Fall 2018 Undergraduate Calendar

COMMUNICATION, MEDIA, AND FILM: COURSES

Communication Studies 40-101 is required of all majors and is to be taken in the first year. For non-majors, this course is recommended prior to taking even those upper-level Communication, Media, and Film courses for which no specific prerequisites are listed. This introductory study of the media and its operations, within a rich context of history, theory, and cultural policy, is designed to enhance media literacy.

Students may register in upper-level courses if specific prerequisites are met, or with consent of the instructor or program advisor.
Not all courses listed will necessarily be offered each year. All courses are three hours per week (3.00 credit hours) unless otherwise indicated.


40-101. Introduction to Media and Society
An overview of major themes, concepts and issues that inform the field of Canadian communication studies. Topics may include: the political, economic, historical, and cultural contexts of communication; new media; policy issues and concerns; representation; the role of media in the social construction of reality and the broad interaction between media and society. (2 lecture, 1 tutorial hour per week.)
 
40-112. Introduction to Media Design and Production I
An introduction to fundamental concepts, methods and strategies used to create specific meaning, emotional impact and consumer behaviour through both the analysis and creation of messages. In-class workshops and experiential learning exercises provide students with foundational skills in story development, media treatment, scriptwriting, and production budgets. Students will research various media/delivery channels and potential demographics. (Also offered as 39-112)

40-113. Introduction to Media Design and Production II
Building on skills learned in 40-112, this course offers an introduction to the fundamentals of film and video production. In-class workshops and experiential learning exercises provide students with skills in production planning and audio-visual design including cinematography, lighting, sound recording, editing and digital content deliverables. Combining both studio and field based learning, students will scriptwrite, shoot and edit basic projects. (2 lecture, 1 laboratory hour per week) (Prerequisite: 39-112/40-112). (Also offered as 39-113)

40-140. Introduction to Film Studies
Cinematic appreciation is studied through one or more of the following methods, at the instructor's discretion: an examination of great films, specific actors, auteurs, film genres or movements. Films may be critically studied within their cultural, historical, political and socio-economic context. (2 hour lecture, 2 hours screening per week).

40-200. Critical Digital Literacies
This course provides competencies in digital media literacy including a critical exploration of on-line behaviours and practices, evaluation of on-line information sources and use of a variety of platforms to disseminate knowledge. Topics may include: ‘selfies’ and the Web's ‘visual turn;’ children’s/youth culture in a digital age; video games and simulated violence; cultural, ethical and legal ramifications of social media.

40-201. New Media Studies
This course introduces students to theories of new media, explores the historical emergence of digital media forms and examines their social, cultural, political and economic implications. Topics may include: “old” and “new” media, convergence, political economy of new media, the digital divide, social networking, participatory cultures and Web 2.0 (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) (Prerequisite: 40-101)

40-203. New Media and Social Movements
This course charts the history and contemporary manifestations of the role of new media technologies in the formation of such social movements. A variety of activists, advocacy groups and social movements have used new/social media technologies and platforms to coordinate and organize their activities, to intervene in the public sphere and to document, share and shape their own narratives. Topics may include: mainstream media frames and social movements, social control and mass-mediated social movements, social media and political organizing, user-generated content, and Web 2.0. (Prerequisite: 40-101 and at least semester 3 standing)

40-205. Introductory Photography
This introductory course in film and chemical photographic processes provides an opportunity for students to explore techniques and concepts within the medium of photography. Students will learn the basic technical skills of operating cameras, processing film, and making black and white prints, through a series of concerns specific to photography. (Prerequisite: 40-101 and 40-110 or 40-112 and Communication, Media and Film Major; students must have a 35mm adjustable film camera to complete this course.) (Also offered as Visual Arts 27-253.) (Lab fees may apply.)

