2020-2021 Undergraduate Calendar-Popular Culture

Last updated: November 19, 2020 @ 06:55AM

Popular Culture Studies
This program is offered through the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film

Chair
Sarah Matheson

Academic Administrator
Penni Lafleur

Academic Advisor/Experiential Learning Co-ordinator
Anneka Bosse

General Information

Administrative Assistant
Jane DeMan

905-688-5550, extension 4290
Scotiabank Hall 309
brocku.ca/cpcf

The Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film offers four separate programs of study: Business Communication, Media and Communication Studies, Film Studies, and Popular Culture. A four-year program leading to the BA Honours degree, a 4 Year BA with Major, and a three-year program leading to the BA Pass degree is offered in all four programs. In addition, the Department is involved in programs with community colleges which offer students the opportunity to earn an honours degree in Popular Culture and a college diploma or certificate.

Popular Culture Studies is an interdisciplinary undergraduate program that brings together theoretical and analytical perspectives from the humanities and social sciences. These varied approaches inform our understanding of popular culture as expressed through social media, advertising, music, popular cinema, sport, television, video games, as well as non-mass mediated cultural forms like fairs and festivals, food and drink, tourism and travel. We study these expressions of culture within their cultural, economic, political, and social contexts, past and present.

The function of culture is to impose meaning on the world. The study of popular culture - how it works and why it is important - is therefore the study of meaning and meaning making. These meanings are complex, layered, and increasingly mediated. The analysis of meaning structures reveals the values, beliefs, and ideologies of cultures and subcultures. The subfields of Popular Culture Studies examine cultural texts, practices and industries in order to deconstruct their underlying assumptions and decode their meanings. The struggle over meanings and their construction rests at the heart of popular culture and cultural studies.

Alongside cultures and cultural expression we also study cultural change in both contemporary and historical contexts. Culture is first and foremost historically communicated. We believe alongside our interdisciplinary approach the emphasis on cultural change over time provides our students a comprehensive approach to the study of new and evolving popular culture forms, practices and industries.

This approach to the training of our undergraduates provides an excellent preparation for any field of endeavour or study. We develop and advance written and oral communication alongside creative problem-solving and independent research skills. By the time our students complete our undergraduate program they possess life-long learning skills in addition to media and cultural literacy.

Journalism

The Journalism program involves courses offered through Brock and Mohawk College of Applied Arts and
Technology. This five-year program combines courses and training in journalism /print settings at Mohawk College with an Honours degree in Popular Culture at Brock. The Program caters to individuals who wish to have a career in journalism. The program allows students to gain both solid applied skills and training, and a strong theoretical knowledge about a variety of topics in Popular Culture. Students who successfully complete the requirements for this program will typically be granted both a degree from Brock, and a diploma in Journalism from Mohawk College with a total of only five years of post-secondary. Applicants must complete Year 1 with a minimum 70 per cent major average and a minimum 70 per cent overall average to be considered for admission to the program.
Successful applicants must maintain a minimum 70 per cent overall average during Years 2 and 3 and meet other program requirements to continue in the program. Enrolment in this program is limited. Admission to the program is not guaranteed by attainment of the minimum requirements. Application forms and further details concerning the Journalism program are available at brocku.ca/social-sciences/collaborative-programs.

Program Notes

WRDS 3P18 is recommended.
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 this 20 degree credit BA with Major degree program a maximum of eight credits may be numbered 1(alpha)00 to 1(alpha)99; at least four and one-half credits must be numbered 2(alpha)90 or above; at least one and one-half credits must be numbered 3(alpha)90 or above; and the remaining credits must be numbered 2(alpha)00 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.
In some circumstances, in order to meet university degree and program requirements, more than 15 or 20 credits may be taken.

Popular Culture Subfields

The following courses are approved for majors in Popular Culture Studies to satisfy their degree requirements. Majors are encouraged to complete courses from all three fields.

Cultural Texts

Ways that popular culture is constructed through words, music and imagery, and through a variety of forms and genres.

