Last updated: November 11, 2003 @ 03:28PM

Communications Studies
This program is co-ordinated by the
Department of Communications, Popular Culture and Film.

Chair
Jim Leach

Undergraduate Program Adviser
Russell Johnston

Director, Co-operative Programs
Cindy Dunne

General Information

Administrative Assistant
Bridget Cahill

905-688-5550, extension 4290
Scotia Bank Hall 308
http://www.brocku.ca/cpcf/

The Department of Communications, Popular Culture and Film offers three separate programs of study. A four-year program leading to the BA Honours degree and a three-year program leading to the BA Pass degree is offered in all three programs. In addition, four-year Co-op programs leading to a BA Honours degree in Communications Studies or Popular Culture and a four and one-half year program leading to a BA Honours degree in Film Studies are available.

Communications Studies is an interdisciplinary program that studies human communicative behaviour, the institutions of communication and the social production of meaning. It has four streams, each of which offers a Co-op option; the streams share a core of COMM courses but focus on distinct areas of interest.

The Business Communications stream combines the study of communications with a study of some aspects of business. The stream aims to equip the student with a sound theoretical basis for analysing and practising communications within the business environment.

The Communications Policy stream focuses on relations between the mass media and cultural industries on the one hand, and political, economic and social forces on the other, including the study of media ownership, cultural regulation and public policies in Canada and elsewhere.

The Information Technology stream integrates the study of communications with the study of theoretical and applied aspects of the new information technology.

The Media and Culture stream is oriented toward an understanding of the role of mass media in the construction of meaning and the creation of national identity in our culture through the study of the cultural, cognitive and textual aspects of film, television, literature and popular culture.

Students are generally advised that choice of stream is based on their interest and aptitude. It is possible to change streams although in some cases this may require additional courses; students should consult the Undergraduate Program Adviser. Communication Studies is a limited enrolment program. Students must apply to proceed to year 2 of the Honours and Pass programs. A minimum 70 percent average in required courses will normally ensure that the student may proceed. Others will be allowed to proceed on the basis of their grade standing and available places in the streams.

All of the above streams have the option of a related Co-op stream. Each Co-op stream combines academic and work terms over a four-year period. Students spend two years in an academic setting, where they acquire the necessary background prior to taking the first work placement. In addition to the current fees for courses in academic study terms, Communications Studies Co-op students are assessed an annual administrative fee (see the Schedule of Fees).

Students admitted to the Communications Studies Co-op program must follow the Co-op program schedule. Failure to adhere to the schedule may result in removal from the Communications Studies Co-op program. Eligibility to continue is based on the student's major average and non-major average. A student with a minimum 70 percent major average and a minimum 60 percent non-major average will be permitted to continue. A student with a major average lower than 70 percent will not be permitted to continue in the Communications Studies Co-op program. If a student subsequently raises his/her major average to 70 percent, the student may be readmitted only if approved by the Co-op Admissions Committee.

The Communications Studies Co-op program designation will be awarded to those students who have honours standing and who have successfully completed a minimum of twelve months of Co-op work experience.

Program Notes
  1. All Communications Studies majors must meet the requirements for one of the streams.
  2. Students in the Information Technology stream are advised to take MATH 1P66 and 1P67 as electives if they wish to take upper year programming and graphics courses in Computer Science.
  3. In all 20 credit degree programs, at least 12 credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above, six of which must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above and of these, three must be numbered 3(alpha)90 or above. In all 15 credit degree programs, at least seven credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 or above, three of which must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above.

Honours Program

Business Communications stream

Year 1
·   COMM 1F90
·   FILM 1F94
·   MGMT 1P91 and 1P92
·   POLI 1F90
·   one Science context credit
Year 2
·   COMM 2F50, 2P15, 2P20 and 2P21
·   one-half COMM credit
·   MKTG 2P51 and 2P52
·   one elective credit
Year 3
·   COMM 2F98, 3P16, 3P62 and 3P65
·   one-half COMM credit
·   OBHR 2P51 and 2P52
·   one elective credit
Year 4
·   One credit from COMM 4P17, 4P30, 4P31, 4P50, 4P51, 4P55, 4V50-4V59
·   one COMM credit numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
·   two credits from COMM 4P55, ENTR, MGMT, MKTG, OBHR numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
·   one elective credit
Communications Policy stream

