in our society. This growth will be examined within the context of communication theory, and with an eye to the political, economic, and cultural relationships between media and the state.
An introduction to the social and cultural significance of information technology, production operations, and assorted communication forms. This course will also focus upon: media content and formats (e.g., the nature of news); the interaction between the media and society; audience effects; constraints upon the media; and related issues of communication freedom. (This course is a logical sequel to 40-100, but the latter is not a prerequisite.)
Practical study of how ideas are created, developed, expressed, proposed and acted upon in various media. Through lectures, laboratory activities, and class assignments students will gain skill and knowledge in the techniques of outlines, treatments, storyboards, shooting scripts, proposals, budgets, and resource management. Required course for students pursuing further film, radio, and television courses in the Design and Applications stream. (Limited to first-year Communication Studies or combined honours majors.) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours a week.)
A study of the pivotal historical role of communication technologies. This course provides an overview of communication in history, emphasizing the relationship between oral and literate cultures, print and manuscript culture, and how electronic media affect a post-literate culture. Special attention will be given to Canadian theoretical perspectives. (This course is offered in History as 43-201.) (Prerequisite: second year standing.) (Recommended: 40-100 and 40-101, or two 100-level History courses.)
An introduction to contemporary theories and methods of cultural studies which focuses on the study of society's communicative practices, artistic productions, beliefs, and institutions. This approach incorporates a variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives, including semiotics, social constructionism, structuralism, neo-Marxism, psychoanalysis, postmodernism, ritual analysis, and ethnography. Particular attention is paid to the ways in which race, class, and gender are constituted in a variety of cultural texts. (Prerequisite: second year standing.) (Recommended: 40-100 and 40-101.)
An introduction to the use of the still photographic image in today's society. An examination of the use of the image from the beginning of photography to current commercial and artistic applications using silver and electronic printing systems. The laboratory program involves the exploration of the black-and-white print. (Students must provide their own cameras.) (Prerequisite: 40-100, or 40-101.) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours a week.)
Theoretical and practical examination of the technical, communicative and aesthetic considerations in black-and-white 16mm film making. Topics include optics and exposure, cinematography, picture editing, and double-system, non-synchronous sound recording, and editing. (Credit for this course will be allocated only after successful completion of 40-212.) (Prerequisites: 40-100, 40-101, and 40-110.) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours a week.)
A continuation of 40-211 with increased emphasis on practical exercises and examination of aesthetic and communicative factors. Included will be a study of the basic approaches to film (film as entertainment, art, economic commodity, etc.) and of their implications for the film making process. (Credit for this course will be allocated only after successful completion of 40-211.) (Prerequisite: 40-211.) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours a week.)
An introduction to design, production, and research in the use of sound in media. The course will deal with theories of sound and their application, research on the production process, and basic principles of sound recording and reproduction. Lab exercises will provide a foundation for the production of sound messages for all media. (Prerequisites: 40-100, 40-101, and 40-110.) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours a week.)
This project-based course, integrating theory and practice, introduces students to studio and location work with emphasis on the knowledge and skill essential to produce a program. A variety of production techniques are presented appropriate for fiction, non-fiction, eduction, and training programs. (Prerequisites 40-100, 40-101, and 40-110.) (2 lecture, 4 laboratory hours a week.)
Post-production editing and the creative integration of sound and image are explored. Emphasis is on the constraints imposed and the enhancements possible by technology and the consequences for the effectiveness of the program. (Prerequisite: 40-216.) (2 lecture, 4 laboratory hours a week.)
An introduction to selected areas in organizational communication, including such topics as interpersonal communication, nonverbal communication, small group communication, schools of organizational communication, coorientation, decision making, and organizational culture.
An introduction to important concepts concerning news media and popular culture. The intent is to help students to develop the skills, knowledge, and background necessary to interpret the ways in which the media actively construct reality. Sample concepts may include: legitimation, hegemony, objectivity, stereotyping, and alternatives.