·	PCUL 2P56, 2P70, 2P71, 2P94, ENGL 2P15, 2P65, 2P66, 2P70, PHIL 2P50
·	PCUL 3P01, 3P03, 3P20, 3P21, 3P93, 3P94, 3P97, 3P98, 3Q94, 3Q98, ENGL 3P66
·	PCUL 4P03, 4P31, 4P61

Cultural Practices

Ways that popular culture is constructed through everyday practices (such as shopping), recreational activities and group identities.

·	PCUL 2P06, 2P91, GEOG 2P06, RECL 2P11
·	PCUL 3P06, 3P26, 3P73, 3P92, 3P96, 3Q92, SPMA 4P85, WGST 3P03
·	PCUL 4P06, 4P40

Cultural Industries

Ways that popular culture is brought to the marketplace by the private sector and regulated by governments, also includes courses offering skills development in writing, digital design and event management.

·	PCUL 2F00, 2P18, 2P26, 2P63, 2P56
·	PCUL 3P19, 3P22, 3P55, 3P63, 3Q97, 3R90
·	PCUL 4F00, 4P00, 4P01, 4P18, 4P55, 4P59

Honours Program

Year 1

·	COMM 1F90
·	FILM 1F94
·	one Sciences context credit
·	one Social Sciences context credit
·	one elective credit

Year 2

·	PCUL 2P15, 2P20, 2P21, 2P98 and 2Q91
·	one and one-half credits from the list of approved subfield courses
·	one elective credit

Year 3

·	PCUL 2P93, 3P15, 3P18 and 3P75
·	one credit from the list of approved subfield courses
·	one credit from the list of approved subfield courses numbered 2(alpha)90 or above
·	one elective credit

Year 4

·	Two credits from PCUL 3Q92, 4F99, 4P14, 4P23, 4P30, 4P34, 4P40
·	one credit from the list of approved subfield courses
·	one credit from the list of approved subfield courses numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
·	one elective credit

BA with Major program

Year 1

·	COMM 1F90
·	FILM 1F94
·	one Sciences context credit
·	one Social Sciences context credit
·	one elective credit

Year 2

·	PCUL 2P15, 2P20, 2P21, 2P98 and 2Q91
·	one and one-half credits from the list of approved subfield courses
·	one elective credit

Year 3

·	PCUL 2P93, 3P15, 3P18 and 3P75
·	one credit from the list of approved subfield courses
·	one credit from the list of approved subfield courses numbered 2(alpha)90 or above
·	one elective credit

Year 4

·	One credit from the list of approved subfield courses numbered 2(alpha)90 or above
·	two credits from the list of approved subfield courses numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
·	two elective credits

Pass Program

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

Concentration in Digital Culture
Consult the Communication Studies entry for a listing of program requirements.

Minor in Popular Culture Studies

Students in disciplines other than Popular Culture Studies, Business Communication, Film Studies, and Media and Communication Studies can obtain a Minor in Popular Culture Studies within their degree program by completing the following courses with a minimum 60 per cent overall average:

·	PCUL 2P20, 2Q91, 3P20 and 3P75
·	one credit from PCUL 2P21, 2P70, 2P93, 2P94, 3P21, 3P55, 3P73, 3P92, 3P96
·	FILM 1F94

Brock/Colleges Articulation Agreement

Journalism

Honours (only)

Year 1

·	COMM 1F90
·	FILM 1F94
·	one Sciences context credit
·	one Social Sciences context credit
·	one elective context credit

Year 2

·	PCUL 2P15, 2P18, 2P20, 2P21, 2P70, 2P94, 2P98 and 2Q91
·	one elective credit (see program note 1)

Year 3

·	PCUL 3P15, 3P20 and 3P96
·	one credit from PCUL 4P14, 4P23, 4P40, 4P59, 4V60-4V69, 4V70-4V79
·	one credit from PCUL 4P30, 4P31, 4P34
·	one-half PCUL credit numbered 3(alpha)90 or above
·	one elective credit (see program note 2)

Years 4 and 5

·	taken at Mohawk College

Description of Courses

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

# Indicates a cross listed course
* Indicates a primary offering of a cross listed course

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.