Year 1
·   COMM 1F90
·   ENGL 1F91, 1F95 or FILM 1F94
·   MGMT 1P91 and 1P92 or SOCI 1F90
·   POLI 1F90
·   one Science context credit
Year 2
·   COMM 2F50, 2P15, 2P20 and 2P21
·   POLI 2F12
·   one and one-half elective credits
Year 3
·   COMM 2F98, 3P16, 3P17, 3P20 and 3P21
·   one COMM credit
·   one elective credit
Year 4
·   One credit from COMM 3P93, 4P17, 4P32, 4P55
·   two credits from COMM 3P93, 4F80, 4F99, 4P17, 4P23, 4P30, 4P31, 4P32, 4P50, 4P51, 4P55, 4V50-4V59
·   one COMM credit numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
·   one elective credit
Information Technology stream

Year 1
·   COMM 1F90
·   COSC 1P02 and 1P03
·   ENGL 1F95 or FILM 1F94
·   POLI 1F90 or SOCI 1F90
·   one Science context credit
Year 2
·   COMM 2F50, 2P15, 2P20 and 2P21
·   COSC 1P95, 1P96 and 2P50
·   one elective credit (see program note 3)
Year 3
·   COMM 2P90, 2P91, 3P16, 3P17, 3P65 and 3P90
·   COSC 2P89 and 3P94
·   one credit from COMM courses numbered 2(alpha)90 or above, SOCI 3P34
Year 4
·   Two credits from COMM 4F80, 4F99, 4P17, 4P22, 4P23, 4P30, 4P31, 4P50, 4P51, 4P55, 4V50-4V59
·   two COMM credits numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
·   one elective credit
Media and Culture stream

Year 1
·   COMM 1F90
·   ENGL 1F91 or 1F95
·   FILM 1F94
·   PSYC 1F90 or SOCI 1F90
·   one Science context credit
Year 2
·   COMM 2F50, 2P15, 2P20 and 2P21
·   one COMM credit or one of FILM 2F90, LING 1F94, PSYC 2F20, 2F30, VISA 1F98
·   one and one-half elective credits
Year 3
·   COMM 3P16, 3P17, 3P20 and 3P21
·   two COMM credits
·   one elective credit
Year 4
·   Two credits from COMM 4F80, 4F99, 4P17, 4P23, 4P30, 4P31, 4P50, 4P51, 4P55, 4V50-4V59
·   two COMM credits numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
·   one elective credit
Communications Studies Co-op
(Honours only)

Students admitted to the Communi-cations Studies Co-op Program must follow the program schedule as listed below. Failure to adhere may result in removal from the program.

Business Communications stream

Year 1
·   COMM 1F90
·   FILM 1F94
·   MGMT 1P91 and 1P92
·   POLI 1F90
·   one Science context credit
Year 2
·   COMM 0N90, 2F50, 2F98, 2P15 and 3P65
·   MKTG 2P51 and 2P52
·   OBHR 2P51 and 2P52
Spring/Summer Sessions:
·   COMM 0N01
Year 3
Fall Term:
·   COMM 3P16
·   one-half credit from COMM 4P55, ENTR, MGMT, MKTG, OBHR numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
·   one-half COMM credit
·   one COMM credit numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
Winter Term:
·   COMM 0N02
Spring/Summer Sessions:
·   COMM 2P20 and 2P21
·   two elective credits
Year 4
Fall Term:
·   COMM 0N03
Winter Term:
·   one-half credit from COMM 4P55, ENTR, MGMT, MKTG, OBHR numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
·   one COMM credit
·   one COMM credit numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
Spring/Summer Sessions:
·   one credit from ENTR, MGMT, MKTG, OBHR numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
·   one elective credit
Communications Policy stream