40-209. Fundamentals of Sound Technology
This course introduces students to the principles of sound technology and message design appropriate for a variety of contexts. Students will apply relevant design, vocal and sound theory in conceptualizing and producing effective sound messages using contemporary technologies and software. (Prerequisite: 40-112) (2 lecture, 1 laboratory hour per week) (Also offered as 39-209)

40-210. Speech Communication to Inform
A beginning course designed to help the student to develop poise and confidence in communicating information. (Two lecture and one lab hours per week.) (Not available on an Audit basis.) (Also offered as 24-210)

40-213. Podcasting and Internet Media
This course introduces students to the craft of production for the Internet, specifically in the form of video and audio podcasts. Students will acquire skills in a variety of software applications to produce and circulate podcasts. Emphasis will also be placed on the creation of quality content through the examination of niche audiences and current practices in digital media production and distribution. (Pre-requisite: 40-101 and 40-112.) (2 lecture hours and 1 laboratory hour per week)
 
 40-215. Experimental Film and Video
This course examines experimental processes in film, video and sound and provides a technical and critical foundation in each medium. Focus will be given to the basic events and artists central to the historical development of this genre as well as its contemporary practitioners. Based on screenings and various exercises, students will craft projects that explore the potential of these artistic forms in challenging the norms and conventions of mainstream cultural production. (Prerequisites: 39/40-112 or 39/40-113) (Prerequisite as of Fall 2018: 39/40-113) (Also offered as 39-215) (2 lecture, 1 laboratory hour per week)

40-220 Screenwriting Fundamentals
This course introduces students to the craft of screenwriting with an emphasis on core concepts such as structure, character development, plot, theme, tone and dialogue. Through a variety of writing exercises and assignments students will develop the skills necessary to translate visual and story ideas into written format. (Prerequisite: 39/40-112) (Also offered as 39-220) (2 lecture and 1 laboratory hour per week).

40-221. The Art of Photo-blogging
In this course students will develop and design photography-based blog projects that combine effective research and writing skills with the creative use of image capture as a tool for visual communication. Students will learn photographic techniques and image editing software as well as communication strategies, applicable Canadian copyright laws, web analytics and search engine optimization. (Prerequisite: 40-112.) (2 lecture, 1 laboratory hour per week)

40-225. Media Literacy
A critical exploration of how the media contribute to the social construction of reality. Students will develop the skills and conceptual frameworks necessary to interpret and investigate the contemporary media environment with a particular focus on examples derived from Canadian informational/news sources and popular culture. Topics may include: media coverage of social and political issues, political economy of media/culture industries, media and democracy, media representation and stereotypes.

40-231. Film Production
In this project-based course, students pitch project ideas that are then selected based on merit and work in teams to research, write, shoot and edit productions targeted to specific external screening venues. A variety of techniques are explored appropriate for fiction, non-fiction, experimental, etc., genres. (Prerequisite: 39-113/40-113.)(2 lecture, 1 laboratory hour per week) (Also offered as 39-231) (Credit may not be obtained for both 39/40-231 and 40-219.)

40-232. Documentary
In this project-based course, students will work in groups to write proposals, scripts and storyboards while also familiarizing themselves with the terminology, aesthetics, mechanics and equipment associated with producing, lighting, shooting and editing for studio and location-based documentary projects. (Prerequisite: 39-113/40-113.)(1.5 lecture, 1.5 laboratory hours per week) (Also offered as 39-232) (Credit may not be obtained for both 40-218 and 39/40-232.)

40-234. Research Methods in Communication
An introductory overview of research approaches, methods, and designs in communication studies. Students will learn about the theoretical grounding of quantitative, qualitative, and interpretive methods, and practice various methods to explore communication issues. (Prerequisites: 40-101) (2 lecture hours and 1 tutorial hour a week.)

40-240. Cinema History I (Pre-War)
The course charts the early history of the cinema from its inception to World War II: film shorts at the turn of the century, the silent film era, the introduction of sound, and the decline of the studio system. Films are examined as technical, industrial, commercial, artistic, and, most importantly, as historical artifacts. Industry, audience, and the development of cinematic language are viewed within an international framework and their local cultural context.