POPULAR CULTURE COURSES

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.
Note: major credit will not be granted to Music majors.

PCUL 1F92
Introduction to Popular Culture
Historical, ethnographic and textual approaches to the study of cultures and practices of everyday life.
Lectures, seminar, screening, 4 hours per week.

PCUL 2F00
New Media Literacy
(also offered as COMM 2F00 and FILM 2F00)
Practical training in a repertoire of skills and tools essential to functioning in new media environments, and critical analytical training in key issues and theories related to the contemporary information age.
Restriction: students must have a minimum of 4.0 overall credits.
Note: this course is offered online.

PCUL 2P06
Cultural and Historical Geography
(also offered as GEOG 2P06)
Interactions among culture, society, and landscape. Material and symbolic manifestations of culture in processes of landscape change.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): one of PCUL 1F92, COMM 1F90, GEOG 1F90 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in TOUR 2P06.

PCUL 2P15
Research Methods in Communication and Culture
(also offered as COMM 2P15)
Introduction to qualitative and quantitative methods for communication and popular culture research.
Lectures, lab, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM and MCMN majors until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 1F92, COMM 1F90 or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 2P18
Reporting and News Writing for Mass Media
(also offered as COMM 2P18 and WRDS 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 PCUL, BCMN, COMM, MCMN, WRDS (single of combined) majors, RWRT and WRDS minors until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): one credit from PCUL 1F92, COMM 1F90, ENGL 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99, WRDS (WRIT) 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in WRIT 2P18.

PCUL 2P20
Theories of Popular Culture
(also offered as COMM 2P20 and FILM 2P20)
Theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of various forms of popular culture. Critical and research skills specific to studies in popular culture.
Lectures, seminar, screening, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, FILM (single or combined), MCMN majors, PCUL, DCUL and MEST minors until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): one of PCUL 1F92, CANA 1F91, COMM 1F90,CPCF 1F25, FILM 1F94 or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 2P21
Canadian Popular Culture
(also offered as CANA 2P21, COMM 2P21 and FILM 2P21)
Survey of the media in Canada. Studies in the popular arts, referencing the ways that institutions (CBC, NFB) and selected artists identify and express a Canadian cultural imagination.
Lectures, seminar, screening, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, CANA, COMM, FILM (single or combined) and MCMN majors until date specified in Registration guide. After that date open to PCUL, CANA, BCMN, COMM, FILM (single or combined), MCMN majors, GHUM, SOSC students and PCUL minors until date specified in Registration guide.

PCUL 2P26
The Information Society
(also offered as COMM 2P26)
Concepts such as surveillance, social sorting and control within our networked lives. Historic precursors to computing as well as contemporary and emerging technologies from our everyday lives.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, IASC, MCMN majors and DCUL, MEST minors until date specified in the Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): one of PCUL 1F92, COMM 1F90, CPCF 1F25, IASC 1F01 (1F00) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 2P56
Canadian Cinema
(also offered as COMM 2P56 and FILM 2P56)
Critical and historical study of Canadian cinema.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly screening.
Prerequisite(s): one of PCUL 1F92, COMM 1F90, CPCF 1F25, FILM 1F94 or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 2P63
Communication Design
(also offered as COMM 2P63 and WRDS 2P63)
Communication through imagery and typography, including grid usage, composition, visual hierarchy, content development and scale.
Lectures, lab, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): one credit from PCUL 1F92, COMM 1F90, ENGL 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99, WRDS (WRIT) 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in WRIT 2P63.