Year 1
·   COMM 1F90 and 2F50
·   ENGL 1F91, 1F95 or FILM 1F94
·   POLI 1F90
·   one Science context credit
Spring/Summer Sessions:
·   COMM 2P20 and 2P21
·   two elective credits (MGMT 1P91 and 1P92 strongly recommended)
Year 2
·   COMM 0N90, 2F98 and 2P15
·   COMM 3P16 or 3P20
·   COMM 3P17 or 3P21
·   one COMM credit
·   one and one-half elective credits (MKTG 2P51 and 2P52 strongly recommended)
Spring/Summer Sessions:
·   COMM 0N01
Year 3
Fall Term:
·   COMM 3P16 or 3P20 (not taken in year 2)
·   two COMM credits numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
Winter Term:
·   COMM 0N02
Spring/Summer Sessions:
·   POLI 2F12
·   one elective credit
Year 4
Fall Term:
·   COMM 0N03
Winter Term:
·   COMM 3P17 or 3P21 (not taken in year 2)
·   two COMM credits numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
Information Technology stream

Year 1
·   COMM 1F90 and 2F50
·   COSC 1P02, 1P03, 1P95 and 1P96
·   ENGL 1F95 or FILM 1F94
Spring/Summer Sessions:
·   COMM 2P20 and 2P21
·   one Social Science context credit
·   one elective credit
Year 2
·   COMM 0N90, 2P15, 2P90, 2P91, 3P16, 3P17 and 3P65
·   COSC 2P50, 2P89 and 3P94
·   one-half COMM credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above or SOCI 3P34
Spring/Summer Sessions:
·   COMM 0N01
Year 3
Fall Term:
·   One-half COMM credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above or SOCI 3P34 (if not taken in Year 2)
·   two COMM credits numbered 3(alpha)90 and above
Winter Term:
·   COMM 0N02
Spring/Summer Sessions:
·   one Science context credit
·   one elective credit
Year 4
Fall Term:
·   COMM 0N03
Winter Term:
·   COMM 3P90
·   two COMM credits numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
Media and Culture stream

Year 1
·   COMM 1F90 and 2F50
·   ENGL 1F91 or 1F95
·   FILM 1F94
·   PSYC 1F90 or SOCI 1F90
Spring/Summer Sessions:
·   COMM 2P20 and 2P21
·   two elective credits (MGMT 1P91 and 1P92 strongly recommended)
Year 2
·   COMM 0N90 and 2P15
·   COMM 3P16 or 3P20
·   COMM 3P17 or 3P21
·   two and one-half COMM credits
·   one elective credit (MKTG 2P51 and 2P52 strongly recommended)
Spring/Summer Sessions:
·   COMM 0N01
Year 3
Fall Term:
·   COMM 3P16 or 3P20 (not taken in year 2)
·   one-half COMM credit
·   one and one-half COMM credits numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
Winter Term:
·   COMM 0N02
Spring/Summer Term:
·   one Science context credit
·   one elective credit
Year 4
Fall Term:
·   COMM 0N03
Winter Term:
·   COMM 3P17 or 3P21 (not taken in year 2)
·   one-half COMM credit
·   one and one-half COMM credits numbered 3(alpha)90 or above

Pass Program

Satisfactory completion of the first three years of the Honours program in any stream entitles a student to apply for a Pass degree.

Combined Major Program

Students may take a combined major in Communications Studies and in a second discipline. For requirements in the other discipline, the student should consult the relevant department. Note that not all departments provide a combined major option.

Honours
·   COMM 1F90, 2F50, 2P20, 2P21, 3P16, 3P20 and 3P21
·   one of COMM 2P90, 3P17, 3P65, 3P93
·   one credit from COMM 4P17, 4P23, 4P30, 4P31, 4P50, 4P51 4P55
·   two credits from COMM 3P17, 3P65, 3P90, 3P92, 3P93, 4F80, 4F99, 4P17, 4P23, 4P30, 4P31, 4P32, 4P50, 4P51, 4P55
Pass
·   COMM 1F90, 2F50, 2P20, 2P21, 3P16, 3P20 and 3P21
·   one of COMM 2P90, 3P17, 3P65, 3P93

Minor in Professional Writing

With the exception of students in the Co-op streams, it is possible for Communications Policy and Media and Culture stream majors to earn a Minor in Professional Writing. For details see the calendar entry for the Department of English Language and Literature.

Description of Courses

Note that not all courses are offered in every session. Refer to the applicable term timetable for details.