40-241. Cinema History II (Post-War)
The course examines films from the post-War period to the present: the heyday of the classical Hollywood narrative and challenges to its dominance from European neo-realism and the avant-garde film movement are considered. Films are viewed as influenced by and reflective of social upheaval of the sixties, as well as their consolidation within distinct but mutually influencing categories of mainstream and alternative cinema. An important consideration is how films can either paper over or expose social fractures along the lines of gender, race, sexuality, and nationalism.

40-243. Media Aesthetics
The course provides a basic set of principles and tools to understand the formal qualities of visual signification and the broader contours of visual culture. Students learn aesthetic and technical terms, rules, conventions, and social assumptions used to construct meaning through sound, images, or graphics in stills, film, television and the web. The course offers a grounding useful for both producers and consumers of visual images. (Prerequisite: 40-101 or 40-112).

40-245. Communication and Cultural Policy in Canada
This course surveys the historical development of communication and cultural policy in the Canadian context. Students will investigate particular culture industries (e.g. music, film, television, etc.) and key themes (nation-state, public sphere, globalization, media convergence) that have informed policy debates as well as the structure, performance and regulation of culture/media industries. Topics may include: the role of the State in cultural production, national culture, citizenship, identity and multiculturalism, representations of ‘Canada’ in the popular imagination. (Prerequisite: 40-101.)

40-260. Fundamentals of Writing for Media
This course provides grounding in the theory and practice of writing, editing and preparing textual materials for print, broadcast, public relations, new/social media and web contexts. Through practical assignments and lab exercises, students develop effective research, information-gathering, writing and editing skills. Topics may include: the impact and implications of technological change and media convergence, libel and copyright laws/policies and ethical practices in the digital age, public relations and strategic communications for non-profit groups and community organizations. (Prerequisite: 40-101 and at least 3rd semester standing) (2 lecture hours and 1 laboratory hour per week)

40-270. Speaking Truth to Power: Voice and Activism
An examination of contemporary struggles for social change with a particular focus on anti-consumerist and environmental justice campaigns. Students learn to create persuasive social justice messages. (Prerequisite: Semester 3 or above standing.) (Also offered as Dramatic Art 24-270, Social Justice Studies 38-270, and Labour Studies 54-270)

40-272. Theory of Message Design
An exploration of theories affecting message analysis and communication. Topics include persuasion, ethics, perception, attention, memory, and message analysis. Students will learn how to recognize formal features of messages and how to apply theory to practical message design situations. (Prerequisite: 40-101. Recommended: prior completion of a first-year Psychology course.)

40-275. Theories of Communication and Media
This course introduces students to various theorists and schools of thought that have shaped the discipline of communication/media studies within the Canadian context, traces the development of theoretical approaches to communication forms and processes and explores a variety of underlying philosophical perspectives and assumptions in communication and media theory. (Prerequisite: 40-101.) (2 lecture hours and 1 tutorial hour a week.)

40-290. Special Topics in Communication, Media and Film
Special Topics courses will be offered occasionally to meet a demonstrated academic/disciplinary need that cannot be satisfied by regular course offerings. (Prerequisite: 40-101) (May be repeated for credit if the topics differ.) (Prerequisite: 40-101.)
 
40-301. Digital Technologies and Everyday Life
This course surveys critical theories of technology with a focus on how evolving and emerging communication/digital technologies are received and adapted and how they shape practices in various institutional contexts and in everyday life. Topics may include: representations of technology, technologies and the organization/perception of space and time, privacy/surveillance, gender, labour, the environment and technology. (Prerequisites: 40-201 or 40-275.)

40-302. Popular Culture
Examines the relationship between popular culture and questions of economics and social and cultural politics, through an exploration of struggles over knowledge, power and authority manifest in popular cultural artifacts and processes. Intended to provide students with tools for critical evaluation of contemporary popular culture, including the constitution of social ideologies, values and representations through cultural artifacts. (Prerequisite: 40-275.)