PCUL 2P70
Popular Music and Society
(also offered as COMM 2P70, MUSI 2P70 and SOCI 2P70)
Critical approaches to popular music in its social, cultural, political and economic contexts.
Lectures, seminar, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, MCMN, MUSI (single or combined) and SOCI (single or combined) majors until date specified in Registration guide. After that date open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, MCMN, MUSI (single or combined), SOCI (single or combined) majors, GHUM, SOSC students, PCUL and MEST minors until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): one of PCUL 1F00, 1F92, COMM 1F90, CPCF 1F25, MUSI 1F50, SOCI 1F90 or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 2P71
Popular Arts in the Modern Middle East
(also offered as COMM 2P71 and HIST 2P71)
Middle Eastern popular culture and art from historical perspectives. Influence and role of internet, music, cinema and theater, paintings, sports, foods and fashion in the daily life of people in the Middle East and their historical transformations through modernization and globalization. Role of class, gender, economy and politics shaped and reshaped the artistic representations and popular culture.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.

PCUL 2P91
Social Media
(also offered as COMM 2P91 and IASC 2P91)
Theory, philosophy and politics of Social Media as a communicative mode. Politics of participatory and commodified culture online and the processes of planning content to convey a narrative or convene a community.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, GAMD, IASC, MCMN majors DCUL, MEST minors until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): one of PCUL 1F92, COMM 1F90, CPCF 1F25, IASC 1F01 (1F00) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 2P92
Hip Hop and the Urban Working Class
(also offered as COMM 2P92 and LABR 2P92)
Global urban working class life through the lens of hip hop culture. Topics may include the impact of neoliberal globalization, precarious work, the informal economy, and the ways in which race, class and gender shape experiences of social and economic life in the global city.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to students with a minimum of 4.0 overall credits.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in LABR 2P91.

PCUL 2P93
Popular Narrative
(also offered as COMM 2P93, ENGL 2P93 and FILM 2P93)
Analysis of storytelling across different media such as novels, film, television, the Internet and video games.
Lectures, seminar, screening, 5 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, ENCW (single or combined), ENGL (single or combined), ENGL (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior), FILM (single or combined), MCMN and WRDS (single or combined) majors.
Prerequisite(s): one of PCUL 1F92, COMM 1F90, CPCF 1F25, ENGL 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99, FILM 1F94 or permission of the instructor.

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 screening.
Prerequisite(s): one of PCUL 1F92, CPCF 1F25, FILM 1F94.

PCUL 2P98
Media Industries
(also offered as COMM 2P98 and SOCI 2P98)
Canadian media production in its economic, political and technological environments.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, MCMN, FILM (single and combined), SOCI (single and combined) majors, DCUL, MEST, CRAS and SOCI minors until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): one of PCUL 1F92, COMM 1F90, CPCF 1F25, SOCI 1F90.

PCUL 2Q91
Ethnography and Popular Culture
(also offered as COMM 2Q91)
Ethnographic approaches to the study of folk culture and popular entertainment, past and present.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): one of PCUL 1F92, COMM 1F90, CPCF 1F25, FILM 1F94.

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

PCUL 3P03
Advanced Studies in Popular Narrative
(also offered as COMM 3P03, ENGL 3P03 and FILM 3P03)
Case studies in adaptation of popular texts across media.
Lectures, seminar, screening, 5 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, ENCW (single or combined), ENGL (single or combined), ENGL (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior), FILM (single or combined), MCMN and WRDS (single or combined) majors.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 2P93.

PCUL 3P06
Class and Culture
(also offered as LABR 3P06 and SOCI 3P06)
Intersectional and critical analysis of the cultural politics of class. Topics may include class experience and consciousness, class and labour in popular culture, the influence of class and culture on society, and cultures of resistance.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to students with a minimum 8.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite(s): one of PCUL 2P20, one LABR credit numbered 1(alpha)90 to 1(alpha)99, SOCI 1F90 or permission of the instructor.
Note: may be offered on-site, online or blended.

PCUL 3P15
Media Analysis
(also offered as COMM 3P15)
Introduction to methods of media analysis. Comparison of theoretical and methodological approaches to mediated content, production, consumption, and reception.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, MCMN majors and MEST minors with a minimum of 8.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 2P15.

