More than ever, the critical study of media and media content is crucial to how we navigate our world: through the multiple ways we use it, understand it; understand who makes it and who controls its distribution in a rapidly transforming cultural and technological landscape; this is just a small part of what we do in Communication, Popular Culture and Film.
Our interdisciplinary department consists of fifteen full-time faculty members whose areas of expertise include television studies, advertising, gaming, big data, interpersonal communication, social media and other digital platform studies, global cinemas & genre studies, media policy, popular music and youth cultures as well as environmental media and the cultural politics of food and food media.
Our programs examine the intersections between society and culture, cultural practices and their economic/policy implications. Our degrees – whether in Film, Popular Culture, Business Communication or Media and Communication – provide knowledge and foster critical thinking skills that are extremely relevant to today’s job market.
In CPCF we provide a rich, multifaceted educational experience for our students. Our faculty includes many nationally and internationally recognized scholars who help to prepare our students to adapt to (and think about) changing technologies, both at the level of form and content as well at a macro level by situating our analysis of culture in its multifaceted contexts.
Communication, Popular Culture and Film is a dynamic and thriving department that continues to attract many of Brock’s best and brightest. Our collegial, knowledgeable staff work alongside us to support all of our students through their degrees. I welcome you to further explore this web site to learn about the degree options available to you. For those who are already joining us: welcome to CPCF! You’ve made a great decision.
Department Structure and Policies
The Department is part of the Faculty of the Social Sciences and reports to the Dean of Social Sciences. Within the Department there are four academic Programs: Business Communication, Media and Communication Studies, Film Studies, and Popular Culture. Please see the Undergraduate Calendar for details of academic requirements.
The overall administration of the Department, budgets and planning are the responsibility of the Chair who is appointed on a rotating basis and normally serves for a period of three years. Academic counselling and curriculum matters are handled by the Undergraduate Advisor.
The business of the Department is conducted at meetings of the Department Committee which consists of all full-time and cross-appointed faculty, all continuing Department technicians, a part-time faculty representative, and three student representatives (one representing Communication Studies, one representing Film and one representing Popular Culture).
Student reps look after student interests at meetings of the Department Committee. They take a full part in the decision-making processes, keeping students aware of new developments and informing the department of student concerns.
Nominations for representatives are made during mid-September. The elections must conclude by the end of September. Voting is by closed, anonymous ballot.
Students nominated to serve as student representatives must be majors in the academic unit(s) for which they are nominated (Communication; Film Studies; Popular Culture) and must have completed at least one course in that unit. Likewise, only students who are majors or combined majors may nominate and vote for student representatives in their unit.
Student representatives are responsible for attending Department meetings and for keeping open the lines of communication between students and faculty. They should be available to help students with problems or questions and inform them of news, Department policy, or changes that might affect them. The representatives may be appointed to other Department committees as necessary. If a student representative is unable to fulfill these duties, the Chair may recommend to the Department committee that new elections be called or that a temporary replacement (not to exceed three weeks) be appointed.
A student representative unable to attend a Department or program meeting may send a replacement provided (1) that the substitute will be a non-voting observer; (2) that advance notice is received by the Chair; and (3) that the substitution is announced by the Chair at the beginning of the meeting.
All archive materials are for research and course use only. Materials are not available for personal entertainment or for use by students in non-FILM/PCUL/COMM/DART/VISA courses. CPCF students will have priority when the viewing stations are heavily booked.
Archive materials may be viewed only in the CPCF department. Monitor access is normally available only to students in 200-level courses and above in preparation for seminar and essay assignments. Students must indicate on the booking form the course for which items are required.
Students may not view archive materials instead of attending the regular lab screenings in their courses. In exceptional circumstances, a student may be given permission to make up a missed screening. Such permission must be in writing and presented at the time of the booking.
Students must determine the number of the required item by consulting the CPCF database. The database may be searched in the CPCF department during office hours.
Viewing stations and material must be booked on the appropriate form 24 hours in advance and in person (between 8:30 am and 4:00 pm). Last minute requests cannot be accommodated.
Monitors may be reserved for no more than two hours between 8:30 am and 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday.
Materials should be deposited in the essay drop box in the CPCF department.
Under no circumstances may archive materials be taken beyond CPCF monitors or course seminar rooms. Personal or home use of materials will result in loss of borrowing privileges.
Failure to use archive materials or viewing stations when booked denies other students access to these resources. Missed viewing station bookings, frequent cancellations, or failure to return archive materials promptly will result in loss of borrowing privileges.
It is the student’s responsibility to take proper care of archive materials and viewing equipment. Users may be charged for damage caused by negligence or loss.
Failure to abide by these rules or use of the archive and monitors for illegitimate purposes will result in loss of borrowing privileges.
The Department video cameras and editing equipment are for the use of students in production courses homed in CPCF. Other use of this equipment is restricted to CPCF courses and Spring Festival subject to the approval of the Chair.
Before a student can have access to either cameras or editing facilities, he/she must take an instruction workshop which will be offered when demand warrants, or at the beginning of each term. For those already familiar with the equipment operation, approval is still necessary. The supervising faculty can approve such requests.
All users are required to have a card on file indicating for which equipment the student is approved.
Program or Department need will occasionally override all others, when no alternative equipment is available as may be the case when a lecture, performance or workshop needs to be videotaped.
The cameras and accessories will be booked and signed out during the regular academic year and returned.
All equipment malfunctions must be reported immediately.
The editing equipment is available only during the hours specified by the Department. Editing time must be booked through the Department. Time restrictions on the editing equipment will be applied, if necessary, when the facilities are under heavy use. Consideration of others’ needs must be taken into account when booking. Advance bookings are strongly recommended.
Keys to the editing suite must be picked up prior to the booking or at a mutually agreed upon time. When edit booking is complete the key is to be locked in the edit suite unless otherwise specified.
Students must normally notify the Department 24 hours in advance if they are unable to pick up or return the equipment or use editing time as previously booked.
Failure to abide by any of these guidelines may result in a suspension of borrowing privileges. In some cases, students who fail to respect these procedures may be subject to grade deductions.