40-304. Privacy, Surveillance and Security in the Digital Age
This course provides an historical examination of the conceptual apparatuses that have traditionally framed understandings of the right to privacy, critically assesses the capacities of the State and corporate entities to monitor digital activities and explores the social, political and economic implications of surveillance practices. Topics may include: user-generated surveillance, mobile technologies, cloud computing, geo-locating technologies, tracking software, and data mining in social media contexts. (Prerequisite: 40-201)

40-309. Field and Studio Sound Recording
An overview of the theoretical and practical aspects of audio including frequency range, khz, bits and file formats in accordance with industry standards. Students will learn advanced techniques and principles of sound mixing for various production contexts. (Prerequisite: 39-209/40-209) (Also offered as 39-309) (2 lecture, 1 laboratory hour per week) (Credit may not be obtained credit for both 40-309 and 40-318.)

40-310. Cinematography
This course focuses on cinematic visuals using various cameras as tools. Students will explore the theory and craft of motion picture cinematography. This course will provide students with the opportunity to shoot several film assignments, engage in critical discussion, conduct peer reviews of each other’s work, and screen their productions. (Prerequisites: 40-219 or 39/40-321) (Prerequisite as of Fall 2019: 39/40-231) (Also offered as 39-310).

40-314. Studio and Location Lighting for Film and Video
This course examines the aesthetics, techniques and technology of lighting and its role in storytelling and meaning-making processes. Through hands-on exercises with lighting instruments and systems, students will develop skills in professional and creative applications of lighting in both location and studio environments. (Prerequisites: 40-218 or 39/40-232, or 40-219 or 39/40-231) (Prerequisites as of Fall 2019: 39/40-232 or 39/40-231) (Also offered as 39-314) (2 lecture and 1 laboratory hour per week)

40-317. Directing the Screen Performance
This course provides practical knowledge about techniques and methods in directing actors for the screen. Through in-class exercises, workshops and scene studies, students will learn about the art of acting from both performance and directorial perspectives and develop an appreciation of the collaborative relationship between actors and directors. Directing processes will be rigorously analyzed in order to develop a critical approach to direction and the relationship of performance to technical visual/screen languages. Student-directors will become familiar with casting, rehearsal and shooting protocols and gain insight into the demands the camera makes on actors. (Prerequisite: 40-219 or 39/40-231)(Prerequisite as of Fall 2019: 39/40-231) (Also offered as 39-317)
  
40-320. Intermediate Screenwriting
This course builds on skills acquired in 39-220. Students will write scripts that will be work shopped throughout the semester in order to develop and refine writing and storytelling skills. Writing assignments, discussion, peer review, pitch presentations and analysis of texts via screenings and readings will inform the students’ work and understanding of the form. (Prerequisite: 40-219 or 39/40-220) (Prerequisites: 39/40-220) (Also offered as 39-320).

40-323. Production Planning and Development
This course provides a foundation in pre-production and planning processes including the development of location agreements, production schedules and budgets. Students will also learn how to assemble representative portfolios of their creative work, advance their pitching skills, write effective grant proposals and identify funding sources for independent film/video projects in the Canadian context. (Prerequisite: 40-218 or 40-219 or 39/40-232 or 39/40-231) (Prerequisite as of Fall 2019: 39/40-232 or 39/40-231) (Also offered as 39-323)

40-327. Digital Video Editing and Post-Production
This course provides an examination of the historical, aesthetic and theoretical aspects of editing and post-production. Through screenings, workshops, praxis-based pedagogical approaches and group assignments, students will explore various editing styles and acquire advanced editing skills in accordance with industry standard software. (Prerequisite: 40-219 or 39/40-231) (Prerequisite as of Fall 2019: 39/40-231) (2 lecture, 1 laboratory per week) (Also offered as 39-327)

40-330. Motion Picture Technologies
An in-depth study of techniques for creating 3D film production, special effects, aerial cinematography and robotic cinema imagery. Students will expand their creative visual approach and technical practice in field and film studios. (Prerequisite: 40-219 or 39/40-231.) (Prerequisite as of Fall 2019: 39/40-231.) (2 Lecture hours, 1 lab hour a week). (Also offered as 39-330).