PCUL 3P18
Audience Studies
(also offered as COMM 3P18 and FILM 3P18)
Theoretical and methodological approaches to the understanding of audiences for media and cultural products, including print, sound, film, broadcasting and digital media.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 2P20.

PCUL 3P19
Communication and Media Policy
(also offered as COMM 3P19)
Historical trends in objectives and implementation of communication policies. Topics include broadcasting, subsidies, protection, regulation and effect of international trade on domestic media policy.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, MCMN majors, DCUL and MEST minors with a minimum of 8.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 2P98.
Completion of this course will replace credit and grade previously obtained in PCUL (COMM) 2P17.

PCUL 3P20
Television Studies
(also offered as COMM 3P20 and FILM 3P20)
Historical, theoretical and critical approaches to television.
Lectures, seminar, screening, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, FILM (single or combined), MCMN, STAC majors and PCUL minors until date specified in Registration guide. Students must have a minimum of 9.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 2P20 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, screening, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, FILM (single or combined), MCMN, STAC majors and PCUL minors until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 3P20 or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 3P22
Media and Sport
(also offered as COMM 3P22 and SPMA 3P22)
Relations between sport organizations, the mass media and popular culture. Topics may included the commodification of sport, media rights, sponsorship, fan cultures, and the representation of sports in journalism and popular entertainment.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 2P98, SPMA 2P65 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in PCUL (COMM/SPMA) 2P22.

PCUL 3P26
Social and Cultural Aspects of Digital Gaming
(also offered as COMM 3P26 and IASC 3P26)
Critical investigation of digital gaming, particularly of the interrelationships among past and present games, culture, and media.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: students must have a minimum 9.0 overall credits or permission of the instructor.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 2P20, or IASC 1P04 and 1P05.

PCUL 3P55
Advertising in Context
(also offered as COMM 3P55)
Methodological and critical approaches to contemporary advertising in its cultural, social and political-economic contexts.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, MCMN majors, PCUL and MEST minors with a minimum of 8.0 overall credits or permission ot the instructor.

PCUL 3P63
Digital Design and Communication
(also offered as COMM 3P63 and WRDS 3P63)
Introduction to digital design focusing on visual communication by using Adobe software and the Macintosh computer.
Lectures, lab, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, MCMN, WRDS (single or combined) majors, RWRT and WRDS minors with a minimum of 9.0 overall credits.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in WRIT 3P63.

PCUL 3P73
Popular Music and Youth Culture
(also offered as COMM 3P73, MUSI 3P73 and SOCI 3P73)
Cultural relation between young people and popular music. Topics include music's role in the formation of identity, the connection between musical taste and various forms of youth fashion or style, and the impact of new technologies on the ways in which young people access music.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 2P70 or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 3P75
Cultures of Consumption
(also offered as COMM 3P75)
Commodities within social life. Topics may include digital consumerism, value creation, modes of exchange, shopping spaces, fashion cycles, consumer identity, status formation, lifestyle construction and ethical consumption debates.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: students must have a minimum of 9.0 overall credits or permission of the instructor.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 2P20.

PCUL 3P92
Technology and Culture
(also offered as COMM 3P92 and IASC 3P92)
Critical analysis of the ways in which culture and technology are mutually productive of one another using historical, contemporary and emerging examples drawn from everyday life.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): one of PCUL 2P26, 2P91, COMM 2P90 or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 3P93
Indigenous People in Media and Popular Culture
(also offered as CANA 3P93, COMM 3P93 and SOCI 3P93)
Historical and contemporary representations of Indigenous people in mainstream media and popular culture. Indigenous interventions in production of cultural content and media structures.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly screening.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, CANA, COMM, MCMN, SOCI (single or combined) majors and MEST minors with a minimum of 8.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite(s): CANA 1F91, COMM 1F90, SOCI 2P00 or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 3P94
Film Genre
(also offered as COMM 3P94 and FILM 3P94)
Genre theory, its history, development and application to cinema.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly screening.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 2P20 and 2P21, FILM 2P90 (2F90) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 3P96
Issues in Popular Culture
(also offered as COMM 3P96 and FILM 3P96)
Specialized studies in popular culture, and its role in specific social, historical or theoretical contexts.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly screening.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 2P20 and 2P21 or FILM 2P90 (2F90).

