SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION
CMNS 425-4

Martin Laba	Spring 2001
HC 109; 604-291-5166	Harbour Centre, Day
email: laba@sfu.ca

APPLIED COMMUNICATION FOR SOCIAL ISSUES

Prerequisites:

At least 75 credit hours, including CMNS 260 or 261 and CMNS 321 or 323.

Overview:

This course examines the theories, methods and practices of social issues communication. The work of social issues communication involves the application of public communication and media analysis to the design, strategy and implementation of communication planning, programs and campaigns around social issues. Case studies around such issues as AIDS awareness and prevention, health promotion, safe driving, alcohol and drug abuse, media literacy, multiculturalism/anti-racism, and others will be considered and analyzed in this course.

Social issues communication is guided by the objective of social change through the strategic use of media; and raising awareness, public education, the advocacy define and structure the approaches. Above all, social issues communication research and design proceeds from a comprehensive and detailed understanding of the nature of the media environment, and the role of media forms, structures and content within that environment.

Increasingly, “social responsibility” as a promotional motivation and strategy has created a blurring of the “social” and “commercial” in advertising messages. This course will critique and analyze this current and ongoing trend in commercial design and production, and explore new ways of creating social issues messages in the commercial media environment.

Themes and issues addressed in this course include: applied public communication; social issues and the media; social messages -- commercial environments; ads, messages and professional practices; blurred intentions and social messages; advocacy, media and social change; and a wide range of case studies.

Readings:

A reading package of required, recommended and general resource materials will be available for purchase in the first class. A week-by-week outline of themes and a schedule for presentation dates will also be distributed in class.

Evaluation:

Presentation #1 (sample and analysis) 15%
Presentation #2 (research plan, design proposal, presentation) 25%
Seminar (reports/contributions) 15%
Final Project (project design and public presentation) 45%

The School expects that the grades awarded in this course will bear some reasonable relation to established university-wide practices with respect to both levels and distribution of grades. In addition, the School will follow Policy T10.02 with respect to "Intellectual Honesty," and "Academic Discipline" (see the current Calendar, General Regulations Section).