News and events

  • 2026 CPCF Spring Courses

    Friday, February 27, 2026 | By

    Four people sit at a picnic table talking to each other.

    Whether you want to jump on the fast track to graduation, reduce next year’s course load, satisfy a program requirement or pick up an elective, Brock’s Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film is offering Spring courses to help you advance your area of study and explore topics of interest.

    Course Spotlight: Nonverbal Communication (COMM 2P96)

    ONM – ONLINE MIXED

    How much of what we’re thinking and feeling is communicated without saying a word? In this course, you’ll decode the hidden language of nonverbal cues and gain greater insight into how people manage conversations and relationships across the channels of communication that escape our everyday attention.

    • Examine how body language, facial gestures, clothing, tone of voice, proximity and other nonverbal cues convey emotions and intentions.
    • Develop a deeper understanding of how you can tap into the power of nonverbal communication to support your personal and professional pursuits.
    • Explore how nonverbal communication influences significant moments such as job interviews, first dates, boardroom negotiations, courtroom trials and police interrogations.

    Recommended for Business Communication and Media Communication students looking to fulfill a third year COMM 290+ requirement.

    Restrictions: Open to Business Communication, Communication, Media Communication, and Popular Culture majors until date specified in Registration guide.

    This course may also be of interest to students in Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, LawPlus and Business.

    Other Spring CPCF Courses

    • FILM 1F94: Introduction to Film Studies
    • CPCF 1F25: Media and Culture: Texts and Practices

    Learn more about our Spring COMM courses, FILM courses and CPCF courses.

    Registration opens March 5!

    For more information or to register for Brock’s Spring/Summer courses, visit brocku.ca/springsummer

    Categories: News

  • Dr. Barry Grant Helps Celebrate 50 years of BUFS

    Monday, January 19, 2026 | By

    Th movie poster for avid Cronenberg's Shivers features an illustration of a woman in a bathtub with blood running over the side. Best to the poster is a photo of Dr. Barry Grant.

    Professor Emeritus and Internationally Recognized Horror Scholar, Dr. Barry Grant, will be in attendance to introduce the next film in this year’s anniversary series: Shivers (1975)!

    The Brock University Film Society’s “Festival of 50” continues Thursday, January 22 at the Niagara Artist Centre’s Microcinema, with a screening of David Cronenberg’s Shivers (1975). We’ve been revisiting some of the most important films that were released in 1975, the year BUFS was founded, and this is the first of two screenings co-sponsored by the Centre for Canadian Studies that are focusing on Canadian cinema (Canadian exploitation cinema, or Canuxploitation, to be more accurate).

    Shivers, of course, was the film that launched Cronenberg as a horror specialist and set him on a path to becoming one of the great auteur filmmakers of the last half century. It’s the film that prompted fans and critics to nickname Cronenberg “the Baron of Blood” and “the King of Venereal Horror.” It’s also a film that caused a furor when it was released in 1975 because of the fact that it had been financed in part by the Canadian Film Development Corporation. As Robert Fulford put it to his Canadian readers in the pages of Saturday Night, “You should know how bad this film is. After all, you paid for it.” How “bad” is Shivers? There’s only one way to find out.

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    Categories: Events

  • New Spaces available in Film History II (FILM 2P99)

    Thursday, January 08, 2026 | By

    A collage of images. A black and white image from the Film Citizen Kane, in which a man in a suit is standing on top of a sea of newspapers. A black and white image from Roshomon, showing two samurai in a forest. The third is a colour image from Bonnie and Clyde featuring the two main characters smiling and driving in their car.

    Film History II (FILM 2P99) has just opened up a few more spaces! If interested contact [email protected]

    The class runs Monday 8:00-9:00am and Friday 9:00-12:00pm in STH 215.

    The course looks at Hollywood and international cinema from WW2 to the modern era.

  • The CPCF Campaign Challenge is Back for 2026

    Thursday, December 18, 2025 | By

    A group of people pose for a photo in front of the Brock University wall in the Rankin Family Pavilion with CPCF Campaign Challenge winners Solomon Mike, who holds up a giant cheque, and Harman Kaur, who holds up the O’Malley Cup trophy.

    The CPCF Campaign Challenge is back for 2026! The Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film will once again host the event on Friday, February 27.

    Teams of students will attempt to solve a contemporary communication issue by developing and presenting a creative pitch that offers a compelling solution. Finalist teams will pitch their ideas to a panel of industry expert judges. The winning team will take home $1,500, with additional cash prizes for the second and third place teams.

    This year’s challenge asks: How do you get 18–24 year-olds to switch from cars to the new Toronto–Niagara GO Train route? How would you make the train more attractive than the alternative?

    For more information and official contest rules, be sure to check out the Campaign Challenge site. Also, follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for updates.

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    Categories: Events, News

  • Karen Louise Smith Introduces High School Students to Communication Studies

    Thursday, December 11, 2025 | By

    A professors stands amongst a group of seated high school students

    Do we need a ‘nutrition label’ for our internet plans?