PCUL 3P97
Gender and Cinema to the 1960s
(also offered as COMM 3P97, FILM 3P97 and WGST 3P97)
Representation of gender, sexuality, race and class, and implications of spectatorship and ideology.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly screening.
Prerequisite(s): one of PCUL 2P20 and 2P21, FILM 2P90 (2F90), one-half WGST credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 3P98
Gender and Contemporary Cinema
(also offered as COMM 3P98, FILM 3P98 and WGST 3P98)
Representation of gender, sexuality, race and class via ideology, feminism, queer theory, and spectatorship in film and video texts since the 1960s.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly screening.
Prerequisite(s): one of PCUL 2P20 and 2P21, FILM 2P90 (2F90), one-half WGST credit numbered 2(alpha)90 or above or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 3Q90
Indigenous Cultural Production and Activism
(also offered as COMM 3Q90, DART 3Q90, INDG 3Q90, PCUL 3Q90, SOCI 3Q90 and WGST 3Q90)
Draws on cultural, experiential and theoretical texts to better understand Indigenous epistemologies. Examples include ImagineNative and community arts projects.
Lectures, fieldwork, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: students must have a minimum of 7.0 overall credits.
Prerequisite(s): one of PCUL 1F92, COMM 1F90, one INDG (ABST) credit, SOCI 1F90, WGST 1F90, 2P00 or permission of the instructor.
Note: students are expected to pay their own expenses.

PCUL 3Q91
The History and Culture of Role-Playing Games
(also offered as COMM 3Q91)
Tabletop gaming culture from the 1970s to the 2000s. Topics may include realism versus fantasy, moral panics and nostalgia.
Lectures, lab, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM and MCMN majors until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 2P20 or CPCF 1F25.
Note: labs introduce basic game design.

PCUL 3Q92
Food and Popular Culture
(also offered as COMM 3Q92)
Studies of food in media and everyday life. Topics may include food on screens and in print; celebrity chefs; food and meaning making; cooking and domestic sphere; culture and table manners; taste; political economy of food; contemporary food rituals; dietary subcultures.
Lectures seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 2P20 or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 3Q94
Television Genres
(also offered as COMM 3Q94 and FILM 3Q94)
Genre theory and its application to popular television.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly screening.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 2P20 and 2P21, FILM 2P90 (2F90) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 3Q97
Events Management
(also offered as COMM 3Q97 and TOUR 3Q97)
Introduction to events management. Topics include event types and contexts; conceptualization, planning and design; marketing and sponsorship; budgeting and financial management; managing human and volunteer resources; staging and logistics; risk management, evaluation and sustainability.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, MCMN, FILM (single or combined), TMGT and TREN majors with a minimum of 8.0 overall credits until date specified in Registration guide.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 2P20 or TOUR 2P31.

PCUL 3Q98
The Psychology of Screens (Television and Beyond)
(also offered as COMM 3Q98, IASC 3Q98 and PSYC 3Q98)
Cognitive responses to mediated communication including television and new/emerging information and communication technologies. Focus on cognitive effects, theories and research.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: students must have a minimum of 8.0 overall credits or permission of the instructor.
Prerequisite(s): one of COMM 1F90, IASC 1F01, IASC 1P04 and 1P05, PSYC 1F90 or permission of the instructor.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in PCUL (COMM/PSYC) 3P95 and COMM 3Q20.

PCUL 3R90
Sound & Vision: The Rockumentary
(also offered as COMM 3R90 and FILM 3R90)
Intersection of the music and film industries through an in-depth study of the popular music documentary (rockumentary), its history and its contexts.
Lectures, seminar, screening, 5 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): FILM 1F94 and one of PCUL 2P20, 2P70, FILM 2P54.

