Fall 2023 - CMNS 316 D200
Topics in Popular Cultures and Public Communication (4)
Class Number: 4208
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Sep 6 – Dec 5, 2023: Mon, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
VancouverOct 10, 2023: Tue, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
Vancouver -
Exam Times + Location:
Dec 11, 2023
Mon, 12:00–12:00 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Zoe Druick
druick@sfu.ca
1 778 782-5398
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Prerequisites:
17 CMNS units with a minimum grade of C- or 45 units with a minimum CGPA of 2.00.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Topics on public and popular cultures with a focus on social, political, and cultural dynamics. Explores audiences, publics, and institutions at a global, national, and/or local level. Topics vary and may address themes like: news, music, public media, advertising, sports, childhood, youth cultures, art, and everyday life. This course can be repeated once for credit (up to a maximum of two times).
COURSE DETAILS:
On various platforms and in a range of styles, documentaries have become an essential element of our entertainment and information diets. But how can we assess the truth-value and meaning of the documentaries we watch? How do they signal their authenticity? And how do they achieve authority? Are all videos of “the real world” documentaries? Are documentaries primarily an art form or more like a source of information? Are they the same thing as journalism? Does where we encounter them matter?
In this course, you will be introduced to elements of the history and theory of documentary media so as to better answer such questions. We will explore documentary as a multifaceted genre that has shifted considerably over time. In order to learn more, we will cover topics such as documentary ethics; propaganda, journalism & education; advocacy and activism; mockumentary and satire; questions of form, platform and distribution. By the end of the course, you will have developed new resources for analyzing the challenges of the form encountered by documentary filmmakers, participants, and viewers and will have considered the complex issues involved in the representation of the real world.
The three-hour class period will be divided into lecture & group work/discussion. Assigned readings and videos, tutorials and lectures are complementary aspects of the course. You will get the most out of the course if you do the readings and watch the films each week in advance of the lecture/tutorial and come to both prepared to participate. Your attendance will help determine the success of the class!
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
All readings and videos available on the course 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
SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.
Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the semester 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.