    This was one of the exercises given to prospective students on Dec. 5 at Brock University.  The Faculty of Social Sciences hosted high school students from all over the Niagara Region, giving them the opportunity to experience University learning, explore potential career paths and participate in interactive activities led by current students and faculty.

    In the session facilitated by the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film, Professor Karen Louise-Smith and attendees explored some of the common complaints Canadians have made about their home internet service. They then worked in groups to prototype a nutrition style label for internet plans to provide clearer information to Canadian consumers in the future.

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    Categories: Events, News

  • A Feature Course for Winter D3: Film Music, MUSI 3P50

    Tuesday, November 25, 2025 | By

    close up on hands playing a violin. Behind is some sheet music.

    The Department of Music is offering a course on Film Music next term & has waived the prerequisites for all students who have completed first year studies.

    Feature Course: Film Music, MUSI 3P50 – Winter D3

    Do you love watching movies and listening to music? Consider taking Film Music (MUSI 3P50) with Dr. Nina Penner, running Mondays and Thursdays from 9:00-10:20 a.m. this Winter term at MIWSFPA. You’ll study one film a week, analyzing how the music contributes to the storytelling. The focus will be on the science fiction genre, but final projects can explore any genre of film. Films included on the syllabus are Metropolis, The Day the Earth Stood Still, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, Alien, Battlestar Gallactica, Interstellar, Arrival, and Black Panther.

    Assessment includes in-class participation, reading annotations, a presentation, and a final project, which could be a creative project such as rescoring a scene from a film. This course is open to all students in second year and above, no musical experience required. If you are interested, please email Dr. Penner ([email protected]) to request an override.

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    Categories: News

  • The Film Production Class Starts Rolling

    Wednesday, November 19, 2025 | By

    A close-up of hands holding a film slate with info on it referring to the current scene, shot and take. In the background a group of students can be seen handling production equipment, and setting up the camera.

    After spending the last few weeks familiarizing themselves with the department’s camera, lighting and sound equipment, Andrew Martiniuk and his class of young filmmakers started shooting a scene as a crew.

    Every take required the students to work as a team.  Everyone had their part to play: gear to check, lines to learn and directions to follow.  As they moved through each setup, students found themselves drawing on the theory and history they have studied in their coursework. Film concepts were no longer abstract ideas. Instead, they became practical tools that guided the students’ creative decisions.

    With Martiniuk’s guidance, the class navigated everything from blocking actors to adjusting light levels, and they discovered how collaborative and dynamic a working set can be.

    Check out the Gallery to see the crew at work.

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    Categories: News

  • Senator Andrew Cordozo Meets With the Communication and Media Policy Class

    Monday, November 17, 2025 | By

    A screen shot from a virtual meeting. It is split with one half being the Senator in his office, and the other a class rom full of students in a lecture hall. everyone is giving a thumbs up.

    The Honourable Senator Andrew Cardozo participated in a video call with the Communication and Media Policy (Comm 3P19) course on Oct. 31st, 2025. The students learned about the work of a Senator including reviewing bills and hearing from witnesses when studying them in a committee. Senator Cardozo shared some of their experiences of applying to be a Senator, and the implications of Senate reforms from 2015, which have increased the number of Senators who are not affiliated with a political party. The class also benefited greatly from learning about Senator Cardozo’s work to contribute to policies related to the future of the CBC, and some of his previous experiences as a CRTC Commissioner.

    Thank you to Senator Cardozo and the SENgage program for making this visit possible.

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    Categories: Events

  • CPCF Welcomes Prospective Students on Fall Preview Day

    Wednesday, November 05, 2025 | By

    four people, some in Brock University clothing, stand behind a table and pose for a photo. The sign behind them identifies their department programs as Buisnes Communication, Media and Communication and Film Studies

    The department was well represented at Fall Preview Day on Sunday Nov 2, as staff, faculty and student ambassadors welcomed prospective students to Brock.  The university estimates there were more than 4,700 guests — the largest draw since the COVID-19 pandemic.

    Visitors were able to speak with their future professors and peers and learn about our multi-disciplinary program and how it can set them up for future careers.  Whether they had questions about emerging AI, an ever-changing media landscape, or how a strong understanding of communication can shape success in the business world, students left with a clear understanding of how CPCF can offer the tools needed in an increasingly unpredictable world.

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    Categories: Events, News

  • Congratulations CPCF Graduates!

    Monday, October 20, 2025 | By

    A student holding flowers and wearing a graduation gown smiles for a photo. They are surrounded by other students in gowns.

    Congratulations to all the CPCF graduates who crossed the Convocation stage this Fall!

    Your passion, dedication and hard work have paid off. We are so proud of all that you’ve accomplished during your time at Brock University, and we can’t wait to see where your next adventure takes you.

    See the gallery and read more here.

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    Categories: Events

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