PCUL 3V50-3V59
Special Topics in Popular Culture Studies
Topics selected on basis of instructional expertise and student interest.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 2P20 and 2P21, or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 3V50
2020-2021: Applied Projects in Communication
(also offered as COMM 3V50)
Application of small group communication and problem-solving tools to projects with community partners. Topics may include strategies for small group communication and leadership, problem analysis and project planning in the workplace, and career preparation for communication and creative industries.
Lecture, seminar, 3 hours per week
Restriction: open to BCMN, COMM, MCMN, PCUL and PCLN majors with a minimum of 9.0 overall credits.

PCUL 3V90-3V99
Advanced Topics in Popular Culture Studies
Topics selected on the basis of instructional expertise and student interest.
Lectures, screening, seminar, 5 hours per week.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 2P20 or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 3V90
2020-2021: The Superhero in American Culture
(also offered as COMM 3V90 and FILM 3V90)
The superhero as a cultural symbol. Topics include historical contexts, theories of genre and issues of representation. Examples drawn from comic books, cartoons, television shows and films from the mid-1930s to the present.
Lectures, screening, seminar, 5 hours per week.

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 majors with a minimum of 14.0 overall credits, a minimum 78 percent major average, approval to year 4 (honours) and permission of the Department.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 4P30 and 4P31 (may be taken concurrently).
Note: students are responsible for arranging their course with a faculty member, in consultation with the Academic Adviser and must submit a written proposal before registration. The reading may not be on the topic or with the faculty member of the student's PCUL 4P80 directed reading.

PCUL 4P03
Applied Studies in Popular Narrative
(also offered as COMM 4P03, ENGL 4P03 and FILM 4P03)
Practical, historical and theoretical approaches to popular narratives.
Lectures, screening, seminar, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, ENCW (single or combined), ENGL (single or combined), ENGL (Honours)/BEd (Intermediate/Senior), FILM (single or combined), MCMN and WRDS (single or combined) majors with approval to year 4 (honours).
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 3P03.

PCUL 4P06
Advanced Studies in Popular Culture
(also offered as COMM 4P06 and FILM 4P06)
Issues in popular culture and its role in specific social, historical and theoretical contexts.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week; plus weekly screening.
Restriction: open to PCUL majors with approval to year 4 (honours) and permission of the Department.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 3P96.

PCUL 4P14
Advanced Research in Cultural Industries
(also offered as COMM 4P14)
Advanced research into the national and international development, operations and political economy of a single cultural industry. Topics may include press, periodicals, radio, music, film, television or interactive media industries.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, MCMN majors and MEST minors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 4P18
Media and the Natural Environment
(also offered as COMM 4P18)
Media constructions of the natural environment, environmental movements and environmental issues such as pollution, climate change and consumerism.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, MCMN majors and MEST minors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 4P23
Research on Media and Popular Culture
(also offered as COMM 4P23 and SOCI 4P23)
Advanced research seminar on the relations between mass media and popular culture.
Seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, MCMN, SOCI (single or combined) majors, MEST, CRAS and SOCI minors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 2P98 (3P14) or 3P15.

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, referencing the work of the Frankfurt School, French Structuralism and British Cultural Studies.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, FILM (single or combined), MCMN majors, DCUL and MEST minors 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, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, FILM (single or combined) and MCMN majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 4P34
Taste and Cultural Politics
(also offered as COMM 4P34 and FILM 4P34)
Application of cultural theories to the analysis of taste, distinction, class, cultural standards and moral panics, transgression and trash culture.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, FILM (single or combined) and MCMN majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 4P40
Popular Culture and Identity
Theoretical and methodological approaches to analysis of identity in popular culture. Topics may include class, gender, locality, ethnicity, and nationality.
Seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 4P55
History of Advertising
(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, BCMN, COMM and MCMN majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 4P59
Writing Cultural Criticism for the Media
(also offered as COMM 4P59 and FILM 4P59)
Skills and techniques for reviewing contemporary media culture for publication.
Lectures, seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, MCMN, and FILM (single and combined) with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.
Note: weekly writing assignments discussed in a workshop setting.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in PCUL (COMM/FILM) 4V59.