Prerequisites and Restrictions

Students must check to ensure that prerequisites are met. Students may be deregistered, at the request of the instructor, from any course for which prerequisites and/or restrictions have not been met.
COMM 1F90
Introduction to Communications
Approaches and issues in communications from both humanities and social science perspectives. Topics include the cultural use of symbols and signs, qualitative and quantitative mass media analysis, critical analysis of texts, the cultural character of the Canadian media and the impact of the media and media institutions upon society.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

COMM 2F50
Communications Theory
Systems theory, semiotic and cognitive approaches to message production and reception, symbolic interactionism and other constructivist approaches, interpersonal and group communication theories, communications analysis and theories of the mass media and their functions in society.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined), PCUL (single or combined) and FILM (single and combined) majors until date specified in BIRT guide.
Prerequisite: one of COMM 1F90, FILM 1F94, PSYC 1F90, SOCI 1F90 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 2F92
Popular Narrative
(also offered as ENGL 2F92 and PCUL 2F92)
Archetypal and mythic dimensions of popular literary genres such as the detective novel, Gothic fiction, science fiction, the romance novel; comparison and contrast with other media.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite: one of COMM 1F90, one ENGL credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99, FILM 1F94 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 2F95
Introduction to Digital Imaging
(also offered as VISA 2F95)
Basic concepts in two dimensional image creation and manipulation for print and the web. Systematic overview and project-based use of fundamental graphic software including Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, PageMaker and Dreamweaver.
Lectures, lab, 5 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined) and VISA (single or combined) majors until date specified in BIRT guide.
Prerequisite: COMM 1F90, VISA 1P97 or permission of the instructor.
Note: enrolment limited to 15 students. Material fee required. Students may need additional materials that they must supply.

COMM 2F98
Canadian Public Administration
(also offered as LABR 2F98 and POLI 2F98)
Political, legal and managerial dimensions of public administration. Topics include the structure and management of public organizations; government reform; political-bureaucratic relations; pressure groups; human resource and budgetary processes; the policy process; ethics and accountability.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite: one of COMM 1F90, LABR 1P91 and 1P92, one POLI credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in COMM (POLI) 3P50.

COMM 2M90-2M99
Special Studies in Communications
Topics selected on the basis of specific areas of instructional expertise and student interest.

COMM 2P14
Technical Writing
(also offered as WRIT 2P14)
Processes of technical writing and editing. Document design for scientific, corporate and industrial communication. Practical experience in the production of technical documents.
Lectures, lab, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite: one credit from COMM 1F90, ENGL 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99, WRIT 1(alpha)80 to 1(alpha)99 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in WRIT 2P15.

COMM 2P15
Communications Research Methods
Introduction to qualitative and quantitative methods for communications research.
Lectures, lab, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined) and PCUL (single and combined) majors until date specified in BIRT guide.
Prerequisite: COMM 1F90 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in COMM (SOCI) 2F10.

COMM 2P16
Communication for Organizations
(also offered as WRIT 2P16)
Theory, strategies and practice of writing for both business and public organizations.
Lectures, lab, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite: one credit from COMM 1F90, ENGL 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99, WRIT 1(alpha)80 to 1(alpha)99 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 2P18
Reporting and News Writing for Mass Media
(also offered as WRIT 2P18)
News gathering, writing and editing for print and electronic media; journalistic style and conventions; interviewing and other information-gathering techniques; editing basics.
Lectures, lab, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to EWRT majors until date specified in BIRT guide.
Prerequisite: one credit from COMM 1F90, ENGL 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99, WRIT 1(alpha)80 to 1(alpha)99 or permission of the instructor.
Note: students minoring in Writing may register prior to date specified in BIRT guide. Contact the Department.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in WRIT 3P09.

