Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2026 - CMNS 311 D200

Topics in Communication and Social Justice (4)

Social Inequalities & Media

Class Number: 7032

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 5 – Apr 10, 2026: Tue, 11:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    17 CMNS units with a minimum grade of C- or 45 units with a minimum CGPA of 2.00.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Topics pertain to issues of inequality, resistance and activism with a focus on entanglements with media and communication. Explores how relations of power are shaped and contested through media and communication. Topics include: racial justice, environmental policies, globalization, social activism, and labour. This course can be repeated twice for credit if the topics are different (up to a maximum of three times).

COURSE DETAILS:

This course introduces key social theories that help students analyze the power structures shaping modern and so-called postmodern societies. It is devoted to examining media and cultural politics in relation to the historical formations of “modernity” and “postmodernity” within both national and transnational contexts. The course engages with major schools of thought, including Marxism, Neo-Marxism, Cultural Studies, Feminist Theories, Postcolonialism, and Social Movement Studies, to explore how power, ideology, and inequality are reproduced and contested across different social and cultural domains. Through critical readings and empirical case studies, students will learn to unpack the interconnected systems of oppression and privilege, such as capitalism, patriarchy, racism, heteronormativity, and colonialism, that structure contemporary life. The course encourages students not only to recognize how these inequalities operate within media and everyday culture but also to imagine alternative social formations grounded in justice, solidarity, and collective emancipation.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

The main goal of this course is to interrogate the development of capitalist modern society and its entanglement with long-standing structures of inequality, such as patriarchy, colonialism, and heteronormativity. Through critical engagement with key theories and case studies, students will examine how modernity has been shaped by intersecting forms of power and exclusion. By the end of the course, students should be able to cultivate a holistic and critical understanding of modernity and envision alternative imaginaries of a more equitable and just society.

Grading

  • Lecture Attendance & Participation 10%
  • Reading Reflections 10%
  • Midterm Exam 40%
  • Final Essay 40%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Course readings will be provided on Canvas

REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.