2003-2004 Undergraduate Calendar

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.

Popular Culture is a series of critical and historical courses that examine popular culture and its relation to folk, mass and high culture. Popular Culture is studied in its wide variety of forms (including film, television, literature, music and advertising) and its economic, political and historical contexts.

The Popular Culture Co-op program 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, Popular Culture Co-op students are assessed an annual administrative fee (see the Schedule of Fees).

Students admitted to the Popular Culture Co-op program must follow the Co-op program schedule. Failure to adhere to the schedule may result in removal from the Popular Culture 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 Popular Culture 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 Popular Culture 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 Note

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

Year 1

	COMM 1F90
	FILM 1F94
	one Science context credit
	one Social Science context credit
	one elective credit

Year 2

	PCUL 2P20, 2P21 and 2P94
	COMM 2P15
	one credit from PCUL 1F00, 2F92, 2P22, 2P70, COMM 2F50, ENGL 2P10, 2P11, FILM 2P56, GEOG 2P06, WISE 2P97
	two elective credits

Year 3

	PCUL 3P20, 3P21 and 3P96
	PCUL 3P16 or 3P17
	one credit from PCUL 1F00, 2F92, 2P22, 2P70, 3P16, 3P17, 3P92, ENGL 2P10, 2P11, FILM 3P56, 3P93, 3P95, 3P97, 3P98, GEOG 2P06, WISE 2P97
	two elective credits

Year 4

	PCUL 4P17, 4P30 and 4P31
	two credits from PCUL 3P92, 4F80, 4F99, 4P23, 4P55, FILM 3P93, 3P95, 3P97, 3P98
	one and one-half elective credits

Popular Culture Co-op (Honours only)

Students admitted to the Popular Culture Co-op stream must follow the program schedule as listed below. Failure to adhere may result in removal from the program.

Year 1

	COMM 1F90
	FILM 1F94
	one Social Science context credit
	one Science context credit
	one elective credit

Spring/Summer Sessions:

	PCUL 2P20 and 2P21
	two elective credits (MGMT 1P91 and 1P92 strongly recommended)

Year 2

	PCUL 0N90, 2P94, 3P20 and 3P21
	PCUL 3P17 (or one-half elective credit if PCUL 3P16 is taken in year 3)
	COMM 2P15
	one and one-half credits from PCUL 1F00, 2F92, 2P22, 2P70, 3P16, 3P17, COMM 2F50, ENGL 2P10, 2P11, FILM 2P56, 3P56, 3P93, 3P95, GEOG 2P06, WISE 2P97
	one elective credit (MKTG 2P51 and 2P52 strongly recommended)

Spring/Summer Sessions:

PCUL 0N01

Year 3

Fall Term:

	PCUL 3P96, 3P16 (or one-half elective credit if PCUL 3P17 was taken in year 2) and 4P30
	one of PCUL 2P22, 2P70, 3P16, 3P17, ENGL 2P10, 2P11, FILM 3P56, 3P93, 3P95, 3P97, 3P98, GEOG 2P06, WISE 2P97
	one of PCUL 3P92, 4P23, 4P55, FILM 3P93, 3P95, 3P97, 3P98, HIST 4V24

Winter Term:

PCUL 0N02

Spring/Summer Sessions:

two elective credits

Year 4

Fall Term:

PCUL 0N03

Winter Term:

	PCUL 4P17 and 4P31
	one and one-half credits from PCUL 3P56, 3P92, 4P23, 4P55, FILM 3P93, 3P95, 3P97, 3P98, HIST 4V24

Pass Program

Satisfactory completion of the first three years of the Honours program entitles students to apply for a Pass degree.

Combined Major Program

Honours

	PCUL 2P20, 2P21, 2P94, 3P20, 3P21, 3P96, 4P30 and 4P31
	COMM 1F90
	FILM 1F94
	two credits from PCUL 1F00, 2F92, 2P22, 2P70, 3P16, 3P17, 3P92, 4P23, 4P55, 4F80, 4F99, COMM 2F50, ENGL 2P10, 2P11, FILM 2P56, 3P56, 3P93, 3P95, 3P97, 3P98, GEOG 2P06, WISE 2P97

Pass

	PCUL 2P20, 2P21, 2P94, 3P20, 3P21 and 3P96
	COMM 1F90
	FILM 1F94

Minor in Writing

With the exception of students in the Co-op stream, it is possible for Popular Culture 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.

PCUL 1F00

Music in Popular Culture

(also offered as MUSI 1F00)

Survey of developments in blues, jazz, rock and related genres of popular music.

Lectures, 3 hours per week; listening assignments.

PCUL 2F92

Popular Narrative

(also offered as COMM 2F92 and ENGL 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.