40-331. Intermediate Film Production
This course continues the creative approach to and technical practice of independent film production initiated in 39/40-231. Students will expand their experience and knowledge of theoretical and practical filmmaking in both field and studio settings. (Prerequisite: 40-219 or 39/40-231.) (Prerequisite as of Fall 2019: 39/40-231) (Also offered as 39-331) (2 lecture and 1 laboratory hour per week)

40-332. Intermediate Documentary
This course examines theories, techniques and styles of modern documentary as well as other non-fiction forms such as the photo-essay. Students may investigate different sub-genres of the documentary approach and create projects that explore specific personal, social and/or community/campus related issues. Readings and in-class screenings will focus on the theory and practice of documentary for social change. (Prerequisite: 40-218 or 39/40-232.) (Prerequisite as of Fall 2019: 39/40-232) (Also offered as 39-332) (1.5 lecture and 1.5 laboratory hour a week) (Credit may not be obtained for both 40-332 and 40-319).

40-334. Methods of Mass Media Criticism
In this course, students examine mass/popular cultural texts (e.g. news, TV shows, films, music videos, advertisements, social media, etc.,) and explore representational politics using a variety of contemporary methodological approaches. These may include: content analysis, cultural studies, discourse/textual analysis, semiotics, genre study, feminist criticism, audience research, on-line ethnography, web-based inquiry. (Prerequisites: 40-234 or 40-275)

40-343. Cinema and/in Culture
This intermediate course on cinema focuses on shifting topics that underscore contemporary approaches to studying the culture and politics of cinema as a medium. Topics may include: film auteurs, film practice modes, genres, movements, national cinemas, representational politics of race, gender and sexuality; spectatorship/reception, star system, transnational productions/flows. (Prerequisites: 40-240 or 40-241)

40-350. Scriptwriting for Visual Media
This course explores the theory and craft of writing for visual media. With a focus on developing and applying concepts of visual storytelling and writing for production, students will generate original scripts for a variety of fiction and non-fiction genres and media platforms. Through writing assignments and analysis of texts via screenings and readings, emphasis will be placed on different script formats, storyline development, dialogue, theme, character arc and aesthetics. (Pre-requisites: 40-231 or 40-260 and at least 5th semester standing) (2 lecture hours and 1 hour lab)

40-360. Public Relations, Media and Society
This course examines the historical and contemporary role and influence of the public relations industry on media discourses and the shaping of public opinion. Students will critically explore the emergence of the PR industry; the art of "spin" and the engineering of consent; corporate and government PR; and the symbiotic relationship between PR and informational media. (Prerequisites: 40-101 and at least 5th semester standing)

40-361. Public Relations Today: Issues and Practices
This course explores the contemporary world of public relations. Through case studies and in-class exercises, students will assess a variety of strategies and techniques and apply them in the planning and execution of public relations campaigns deliverable across a variety of platforms. Topics may include: PR in the social media age; media relations, journalism and PR; PR and ethical considerations. (Prerequisite: 40-360)

40-364. Media, Technology and the Environment
This course explores the relationship between media practices, representations, communication technologies and the environment. Topics may include: media constructions of the environment; mainstream and alternative media coverage of environmental movements and issues; environmental impact of communication practices, technological advancements and consumer culture; environmental themes in advertisements, corporate greenwashing. (Prerequisite: 40-101 and at least 5th semester standing)

40-370. Alternative Media and Digital Activism
This course examines existing theory and scholarship on alternative media and media activism and explores the ways in which activists and citizen group’s use/have used “old” as well as new media and emerging technologies to challenge mainstream media narratives and express alternative views on a range of social and political issues. Special emphasis will be placed on the Canadian context. Topics may include: mainstream versus alternative media framing; historical roots of Canadian alternative media; media reform movements; participatory journalism; culture jamming; the tactics, strategies, aesthetics and goals of alternative/activist media. (Prerequisite: One of 40-201, 40-225, 40-270, 24-270 (Dramatic Art) or 54-270 (Labour Studies).)