COMM 2P20
Introduction to Popular Culture
(also offered as FILM 2P20 and PCUL 2P20)
Historical, theoretical and critical approaches to various forms of popular culture (film, music, television, literature, periodicals and advertising).
Lectures, seminar, lab, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined), FILM (single or combined) and PCUL (single or combined) majors until date specified in BIRT guide.
Prerequisite: one of COMM 1F90, CANA 1F91, FILM 1F94 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 2P21
Canadian Popular Culture
(also offered as FILM 2P21 and PCUL 2P21)
Survey of the media in Canada. Studies in the popular arts, with special reference to the ways that institutions (CBC, NFB) and selected artists identify and express a Canadian cultural imagination.
Lectures, seminar, lab, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined), FILM (single or combined) and PCUL (single or combined) majors until date specified in BIRT guide.
Prerequisite: COMM 2P20 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 2P22
Media and Sport
(also offered as PCUL 2P22 and SPMA 2P22)
Representation of sport in film, television and advertising. Topics may include issues of race, gender, business, politics and ideology in both professional and non-professional sports.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined), PCUL (single or combined) and SPMA majors with a minimum of 5.0 overall credits or permission of the instructor.

COMM 2P54
Documentary Film
(also offered as FILM 2P54 and SOCI 2P54)
History, theory, aesthetics and cultural implications of documentary film and other media.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly film lab.
Prerequisite: one of FILM 1F94, COMM 1F90, SOCI 1F90 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in COMM (FILM/SOCI) 2F54.

COMM 2P55
Interpersonal Communication
(also offered as SOCI 2P55)
Perspectives on human communication including both verbal and non-verbal communication.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined) majors and SOCI (single or combined) majors until date specified in BIRT guide.
Prerequisite: COMM 1F90, SOCI 1F90 or permission of the instructor.
Note: students minoring in Sociology may register prior to date specified in BIRT guide. Contact the Department.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in RECL 3P14.

COMM 2P56
Canadian Cinema
(also offered as FILM 2P56)
Critical and historical study of Canadian cinema.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly film lab.
Prerequisite: one of FILM 1F94, COMM 1F90, or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in COMM (FILM) 2F97.

COMM 2P70
Politics and Popular Music
(also offered as MUSI 2P70, PCUL 2P70 and POLI 2P70)
Political context and content of popular music. Topics may include theoretical perspectives on popular culture/popular music; the relationship of popular music to public policy, race and gender, popular movements and political identity; political economy of the music business.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

COMM 2P90
Computer-Mediated Communication
Nature of computer-mediated communication (CMC) and its role in social, educational and interpersonal contexts. Practicum component will introduce the technology and the methodologies that are essential to explore the potential of CMC.
Lectures, seminar, lab, 4 hours per week.
Prerequisite: COMM 1F90 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 2P91
Hypertext: Reading and Writing in New Spaces
Theory, philosophy and politics of Hypertext as a communicative mode. Topics include critical theory in a Hypertext context, changing perceptions of reader narrative, new forms of Hypertext fiction and Hypertext compared with other electronic textuality.
Lectures, seminar, lab, 4 hours per week.
Prerequisite: COMM 2P90 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 2P94
Popular Cinema
(also offered as FILM 2P94 and PCUL 2P94)
Popular cinema as art and institution emphasizing film genres and cultural contexts.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly lab.
Prerequisite: FILM 1F94.

COMM 3F10
Media Psychology
(also offered as PSYC 3F10)
Psychological aspects of media as entertainment and information, including social factors and cultural environments (sex, violence, sports, music, news, talk shows).
Lectures, lab, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined) and PSYC (single or combined) majors until date specified in BIRT guide. Students must have a minimum of 8.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite: COMM 1F90, PSYC 1F90 or permission of the instructor.
Note: students minoring in Psychology may register prior to date specified in BIRT guide. Contact the Department.

COMM 3F28
Basic Production: Video
(also offered as FILM 3F28)
Introduction to the theory and practice of video techniques: critique of video and production work.
Workshops, seminar, 3 hours per week; additional production time as required.
Restriction: permission of the Department.
Prerequisite: two FILM credits.
Note: enrolment limited to 15 students. Materials fee required.

COMM 3F71
Industries
Internship emphasizing the economic and social contexts of media organizations, businesses and technology systems.
Tutorial, 3 hours per week; plus internship placement time.
Restriction: open to COMM (Business Communications, Communications Policy and Information Technology stream) majors with a minimum of 10.0 overall credits, a minimum 70 percent major average, a minimum 60 percent non-major average and permission of the Undergraduate Program Adviser.
Note: students are responsible for arranging their placement with a prospective employer and arranging their course with a faculty supervisor, in consultation with the Undergraduate Program Adviser, before registration. Enrolment limited to a maximum of 15 students.