PCUL 4P61
Conventions of Screen Realism
(also offered as COMM 4P61 and FILM 4P61)
How representation and perception of reality have evolved with technology and aesthetics, from the Lumières to reality television.
Lectures, seminar, screening, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, FILM (single or combined) and MCMN majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 4P80
Directed Reading
Directed individual or group readings in an area of popular culture.
Restriction: open to PCUL majors with a minimum of 14.0 credits, a minimum 75 percent major average, approval to year 4 (honours) and permission of the Department.
Note: students are responsible for arranging their course with a faculty member, in consultation with the Academic 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 4V50-4V59
Contemporary Issues in Popular Culture Studies
Special topics in contemporary popular culture research.
Seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 4V57
2020-2021: Visual Culture
(also offered as COMM 4V57 and FILM 4V57)
Survey of selected practices and phenomena related to the visuality in media and culture. Primary focus is on the role of visuality in the production of knowledge and power relations. Topics may include: scientific visualization, themed environments, photographic cultures, museums, and cartography.
Lecture, Seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to BCMN, COMM, MCMN, FILM (single or combined) and PCUL majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 4V58
2020-2021: Environmental Film and Ecocinema: History, Theory and Practice
(also offered as COMM 4V58 and FILM 4V58)
Intersections between film, media and culture, and the broader social, scientific and geopolitical concerns of global environmental change.
Lectures, seminar, screening, 4 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL, BCMN, COMM, FILM (single or combined) and MCMN majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 4V60-4V69
Historical Perspectives in Popular Culture
Specialized studies in popular culture addressing specific forms, genres or issues in a particular historical period.
Seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

PCUL 4V70-4V79
Issues in International Popular Culture
Specialized studies of popular culture in international or global contexts.
Seminar, 3 hours per week.
Restriction: open to PCUL majors with approval to year 4 (honours) or permission of the instructor.

INTERNSHIP COURSES

PCUL 4F00
Internship in Communication, Popular Culture or Film
Part-time placement related to communication, popular culture or film in a company, agency or not-for-profit organization. Students are responsible for arranging their own placements in consultation with the department Academic Adviser and Internship Co-ordinator.
Tutorial, regularly scheduled meetings, 160 hour placement.
Restriction: open to PCUL majors with a minimum of 13.5 overall credits and permission of the Department.
Note: enrolment is limited. Students will be required to complete a major paper setting the placement experience within a theoretical context.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in PCUL 4P00, 4P01, COMM 4F00, 4P00, 4P01, FILM 4F00, 4P00 and 4P01.

PCUL 4P00
Placement in Communication, Popular Culture or Film
Part-time placement related to communication, popular culture or film in a company, agency or not-for-profit organization. Students are responsible for arranging their own placements in consultation with the department Academic Adviser and Internship Co-ordinator.
Tutorial, regularly scheduled meetings, 80 hour placement.
Restriction: open to PCUL majors with a minimum of 13.5 overall credits and permission of the Department.
Note: enrolment is limited. Students will be required to complete a major paper setting the placement within a theoretical context.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in PCUL 4F00, COMM 4F00, 4P00, 4P01, FILM 4F00, 4P00 and 4P01.

PCUL 4P01
Placement in Communication, Popular Culture or Film
Part-time placement related to communication, popular culture or film in a company, agency or not-for-profit organization. Students are responsible for arranging their own placements in consultation with the department Academic Adviser and Internship Co-ordinator.
Tutorial, regularly scheduled meetings, 80 hour placement.
Restriction: open to PCUL majors with a minimum of 13.5 overall credits and permission of the Department.
Prerequisite(s): PCUL 4P00.
Note: enrolment is limited. Students will be required to complete a major paper setting the placement within a theoretical context.
Completion of this course will replace previous assigned grade and credit obtained in PCUL 4F00, COMM 4F00, 4P00, 4P01, FILM 4F00, 4P00 and 4P01.