A critical survey of instructional communication in mass education and training. The development of audio-visual education, instructional and interactive systems, educational networks, and distance education programs are studied in a social context.
An introductory overview of research methods and designs in communication studies. Both qualitative and quantitative epistemologies will be examined. (Prerequisite: second year standing.) (Recommended: 40-100 and 40-101.) (2 lecture hours, 1 laboratory hour a week.)
An examination of the growth of the cinema from its origins through the introduction of sound. The creation of the industry and the audience, and the growth and refinement of technique are studied and illustrated in an historical and cultural context.
An examination of the development of the cinema from the studio era to the present. The studio system and its alternatives, the war and its aftermath, and the response of the cinema to social change and technological competition are studied in an historical and cultural context.
An examination of formal and informal policy frameworks as they affect planning for broadcasting and other electronic media content. Special emphasis will be given to the roles of Canadian regulatory agencies. (Prerequisite: 40-100 or 40-101.)
The practice of fundamental journalism writing skills for print and broadcast media, and an introduction to the journalist's basic information-gathering techniques. Students will use microcomputers in this course, though previous typing experience is not necessary. (Prerequisite: 40-100 or 40-101.) (1 lecture hour, 2 laboratory hours a week.)
The more advanced practice of journalistic research methods, organization of material, and the preparation of copy or scripts for the print or broadcast media. (Prerequisite: 40-250.) (1 lecture hour, 2 laboratory hours a week.)
An introduction to the preparation of informational publications such as newsletters, brochures, and reports using desktop publishing techniques. The topics covered include the rhetoric of visual design, a critical analysis of design elements used to direct and influence readers, ethical concerns in print communication, changes in print communication and potential developments in computerized text retrieval. Students will practise writing, designing, and laying out text and graphic material. (Prerequisites: 40-100 and 40-101.) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours a week.)
Introduces political and economic concepts in the national and international study of culture and communications. Topics include: communication for democratic citizenship and governance; doctrines of free speech, sovereignty, and public utility; theories of legitimation, ideology, and hegemony; the economics and geopolitics of information; patterns of ownership and concentration; models of regulation. (Prerequisites: 40-100 and 40-101.)
This course focuses on the process of communication between people of different cultural or national backgrounds in a variety of contexts. The theoretical background includes not only intercultural communication theory, but also relevant writings from closely-related areas, such as nonverbal communication, interpersonal communication, international communication, and mass communiciation. Special attention is paid to the influence of race, class, gender, ethnicity, religion, language, and other differences on communication.
An exploration of theories affecting message analysis and communication. Topics include persuasion, ethics, perception, attention, memory, and message analysis. Students will learn how to recognize formal features of messages and how to apply theory to practical message design situations. (Prerequisites: 40-100 and 40-101. Recommended: prior completion of a first-year psychology course.) (2 lecture, 1 tutorial hour a week.)
The study of a body of theories for understanding the communication process, including philosophical assumptions and claims about communication. The core theories will focus on general principles, concepts and processes common to all communication and include interpretive, critical, interactional, functional, structural and poststructural/postmodern theories. Other theories will deal with various contexts in which communication occurs, such as public, institutional, cultural, and mediated formats. (Prerequisite: second year standing.) (Recommended: 40-100 and 40-101.)
A study of the economic structure and operation of the communications industry with emphasis on telecommunications, television, and film. (This course is offered and taught in Economics as 41-280.) (Prerequisite: Economics 41-110.)
An examination of popular culture in contemporary society. A variety of critical and interpretive communication theories will be utilized to analyze cultural texts, practices, and politics. The course will attempt to demonstrate how cultural artifacts constitute social ideologies, values, and representations of "lived culture" or lifestyles, particularly gender, race, class, and ethnicity. (Prerequisite: 40-202.)
This course emphasizes multi-track sound editing, colour cinematography, and other technical and aesthetic issues in the creation of the motion picture. (Credit for this course will be allocated only after successful completion of 40-411.) (Prerequisites: 40-211, 40-212, and 40-272.) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours a week.)
