School of Communication Courses
You will have the choice of many fascinating classes as a Communication student. To get you started we offer two required introductory courses where you will learn the foundation for further study. In later semesters you will select from 200, 300 and 400-Level classes (some required and some optional).
CMNS 110 - Introduction to Communication Studies
Sample description from Spring 2015 syllabus.
The aim of this course is to provide a general introduction to a range of theories that seek to explain why we communicate as we do.
The first part of the course establishes a general overview of communication theory, from both theoretical and historical points of view. We will examine the relationship between communication, ideology, power, and social consciousness; the development of alphabetic writing; and theories of orality and literacy. We will also review the concept of the self in the context of communication studies.
The second part of the course will focus on specific fields within the area of communication, including: the study of popular culture; media analysis; film studies; advertising; and the political economy of communication. We will also examine the rise of technology studies in communication, and consider the way in which the electronic media(in particular computers and the Internet), have refashioned both human consciousness andculture. In this context,we will discuss issues of privacy and democracy in the emerging digital culture; and conclude the course with a brief discussion of global communication and social transformation.
Our main goal is to critically assess the images and messages of contemporary media. How do they create meaning? Do they enlarge our understanding of the world, or influence us to think about it in increasingly narrow ways?
CMNS 130 - Introduction to Social Change
Sample description from Spring 2015 Syllabus
This introductory course gives an overview of the forms, theories, and institutions of communication, and their role as a part of broader social change.
The course is divided into two sections. The first section introduces the era of mass communication, and some of the more influential approaches to its study, with questions such as: What constitutes mass communication? What is the role of media in democracy? How has mass media been regulated? Since the mass media are everywhere - newspapers, magazines, radio, television, advertising, the Internet, networks, films and popular music saturate our lives – most of what we know about ourselves and our society comes from mass media. What can we learn from this? What impact has the introduction and dominance of communication industries had on us as a society, and as citizens and consumers?
The second section focuses on contemporary, emergent, and networked forms of mass communication, and the theoretical perspectives that seek to explain what is often called the ‘information society’. Are we in the midst of a transition from an era of mass communication to an era of networked communication, and what may be the implications of this shift for social inequality? What role can we play in this transformation? How does concentration of ownership affect the media and the control of information? What is the relationship between the mass media and globalization?
200-Level Classes
Sample List. Always refer to the current Academic Calendar for the most up-to-date information.
Media History
Understanding Television
Media & Popular Cultures
Advertising as Social Communication
Digital Media Communication Techniques
Acoustic Dimensions of Communication
The Cultural Industries in Canada: Global Context
News, Media, the Public & Democracy
The Political Economy of Communication
Introduction to Information Technology: The New Media
Introduction to Electroacoustic Communication
Emperical Communication Research Methods
Documentary Research in Communication
Design & Method in Qualitative Communication Method
300 and 400 (Upper) Level Classes
Sample List. Always refer to the current Academic Calendar for the most up-to-date information.
Communication in Everyday Life
Media & Modernity
Children, Media & Culture
Cultural Production of Popular Music
Media, Sports & Popular Culture
Visualization & Visual Culture in Communication
Documentary Media
Cultural Dimensions in Advertising
Applied Media Workshop: On The Hill
Communication in Conflict & Intervention
Globalization: Cultural Issues
Colonialism, Culture & Identity
Applied Communication for Social Issues
Video Design for Social Communication
Participatory Youth Media Cultures
News Research & Analysis
Publication Design & Print Production
Political Communication, Public Opinion & Political Marketing
Issues in Communication & Cultural Policy
Computer Supported Cooperative Work: Critical Perspectives
Media, Learning & Social Change
News Discourse as Political Communication
Communication & Rhetoric
Broadcast Policy & Regulation in the Global Context
Cultural Policy
Telecommunication Regulation in North America
Science & Public Policy: Risk Communication
Development Communication
Globalization & Media
Information Rights in the Information Age
Media Democratization: From Critique to Transformation
Comparative Asian Media System
Political Economy of International Communication
Media & Popular Culture in China
Communication, Science in Technology
Negotiation & Dialogue in Communication
Race & the Media
Issues in the Information Society
Environment, Media & Communication
Topics in Technology & Society
Communication & Social Issues in Design
Communication to Mitigate Disasters
Audio Media Analysis
Sound Recording Theories & Design
Acoustic Dimensions of Communication
Evaluation Methods for Applied Communication Research
Approaches to Media & Audience Research
Media & Ideology
Women & New Information Technologies
Seminar in Dialogue & Public Issues
Honours Research Proposal & Project
Field Placements
Directed Studies
Special Topics in Communication
Project Groups in:
- Communication Network
- Media Analysis
- Communication Policy
- International Communication
- Information Technology
Communication Practicums (Co-Op Work Experience)