40-375. Critical Approaches to Media and Culture
This course explores contemporary theories and methods related to the critical study of media and culture including Marxian and neo-Marxian political economy, the Frankfurt School, Gramscian hegemony theory, structuralism, semiotics, cultural studies, social constructionism, postmodernism, poststructuralism, and feminism. Topics may include: political economy of media and the culture industries; the production, consumption, and circulation of cultural texts and artefacts; the materialities of communication and the politics and practices of representation. (Prerequisite: One of 40-200, 40-201 or 40-275.)

40-381. Advertising in Historical and Cultural Context
This course contextualizes advertising and branding within the history of capitalism and contemporary consumer culture. The course draws upon approaches from Marxism, sociology, feminism, and other critical perspectives. Topics may include: the historical rise of consumer culture, advertising’s reciprocal and structural relationship with media, controversial advertising categories, issues of representation and meaning and the ideological dimensions of advertising and branding. (Prerequisites: 40-101 and at least 5th semester standing)

40-382. Advertising in the New Media Era: Contemporary Issues and Practices
This course considers how “new media” formations including Internet, streaming, mobile, social, and user-generated media have altered the advertising industry and advertising practices. Topics may include: advertising’s structural influence over new media technologies and platforms, new media audiences/users/influencers, guerrilla marketing, advertising strategy, regulation and policy. Students will learn advertising skills and techniques required to propose, plan, and execute campaigns in the new/social media environment. (Pre-requisite: 40-381).

40-383 Children and the Mediated Marketplace
This course offers a critical approach to the study of children’s media, advertising, and consumer culture. Topics may include: issues of ideology and representation in children’s media and consumer culture, the social construction of childhood by market forces, and the impact of internet and mobile technology on the evolving nature of childhood. (Prerequisite: 40-101 or 40-225 and at least Semester 5 standing)

40-390 Special Topics in Media and Society
This Special Topics course will explore contemporary issues relevant to understanding the links between media institutions, cultural texts/forms and social practices. The specific focus will vary based on faculty expertise (Prerequisite: 40-275 and at least semester 4 standing). (May be repeated for credit if the topics differ.) (Prerequisites: 40-275 and at least semester 4 standing.)

40-399. Internship I
Application of communication skills and knowledge in work experience situations. Admission to the course is upon approval and is available only to four-year Communication, Media and Film Honours or Combined Honours Students. The course is graded by the Undergraduate Advisor on the basis of a written report and employer evaluations (Prerequisite: Semester 5 standing, a Cumulative GPA of 70% and approval of Undergraduate Advisor in Communication, Media and Film.)(This course may be taken twice for credit.)
 
40-401. Advanced Topics in New Media and Digital Culture
This seminar provides an in-depth exploration of the diverse social, economic, political, cultural and artistic practices that constitute the contemporary new media landscape. Through an examination of web 2.0 technologies/digital platforms and their formations, structures, limits and possibilities, students will be engaged as both content consumers and producers. Topics may include: social networking as immaterial labour, art in the age of digital reproduction, cyber-identity/community, new media and public policy, digitally-mediated activism/social movements. (Prerequisite: 40-301 or 40-304)

40-403. Advanced Studies in Media Culture
This seminar explores various theoretical approaches to the study of media culture including semiotics, cultural ethnography, Critical theory, feminism, social constructionism, structuralism and postmodernism. Students will practically apply theoretical frameworks to an examination and interpretation of contemporary media forms and practices. (Prerequisites: 40-275 and one of 40-302, 40-334 or 40-375.)
  
40-415 Advanced Studio and Location Lighting for Film and Video
This course builds on skills acquired in 40-314 and will deepen student's technical, conceptual and aesthetic knowledge while working with light in creative projects. Students will explore a variety of strategies to evoke specific moods/themes and plan and execute aesthetically strong and technically advanced lighting schemes for controlled studio environments and diverse interior and exterior location sites. (Prerequisite: 39/40-314 or permission of instructor) (Also offered as 39-415) (2 lecture, 1 laboratory hour per week)
 
40-420. Advanced Screenwriting
A continuation of the study and practice of screenwriting for short film and video projects, students in this course focus on narrative craft and theory while workshopping scripts toward a final pitch presentation. The goal of this course is to expand the students’ writing and storytelling skills through writing assignments, discussion, peer review, pitch presentations, creative exercises and in-depth analysis of texts via screenings and readings. (Pre-requisite: 39/40-320) (Also offered as 39-420) (Credit may not be obtained credit for both 40-420 and 40-419.)