COMM 3P01
Directed Reading
Tutorial combined with one or more research papers or projects in an area of Communication Studies of mutual interest to the student and instructor.
Restriction: permission of the Undergraduate Program Adviser.
Note: students are responsible for arranging their course with a faculty member in consultation with the Undergraduate Program Adviser and must submit a written proposal signed by the faculty member to the Undergraduate Program Adviser before registration.

COMM 3P16
Mass Media
(also offered as PCUL 3P16 and SOCI 3P16)
Introduction to methods of media analysis. Comparison of theoretical and methodological approaches to mass media content, structures, institutions and audiences. Analysis of relations among media, culture and society with reference to Canadian examples.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined), PCUL (single or combined) and SOCI (single or combined) majors with a minimum of 9.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite: one of COMM 2F50, 2P21, SOCI 2P11 and 2P13 (2F10) or permission of the instructor.

COMM 3P17
Politics and the Mass Media in Canada
(also offered as PCUL 3P17 and POLI 3P17)
Canadian mass media and their relationship to the political process.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite: COMM 2F50, one POLI credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 3P20
Television Studies
(also offered as FILM 3P20 and PCUL 3P20)
Historical, theoretical and critical approaches to television.
Lectures, seminar, lab, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined), FILM (single or combined), PCUL (single or combined) and STAC majors with a minimum of 9.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite: one of COMM 2P20 and 2P21, FILM 2F90 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 3P21
Canadian Television
(also offered as FILM 3P21 and PCUL 3P21)
Historical theoretical and critical approaches to Canadian television.
Lectures, seminar, lab, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined), FILM (single or combined), PCUL (single or combined) and STAC majors with a minimum of 9.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite: COMM 3P20 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 3P33
Psychology of Intergroup Behaviour
(also offered as PSYC 3P33)
Social psychological theories and research in the area of intergroup relations and intergroup conflict. Topics include realistic conflict theory, social identity theory, social exchange, relative deprivation and research on intergroup perceptions and attitudes. Current issues/controversies and implications for the resolution of intergroup conflict.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined) and PSYC (single or combined) majors until date specified in BIRT guide. Students must have a minimum of 8.0 overall credits or 3.0 PSYC credits above PSYC 1F90.
Prerequisite: PSYC 1F90
Note: students minoring in Psychology may register prior to date specified in BIRT guide. Contact the Department.

COMM 3P54
Issues in Documentary Film
(also offered as FILM 3P54 and SOCI 3P54)
Advanced studies in selected aspects of documentary film and other media.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly film lab.
Prerequisite: COMM 2P54.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in COMM (FILM/SOCI) 2F54.

COMM 3P56
Issues in Canadian Cinema
(also offered as FILM 3P56)
Advanced studies in selected aspects of Canadian cinema.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly film lab.
Prerequisite: COMM 2P56.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in COMM (FILM) 2F97.

COMM 3P63
Desktop Publishing and Design
(also offered as WRIT 3P63)
Practicum in desktop publishing, layout and design.
Lectures, lab, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined) and EWRT majors with a minimum of 9.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite: COMM 2F50, one WRIT credit numbered 2(alpha)00 or above or permission of the instructor.

COMM 3P65
Organizational Communication
Critical examination of the theories and practices relating to the process of communication in various organizational contexts.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined) majors with a minimum of 9.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite: COMM 2F50.

COMM 3P74
Geography and Gender
(also offered as GEOG 3P74 and WISE 3P74)
Work of feminist geographers. Relationship between gender and space with respect to the organization of the city, architecture of the home, design of the shopping mall, the media, fear, homelessness, gentrification and employment.
Lectures, seminar, 4 hours per week.
Prerequisite: one of COMM 2P20 and 2P21, GEOG 2P02, 2P03, 2P06, WISE 2P90, 2P91 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 3P80
Psychology of Interpersonal Behaviour
(also offered as PSYC 3P80)
Social psychology of interpersonal attraction and relationships, as studied through experimental, correlational and longitudinal designs. Reinforcement, exchange, attributional, equity and balance models. Levels of relationships. Aspects of the maintenance and dissolution of relationships and of interpersonal psychopathology.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined) and PSYC (single or combined) majors until date specified in BIRT guide. Students must have a minimum of 8.0 overall credits or 3.0 PSYC credits above PSYC 1F90.
Prerequisite: PSYC 1F90.
Note: PSYC 2F30 recommended. Students minoring in Psychology may register prior to date specified in BIRT guide. Contact the Department.