PCUL 2P20

Introduction to Popular Culture

(also offered as COMM 2P20 and FILM 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 PCUL (single or combined), FILM (single or combined) and COMM (single or combined) majors until date specified in BIRT guide.

Prerequisite: one of CANA 1F91, COMM 1F90, FILM 1F94 or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 2P21

Canadian Popular Culture

(also offered as COMM 2P21 and FILM 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 PCUL (single or combined), FILM (single or combined) and COMM (single or combined) majors until date specified in BIRT guide.

Prerequisite: PCUL 2P20 or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 2P22

Media and Sport

(also offered as COMM 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 sport.

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to PCUL (single or combined), COMM (single or combined) and SPMA majors with a minimum of 5.0 overall credits or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 2P70

Politics and Popular Music

(also offered as COMM 2P70, MUSI 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.

PCUL 2P94

Popular Cinema

(also offered as COMM 2P94 and FILM 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.

PCUL 3P16

Mass Media

(also offered as COMM 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 PCUL (single or combined), COMM (single or combined) and SOCI (single or combined) majors with a minimum of 9.0 overall credits.

Prerequisite: one of PCUL 2P21, COMM 2F50, SOCI 2P11 and 2P13 (2F10) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 3P17

Politics and the Mass Media in Canada

(also offered as COMM 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.

PCUL 3P20

Television Studies

(also offered as COMM 3P20 and FILM 3P20)

Historical, theoretical and critical approaches to television.

Lectures, seminar, lab, 4 hours per week.

Restriction: open to PCUL (single or combined), FILM (single or combined), COMM (single or combined) and STAC majors with a minimum of 9.0 overall credits.

Prerequisite: one of PCUL 2P20 and 2P21, FILM 2F90 or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 3P21

Canadian Television

(also offered as COMM 3P21 and FILM 3P21)

Historical, theoretical and critical approaches to Canadian television.

Lectures, seminar, lab, 4 hours per week.

Restriction: open to PCUL (single or combined), FILM (single or combined), COMM (single or combined) and STAC majors with a minimum of 9.0 overall credits.

Prerequisite: PCUL 3P20 or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 3P92

Technology and Culture

(also offered as COMM 3P92 and FILM 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.

PCUL 3P93

Media and Minorities

(also offered as COMM 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 PCUL 2P21, COMM 2F50, SOCI 2P11 and 2P13 (2F10) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 3P96

Issues in Popular Culture

(also offered as COMM 3P96 and FILM 3P96)

Specialized studies in different media, or the role of different media in specific social, historical or theoretical contexts.

Lectures, seminar, lab, 3 hours per week; plus weekly lab.

Prerequisite: PCUL 2P20 and 2P21, FILM 2F90 or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 3V50-3V59

Special Topics in Popular Culture Studies

Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

Prerequisites: PCUL 2P20, 2P21 and 2P94 or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 4F80

Directed Reading

Directed individual or group readings in an area of popular culture.

Restriction: open to PCUL (single or combined) 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: 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 Undergraduate Program Adviser before registration. The reading may not be on the topic or with the faculty member of the student's PCUL 4F99 thesis.

PCUL 4F99

Honours Thesis

Thesis on a topic of mutual interest to the student and the instructor, with a critical, historical or contemporary focus.

Restriction: open to PCUL (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.

Prerequisites: PCUL 4P30 and 4P31 (may be taken concurrently).

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.

PCUL 4P17

Canadian Cultural and Communications Policy

(also offered as COMM 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 PCUL (single or combined) and COMM (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 4P23

Research on Popular Culture

(also offered as COMM 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 PCUL (single or combined), COMM (single or combined) and SOCI (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

Prerequisite: PCUL 2P20, 3P16 or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 4P30

Theories of Mass Culture

(also offered as COMM 4P30 and FILM 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 PCUL (single or combined), COMM (single or combined) and FILM (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 4P31

Theories of the Visible

(also offered as COMM 4P31 and FILM 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 PCUL (single or combined), COMM (single or combined) and FILM (single or combined) with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 4P55

Advertising, Mass Media and Culture

(also offered as COMM 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 PCUL (single or combined) and COMM (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 4V50-4V59

Research in Popular Culture Studies

Seminar, 3 hours per week.

Restriction: open to PCUL (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 4V52

2003-2004: British Popular Culture

(also offered as FILM 4V52 and COMM 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 PCUL (single or combined), COMM (single or combined) and FILM (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

CO-OP COURSES

PCUL 0N01

Co-op Work Placement I

First co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.

Restriction: open to PCUL Co-op students.

PCUL 0N02

Co-op Work Placement II

Second co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.

Restriction: open to PCUL Co-op students.

PCUL 0N03

Co-op Work Placement III

Third co-op work placement (4 months) with an approved employer.

Restriction: open to PCUL Co-op students.

PCUL 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 PCUL Co-op students.

Last updated: November 11, 2003 @ 03:37PM