40-421. Advanced Television Production
This course integrates advanced principles and practices of television studio production. Students will research, plan, write scripts, shoot and edit segments about the campus community and the region for broadcast on local cable television. This course may be repeated once for credit with permission of the instructor and the Undergraduate Advisor/Department Head. (Prerequisite: 40-219 or 39/40-231, 40-218 or 39/40-232, or permission of instructor) (2 lecture and 1 laboratory hour per week) (Prerequisite as of Fall 2020: One of 39/40-232, 39/40-332, or 39/40-327, or permission of instructor) (2 lecture and 1 laboratory hour per week)

40-423. Advertising/Marketing Campaign Production
This advanced course integrates knowledge and skills acquired in previous theory and production courses. Working in groups, students will obtain hands-on experience in the production of advertising/marketing campaigns for various delivery formats, including social media. The class will focus on graphic design programs, script writing, the digital editing of video, stills and audio, audience research and ethical standards in advertising. (Prerequisites: 40-219 or 40-231 and 40-260 or 40-382 or permission of instructor (2 lecture, 1 laboratory hours per week.)

40-424. Advanced Non-Fiction Media Production
This course integrates theories and practices of digital media with an emphasis on professional standards and skills. Students will plan, write, shoot, edit and compress news, documentary, and other short form non-fiction projects. This course may be repeated once for credit with permission of the instructor and the Undergraduate Advisor/Department Head. (Prerequisite: One of 40-219, 39/40-231, 39/40-327, 39/40-331 or 39/40-332 or permission of instructor; (2 lecture, 1 laboratory hours per week.)

40-425. Advanced Studies in the Sociology of News Media
This seminar course explores and investigates the role played by mass media in power relations and the social construction of reality from a critical political economy perspective. Topics may include: the political economy of mainstream media, including issues of media ownership and control; the intersections of media, corporate and governmental power; mainstream media coverage/representation of domestic and foreign affairs. (Prerequisite: 40-225 or permission of the instructor)

40-426. Advanced Message Design
Students will learn how to design communication units for information, training, and teaching situations, using a systematic procedure from instructional technology. Students will apply theories from communication, persuasion, and learning to determine needs, design a communication strategy, select appropriate media, and evaluate the effort. (Prerequisite: 40-272.) (3 lecture hours or 1 lecture hour and 2 lab hours a week.)

40-427. Advanced Editing and Post-Production
This course explores various technical, aesthetic and ethical issues involved in editing, color grading, 16mm and 35mm HD Telecine, special effects, post production workflow. Through readings, screenings, hands-on exercises and projects, students will gain in-depth knowledge about the impact of post-production aural/visual effects and manipulation in editing processes. (Prerequisites: 40-327 or 39/40-331.) (2 lecture, 1 laboratory hour per week) (Also offered as 39-427)

40-428. Senior Project
In this course, students may produce content across a range of new media platforms. Emphasis will be on demonstrating professional capabilities in the areas of critical thinking, proposal writing, project development, creation and distribution. The course synthesizes both theoretical and practical learning acquired throughout the program and offers students the opportunity to further advance their production portfolio. This course may be repeated once for credit with permission of the instructor and the Undergraduate Advisor/Department Head.(Prerequisites: One of 40-218, 40-219, 39/40-327, 39/40-331 or 39/40-332 or permission of instructor).

40-432. Advanced Documentary
A continuation of 39/40-332, this course will further explore issues and concepts that apply to documentary film. Students will analyze the form and create work within a context of artistic experimentation and theoretical consideration. Students will further develop their abilities to reflect upon, critique, discuss and express the creative strategies and theoretical meanings that motivate their own work on topics of local interest that engage and impact local communities, particularly on campus. (Prerequisite: 39/40-332). (Also offered as 39-432).