An examination of current and future trends in radio broadcasting, with the focus on the social implications. Lab exercises will deal with the production of radio programs in various formats. (Prerequisite: 40-214.) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours a week.)
Emphasis is on the creative translation of messages into visual language, or "writing the image," employing visual metaphors and accepted conventions. Discursive and non-discursive sound and image will be explored in student projects. (Prerequisite: 40-217.) (2 lecture, 4 laboratory hours a week.)
A detailed examination of the relationship of communication and culture in organizational settings. Several theoretical approaches are used, including social constructionist, semiotic, interactionist, and interpretive. Several aspects of organizational communication and culture are considered, including: verbal and nonverbal behaviour; entering and adjusting to organizational cultures; creating, maintaining, and changing organizational cultures; sub-cultures and super-cultures; foreign organizational cultures; the influences of technology and growth on organizational cultures; and the relationship of organizational theory to organizational culture. (Prerequisite: 40-222.)
An examination of criticism dealing with contemporary communication content and how its critics utilize a variety of critical methods or tools to describe, analyze, and evaluate symbolic forms and to communicate their observations and interpretations in a systematic manner. This course will emphasize approaches and applications of critical methods to cultural artifacts. (Prerequisite: 40-202.)
An overview of current practices and issues in mass audience research, including the measurement of audiences by rating services, audience response assessments, and research regarding how audiences use the media. (Prerequisites: 40-100 and 40-101.)
A basic overview of the use and interpretation of quantitative information in communication research, including univariate and bivariate statistics, hypothesis testing, and sampling. Includes practice in quantitative analysis using computers, use of databases, and the display and presentation of numbered information. (Prerequisite: 40-234 or equivalent.)
An examination of interpretive, cultural, and historical methodologies utilized in contemporary communication research. A variety of possible research strategies will be explored, such as: cultural studies, interpretive interactionism, ethnography, narrative analysis, interpretive biography, interview techniques, and discourse analysis.
An examination of the use of conventional and original forms in film. The class will study cultural and aesthetic issues of style and form, and of tradition and innovation in the treatment of film themes and in the development of cinematic genre. (Prerequisite: 40-202 or 40-240 or 40-241.) (2 lecture, 2 screening hours a week.)
An analysis of selected film makers and film movements. The class will study the works of directors and other artists as individuals and as groups, examining how they were shaped by and how they influenced their cultures. (Prerequisite: 40-202 or 40-240 or 40-241.) (2 lecture, 2 screening hours a week.)
This course examines editing and other content planning processes and restraints in the print media. It concentrates on newspapers, magazines, and the publishing industry, dealing with publication and printing and the application of modern informational technologies. (Prerequisites: 40-250 and 40-251.) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours a week.)
This course explores newsgathering and reporting institutions and practices as they relate to the social construction of reality. Particular emphasis is given to institutional constraints, such as concentration of ownership, monopolies and cross-ownership, professional norms and practices, the role of advertising, objectivity and subjectivity, and news sources. (Prerequisites: 40-100, 40-101, and 40-200.)
An examination of communication systems within the world system, with special emphasis on the modern, industrialized, high-technology states of the northern hemisphere. Particular attention will be given to the relationship of the media and other communication systems to social, political, and economic structures and changes within them. Attention will also be given to the communications interactions between this area and the rest of the world. (Prerequisite: third-year standing.)
An examination of the central role that language plays in mass communication. Focus will be placed upon two major areas: the ways in which language (terms, descriptions, and expressions) both promotes and hinders the communication of information and values, and of how language modifies and shapes the meaning of images; and the ways in which language is used to influence and persuade mass audiences. (Prerequisite: 40-100 or 40-101.)
A critical examination of the structure, operation, and function of the mass media in contemporary society from a number of major ideological perspectives, with an emphasis on the assessment of possible alternatives. Innovative, small-scale communication approaches will be examined as one such alternative, with particular attention being paid to the media's role in, and potential for, encouraging or impeding social action. (Prerequisite: 40-100 or 40-101.)