COMM 3P88
Words in the Mind
(also offered as PSYC 3P88)
Focus on the mental lexicon, including basic components, vocabulary, theories of meaning, metaphors and meaning, selecting and recognizing words in communication.
Lectures, lab, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined) and PSYC (single or combined) majors until date specified in BIRT guide. Students must have a minimum of 8.0 overall credits or 3.0 PSYC credits above PSYC 1F90.
Prerequisite: one of COMM 1F90, LING 1F94, PSYC 1F90 or permission of the instructor.
Note: students minoring in Psychology may register prior to date specified in BIRT guide. Contact the Department.

COMM 3P90
Mediated Communication
Explorations of topics such as virtual communities, cyber-identity/identities and cyber-spirituality.
Lectures, lab, seminar, 4 hours per week.
Prerequisite: COMM 2P90 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 3P92
Technology and Culture
(also offered as FILM 3P92 and PCUL 3P92)
Studies in the effects of technological change on cultural forms and the representations of technology in different media.
Lectures, lab, seminar, 4 hours per week.
Prerequisite: COMM 2P20, 2P21 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 3P93
Media and Minorities
(also offered as PCUL 3P93 and SOCI 3P93)
Relations between mass media and minority groups in society including dominant representations and stereotypes of cultural, racial and sexual minorities and minority group access to alternative forms of media production.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly lab.
Prerequisite: one of COMM 2F50, COMM 2P21, SOCI 2P11 and 2P13 (2F10) or permission of the instructor.

COMM 3P96
Issues in Popular Culture
(also offered as FILM 3P96 and PCUL 3P96)
Specialized studies in different media, or the role of different media in specific social, historical or theoretical contexts.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week, plus weekly lab.
Prerequisite: COMM 2P20 and 2P21, FILM 2F90 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 3P97
Gender and Film
(also offered as FILM 3P97 and WISE 3P97)
Gendered narratives in classical Hollywood cinema to the late 1950s emphasizing film constructions of femininity and masculinity, and the implications of spectatorship and ideology within classical film.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly film lab.
Prerequisite: one of COMM 2P20 and 2P21, FILM 2F90, WISE 2P91 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in COMM 3F97.

COMM 3P98
Screened Women
(also offered as FILM 3P98 and WISE 3P98)
Woman-centred films from early to contemporary cinema by women directors from different countries, contextualized in issues of feminist film theory and paradigm shifts in female representation, ideology and spectatorship.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly film lab.
Prerequisite: one of COMM 2P20 and 2P21, FILM 2F90, WISE 2P91 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade in COMM 3F97.

COMM 3Q99
Media: Fantasy and Reality
(also offered as PSYC 3Q99)
Media images and reality, the role of absorption as well as other personality and cognitive aspects of the experience of reality vs. fantasy, virtual reality, computer effects and images.
Lectures, lab, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined) and PSYC (single or combined) majors until date specified in BIRT guide. Students must have a minimum of 8.0 overall credits or 3.0 PSYC credits above PSYC 1F90.
Prerequisite: COMM 1F90, PSYC 1F90 or permission of the instructor.
Note: students minoring in Psychology may register prior to date specified in BIRT guide. Contact the Department.

COMM 3V50-3V59
Special Topics in Communications Studies
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisites: COMM 2F50, 2P20 and 2P21 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 4F80
Directed Reading
Directed individual or group reading in an area of communications studies.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined) majors with a minimum of 14.0 overall credits, a minimum 80 percent major average, approval to year 4 (honours) and permission of the Undergraduate Program Adviser.
Note: students are responsible for arranging their course with a faculty member in consultation with the Undergraduate Program Adviser and must submit a written proposal, signed by the faculty member, to the Undergraduate Program Adviser, before registration. The reading may not be on the topic or with the faculty member of the student's COMM 4F99 thesis.

