SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION
CMNS 235-3

James Compton	Summer Semester 2001
Telephone: 604-291-4788	Burnaby Campus, Day

 

INTRODUCTION TO JOURNALISM IN CANADA

Prerequisite:

CMNS 130.

Office hours:

To be announced. Messages for the Instructor can be left in his mailbox in the School of Communication (CC 6138) or sent via email.

Format:

Weekly lectures, Wednesdays, 11:30 - 1:20, plus a one-hour weekly tutorial. The TA will be responsible for the tutorials and will also be available for consultation during office hours (to be announced).

Course Themes:

The course is intended to survey journalism as an important social, economic and political institution. It is an introductory overview that focuses on the principles and practices of journalism but does not teach students the basic techniques of news reporting. Topics such as communications policy and the structure of media industries are discussed in CMNS 230 (Intro to Communication Media), CMNS 333 (Broadcasting Policy and Regulation), and CMNS 335 (Newspaper Industry and Press Policy in Canada). CMNS 235 is a prerequisite for CMNS 335 and CMNS 331 (Political CMNS).

By the end of the course, students should be able to address the following questions:
1. How has Canadian journalism evolved?
2. What are the key economic, organizational, social, technological and other factors that influence editorial content and shape and constrain news production?
3. What roles do the media play in Canadian politics? How do they influence, and how are they influenced by, the political process?
4. Do the Canadian news media serve the public interest today, given our expectations about the appropriate functions of journalism in a democratic society?

Assignments and Grading:

15% Tutorial attendance and participation Based on attendance and participation in weekly tutorials plus one tutorial presentation.
20% Mid-term take-home One question based on the work of sessions 1-6. Choice will be available. Assigned 13 June – Due 20 June.
40% Term paper On a topic of your choice, relevant to course themes, subject to approval by your TA. Maximum length, 3000 words. A one-page proposal must be submitted for approval and feedback by 3 July.
Proposal due: 3 July.
Paper due: July 31 .
25% Final exam This will be held during the exam period and will consist of two essay-type questions based on lectures and required readings. Choice will be available on both questions.


Course Readings and Texts:

Students should purchase the following texts for the course:
Desbarats, Peter, Guide to Canadian News Media (2nd edition). Toronto: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1996. ISBN 1-55193-027-7
Hackett, Robert, and Richard Gruneau, with Donald Gutstein, Timothy Gibson and NewsWatch Canada, The Missing News: Filters and Blind Spots in Canada’s Press. Ottawa: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, 1999. ISBN 0-7747-3375-6.
A course reader of additional readings will be available for purchase at the Bookstore.
Additional readings will be available on Library Reserve.

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).