40-374.Information and Communication Technologies and Social Change
An introduction to information technologies and their impact upon mass communication systems, organizational communication structures, and society. Particular study will be made of the technologies involved in the new content delivery systems within the Canadian context. (Prerequisite: 40-257 or another foundations course.) (3 lecture hours, 1 laboratory hour a week.)
An examination of the content, structure, and operation of public relations in the private and public sectors. (Prerequisites: 40-100 and 40-101.) (2 lecture hours, 1 laboratory hour a week.)
This course is designed to give the student a theoretical understanding of the role of advertising in modern society as an integral aspect of the mass communication system. (Prerequisites: 40-100 and 40-101.) (Not available for credit to students in the Faculty of Business Administration.)
An examination of the effect which law has on the content of media. The course concentrates on the impact of the Canada Act, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and statutory and common law upon the dissemination of information. (Prerequisite: 40-245.)
Application of communication skills and knowledge in work experience situations approved by the Co-ordinator of Communication Practica. Admission to the course is by consent and is available only to honours students. The course is graded by a faculty advisor on the basis of a written report plus other references. (To be undertaken after the successful completion of relevant 200-level courses in the appropriate stream and before enrolling in 300-level courses.) (Prerequisite: consent of the Department.) (6-8 weeks.)
(Same description as 40-398.)
An advanced study of communication and culture, including ethnographies, language, semiotics, narrative, ideological analysis, psychoanalysis, structuralism, social constructionism, and postmodernism. (Prerequisites: 40-202, and 40-300 or 40-330.)
This course emphasizes the skill and knowledge necessary to produce a composite release print, including the conceptualization and budgeting of the film as well as the conformation of original and final printing processes. (Credit for this course will be allocated only after successful completion of 40-311.) (Prerequisite: 40-311.) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours a week.)
An exploration of aural and visual production technologies: analog and digital, compressed video, audio-graphic, animation, desk top video, CDI, advanced television and the implications for the creative writer-producer-director. Students will develop and apply theory-based criteria in the analysis and evaluation of their projects. (Prerequisite: 40-316.) (2 lecture, 4 laboratory hours a week.)
An overview of current research and theory on creativity and future planning as it is conducted in communication terms, with special reference to organizational communication. The class will study techniques for creative problem solving in communication at the individual and group levels, heuristic techniques, and the effects of technology and the structure of communication on innovation. (This course is taught in the Department of Psychology as 46-480. Students may register for credit in either course.) (Prerequisite: 40-222.)
Using a systematic design model and theory as a basis, students will learn how to construct a mediated message to achieve a specific effect. The message will be useful in instruction, advertising, public relations, or training. Students will be expected to prepare a finished situations analysis and message on completion of the course. (Prerequisite: 40-272.)
An examination of the social responsibility of the mass media in their programs and practices, including the study of the individual and social impact of media issues such as ratings, censorship, violence, and covert values. The responses of the individual and corporate media professionals are also considered. (Prerequisites: 40-234 and 40-275.)
An introduction to the theory and practice of evaluation in the communication field, providing an overview of various approaches and methods of evaluation, as well as practical examples of evaluation projects. (Prerequisite: 40-234.)
The use of quantitative techniques in mass communication research (appropriate for survey, experimental, and content analysis research), with emphasis on the practical application of simple computer techniques, statistical analysis, the relationship between theory and measurement, issues in the construction of survey questionnaires, and sampling techniques. (Prerequisite: 40-335.)
An introduction to the range of contemporary documentary techniques, approaches, and styles, with attention to the Canadian situation. These modern formats are considered in the context of the origins and the historical development of the idea of documentary. (Credit for this course will be allocated only after successful completion of 40-442.) (Prerequisite: one previous film studies course.)
A conceptual approach to the problematic issues in the depiction of "reality," with attention to Canadian developments. Included will be an examination of the role of technology, financing, distribution, and exhibition arrangements, and cultural and ideological factors in the introduction and acceptance of various documentary techniques, approaches, and styles. (Credit for this course will be allocated only after successful completion of 40-441.) (Prerequisite: 40-441.)