COMM 4F99
Honours Thesis
Thesis to be based on individual study and research carried out under the supervision of a faculty adviser.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined) majors with a minimum of 14.0 overall credits, a minimum 80 percent major average, approval to year 4 (honours) and permission of the Undergraduate Program Adviser.
Note: to register in the Honours thesis, the student must consult the Undergraduate Program Adviser about topics, department regulations and the selection of an adviser.

COMM 4P17
Communications Policy
(also offered as PCUL 4P17)
Historical perspectives on the development of government policies affecting the arts, cultural industries, public and private broadcasting in Canada.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined) and PCUL (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

COMM 4P22
Technology, Change and Curriculum
Impact of technology and the information age on society and schools and the need to reflect resulting changes in school curriculum.
Lectures, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (Information Technology stream) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) and permission of the Undergraduate Program Adviser.
Note: enrolment limited.

COMM 4P23
Research on Popular Culture
(also offered as PCUL 4P23 and SOCI 4P23)
Advanced research seminar on the relations between mass media and popular culture. Topics vary with the interests of instructor and students.
Seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined), PCUL (single or combined) and SOCI (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.
Prerequisite: COMM 2P20, 3P16 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 4P30
Theories of Mass Culture
(also offered as FILM 4P30 and PCUL 4P30)
Studies in cultural theory and its application to mass media texts, with special reference to the work of the Frankfurt School, French Structuralism and British Cultural Studies.
Lectures, lab, seminar, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined), FILM (single or combined) and PCUL (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

COMM 4P31
Theories of the Visible
(also offered as FILM 4P31 and PCUL 4P31)
Central 20th-century developments in theories of visibility and their relevance to the field of media studies.
Lectures, lab, seminar, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined), FILM (single or combined) and PCUL (single or combined) with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

COMM 4P32
Comparative Mass Media
(also offered as POLI 4P32)
Selected problems concerning the mass media and the political process in Canada and other countries.
Seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined) and POLS (single or combined) majors with a minimum of 14.0 overall credits and either a minimum 70 percent major average and a minimum 60 percent non-major average or approval to year 4 (honours).
Prerequisite: COMM 3P17, POLI 2F30 or permission of the instructor.

COMM 4P50
Ethnography of Communication
Anthropological approaches to cultural variations in communications, particularly verbal communication. Purposes to which speech is put and the way it is organized for these purposes in different cultural contexts.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

COMM 4P51
Language and Power
Role of language in the creation and maintenance of ideology and power structures. Topics include political rhetoric, religious discourse, language in the professions (law, medicine).
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

COMM 4P55
Advertising, Mass Media and Culture
(also offered as PCUL 4P55)
Historical research into the development of Canadian advertising practices in an international context. Evaluation of the cultural and economic impact of advertising on the mass media and the role of advertising in the formation of a consumer culture.
Seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined) and PCUL (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

COMM 4P60
Technology
Supervised training in information technology through placement in a public or private sector organization.
Restriction: open to COMM (Information Technology stream) majors with a minimum of 14.0 credits, a minimum 80 percent major average, approval to year 4 (honours) and permission of the Undergraduate Program Adviser.
Note: enrolment limited.

COMM 4V50-4V59
Research in Communications Studies
Special topics in communications studies.
Seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

COMM 4V52
2003-2004: British Popular Culture
(also offered as FILM 4V52 and PCUL 4V52)
Mass media in Britain emphasizing issues of production, regulation and reception. Close analysis of popular texts in their social and political contexts.
Lectures, seminar, lab, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM (single or combined), FILM (single or combined) and PCUL (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.


CO-OP COURSES
COMM 0N01
Co-op Work Placement I
First co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to COMM Co-op students.

COMM 0N02
Co-op Work Placement II
Second co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to COMM Co-op students.

COMM 0N03
Co-op Work Placement III
Third co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.
Restriction: open to COMM Co-op students.

COMM 0N90
Co-op Training and Development
Provides a framework for the development of learning objectives by students for individual work terms. Includes orientation to the co-op experience, goal setting, career planning, resumé preparation and interview skills preparation.
Lectures, presentations, site visits, 2 hours per week.
Restriction: open to COMM Co-op students.