40-441. Documentary Film and Video I
An introduction to the history, theory, and practice of documentary film. The course provides an overview of the history of documentary with attention to artistic, technological, economic, and political influences and offers students the opportunity to put theoretical study into practice. (Prerequisites: Third-year standing and at least one of the following: 40-110, 40-240, 40-241.) (4 lecture hours a week.)

40-443. Advanced Film Theory and Criticism
This seminar course examines the changing theoretical and critical approaches to film, including issues in the production and reception of film, such as realism, adaptation, convention, signification, and culture. (Prerequisites: 40-240 and 40-241)

40-450. Border Culture
This course addresses the role of borders in contemporary global culture as both physical boundaries and affective conditions. In the context of the Windsor-Detroit border, students from the University of Windsor will exchange viewpoints based upon the experience of living in a border culture. Seminars and field trips will take up the topic of borders from a number of perspectives and contexts. Students will look at historical and contemporary ideas about borders that have been articulated in various disciplines: from political theory and cultural geography, to urban planning, art, literature, architectural and spatial theory. (Open to majors and non-majors.) (Prerequisites: 28-150 and semester 4 standing.) (Also offered as 28-450)

40-462. Communication Perspectives and Aboriginal People, Race and Ethnicity
Explores theoretical and practical communication issues of race and ethnicity and links these issues to the practice of social justice. Topics include: historical and critical implications of identity politics, media (mis-) representation, cultural policy, First Nations, multicultural and multiracial media production. (Prerequisites: 40-225 or 40-245, and third year standing.) (Sociology majors: 48-333 and two courses in Communication, Media, and Film.)

40-463. Gender and Technology
This advanced seminar addresses issues related to gendered experiences with technology in the digital age through an examination of various theoretical debates and case studies. Topics may include: the historical gendering of technological skills; the social construction of technology and masculinity; impact of technology on the environment; critiques of techno-science; gendered representation of, and participation in, video games; gendered experiences of mobile phone and social media use. (Prerequisite 40-301 or 40-364)

40-476. Canadian Communication Thought
The course examines a range of thinkers and artists who have contributed to the various branches of communication and media studies in Canada, including media history and criticism, political economy, cultural studies, philosophies of technology, and media and digital arts. Commonalities and differences between first and second-generation Canadian theorists and artists will be discussed in relationship to theories and practices emanating from the United States and overseas. (Prerequisite: at least Semester 6 standing.)

40-489. Selected Topics in Media Production
An advanced exploration of selected topics related to production processes across a variety of media platforms. For individual projects (available only to four-year Honours students in Communication, Media and Film or four-year Honours students in Combined Programs with Communication, Media and Film), proposals must be submitted on appropriate forms and approved, prior to registration, by the Undergraduate Advisor and Head in Communication, Media and Film. This course may be offered as a regular class. (Prerequisites: 40-231 and 40-232 and Semester 5 standing ) (Normally, 40-489 or 40-495 may be taken no more than a total of 2 times combined.)

40-490. Selected Topics in Communication/Media Studies
An advanced seminar that explores selected topics in the field of Communication/Media Studies. Topics and prerequisites may vary depending on the focus of the course. (Prerequisites: will normally require at least Semester 6 standing or permission of instructor.) (May be repeated for credit if the topics are different).

40-495. Directed Reading
Intended for students with special interest in areas not covered in sufficient depth by other courses. (To be taken only with permission of instructor and Department Head or delegate in Communication, Media and Film) (Normally, 40-489 or 40-495 may be taken no more than a total of two times combined.)

40-499. Internship II
Application of communication skills and knowledge in work experience situations. Admission to the course is by consent and is available upon approval only to four-year Communication, Media and Film Honours students or Combined Honours Students.. The course is graded by the Undergraduate Advisor on the basis of a written report and employer evaluations. (To be undertaken after the successful completion of relevant 300-level courses.) (Prerequisite: Semester 7 standing, a cumulative GPA of 70%, and approval of Undergraduate Advisor in Communication, Media and Film.) (This course may be taken twice for credit).


DIGITAL JOURNALISM: COURSES