An examination of the changing theoretical and critical approaches to the film, including issues in the production and reception of film, such as realism, adaptation, convention, signification, and culture. (Prerequisites: 40-202 and one of 40-240, 40-241, 40-343, or 40-344.)
An exploration of the contemporary, topical issues concerning the news media, including: ownership, economics, concentration, monopolization, and other constraints. (Prerequisite: 40-352.)
An examination of the theory, praxis, and content of news media. A qualitative, case study approach will emphasize one of various methods, such as: field research, discourse, semiotic, narrative, or ideological analysis. (Prerequisites: 40-234 and 40-352.)
An investigation of various aspects of the "convergence" of media forms, technologies, and markets, and their implications for Canadian public policy regarding electronic communication. Research assignments about selected contemporary policy proceedings will be designed to generate seminar briefings and discussions on their historical, cultural, economic, political, institutional, regulatory, and jurisdictional contexts. (Prerequisite: 40-257. Recommended: Any two foundations courses.)
An examination of international communication systems in the southern hemisphere. Topics include: impact of colonialism, power and hegemony, technology and information flow, cultural dependency/diversity/identity/sovereignty, cultural appropriation, communication and development, indigenous knowledge systems, ownership and control/access and participation, propaganda, and international communication policy. (Prerequisite: third-year standing.)
A study of the socio-cultural and political-economic implications of new communication and information technologies for the structure and function of public institutions. In addition to seminar readings and discussion, participants will undertake fieldwork projects investigating selected public planning and design issues for digital interactive communication infrastructures and applications. (Prerequisites: 40-374 and two foundations courses.)
An examination of contemporary communication theories, such as: critical, cultural, functional, structural, and postmodern approaches. Special attention will be devoted to critically evaluating the underlying assumptions and frameworks of various theories. (Prerequisite: 40-275 and fourth year standing.)
An examination of the structures and cognitive forms which play a constitutive role in shaping mass communication, including topics such as: semiotics, the text, narrativity, metaphor, rhetoric, meaning, ideology, media format, the concept of information, and frames of representation. Selected critical theories of communication will be discussed and special application will be made to audiovisual communication and advertising. (Prerequisite: 40-202 or 40-330 or 40-365.)
The relationship between the mass media and women, minorities, and dominated groups in contemporary society will be examined. Communication and social science theory and research will be applied to a discussion of these issues. (This course is taught in Sociology as 48-486.) (Recommended prerequisite: 40-262 or prior completion of 48-241, 48-306, or 48-333.
An advanced exploration of selected topics related to Policy and Systems. The course may be offered as an individual or small group tutorial, or as a regular class. For tutorials (available only to honours students), the Department must approve project proposals prior to registration. (May be taken for credit more than once.) (Prerequisite: successful completion of the appropriate upper-level Policy and Systems courses.)
An advanced exploration of selected topics related to Culture and Theory. The course may be offered as an individual or small group tutorial, or as a regular class. For tutorials (available only to honours students), the Department must approve project proposals prior to registration. (May be taken for credit more than once.) (Prerequisite: successful completion of the appropriate upper-level Culture and Theory courses.)
An advanced exploration of selected topics related to Design and Applications processes in print, audio and/or visual media. The course may be offered as an individual or small group tutorial, or as a regular class. For tutorials (available only to honours students), the Department must approve project proposals prior to registration. (May be taken for credit more than once.) (Prerequisite: successful completion of the appropriate upper-level Design and Applications courses.) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours a week.)
Application of communication skills and knowledge in work experience situations approved by the Co-ordinator of Communication Practica. Admission to the course is by consent and is available only to honours students. The course is graded by a faculty advisor on the basis of a written report plus other references. (To be undertaken after the successful completion of relevant 300-level courses in the appropriate stream.) (Prerequisite: consent of the Department.) (6-8 weeks.)
(Same description as 40-498.)