Spring 2014 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
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 basic production skills in audio-visual design including image composition, sound recording, video project editing, and web content/social media creation. Combining both studio and field based learning, students will research various media/delivery channels, potential demographics, script write, shoot and edit basic projects. (Restricted to first year Honours students in Communication, Media and Film or combined four-year Honours programs with Communication, Media and Film). (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours per week)

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).

40-201. 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) (Crosslisted as Digital Journalism 30-201)

40-205. Introductory Photography
This introductory course in chemical and digital 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, making black and white prints, and digital imaging. Through a series of assigned projects discussions and readings, students will be exposed to a variety 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 camera to complete this course.) (Cross-listed as Visual Arts 27-253.)

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 40-111 or 40-112.)

40-218. Digital Media Production I
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 video for studio and location-based projects. (Prerequisite: 40-111 or 40-112; Restricted to Honours students in Communication, Media and Film or combined four-year Honours programs with Communication, Media and Film) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours per week)

40-219. Digital Media Production II
This course puts into practice concepts and skills learned in Digital Media Production I. Students pitch project ideas that are then selected based on merit and work in teams to research, write, shoot and edit digital media productions targeted to specific external screening venues. A variety of production techniques are explored appropriate for fiction, non-fiction, experimental, etc., genres. (Prerequisite: 40-218; Restricted to Honours students in Communication, Media and Film or combined four-year Honours programs with Communication, Media and Film) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours per week)

40-221. Capturing Without Borders
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: 40-111 or 40-112; Restricted to Honours students in Communication, Media and Film or combined four-year Honours programs with Communication, Media and Film) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours 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. (3 lecture hours)

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 or Labour Studies Majors must have semester 3 standing) ( 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. (Prerequisite: 40-101)

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.(Prerequisite: 40-101)

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 40-110 or 40-112). (Crosslisted as Digital Journalism 30-243)

40-245. Communication and Cultural Policy in Canada
The history and development of cultural policy and cultural production in Canada. Topics include: the role of the State in cultural production; national culture, citizenship, identity and multiculturalism; the structure, performance and regulation of the culture industries; globalization and the new technologies. (Prerequisite: 40-101.)

40-260. Fundamentals of Media Writing
This course provides grounding in the theory and practice of writing, editing and preparing copy for print, broadcast and new media contexts. Lectures may explore the contemporary world of Canadian journalism/journalistic practices, the nature of the Canadian mediascape, the impact and implications of technological change and convergence, libel and copyright laws/policies and ethical practices in the digital age. Through practical assignments and lab exercises, students develop effective writing, research and information-gathering skills. (Prerequisite: 40-101 and at least 3^rd semester standing) (1 lecture hour and 2 lab hours a week or 2 lecture hours and 1 lab hour a week)

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.)

40-301. 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.)(Crosslisted as Digital Journalism 30-301)

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.)

40-312. Intermediate Cinematography and Digital Editing I
This course progresses from the basic principles of photography and an understanding of light to a broader foundation of knowledge in cinematography. The emphasis is on practical and supporting theoretical elements, exercises and clip screenings in support of digital and analog photography and camera and lighting equipment in support of digital film and video. (2 lecture, 3 laboratory hours a week. Prerequisites: One of 40-216, 40-217, 40-218 or 40-219; admission to advanced production courses.

40-313. Intermediate Cinematography and Digital Editing II
This course focuses simultaneously on developing technical ability and creative awareness through hands on experiences. Students will acquire a working understanding of AVID DV Xpress Pro and will work through the process of digitizing rushes and editing material to finish a project in digital video resolution. Examples from film will illustrate the value of editing and sound in the production process. (Prerequisites: 40-312.) (2 lecture, 3 laboratory hours per week.)

40-318. 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 (i.e. Pro-Tools). Students will learn advanced techniques and principles of sound mixing for music, video, games and web content. (Prerequisites: 40-214 or 40-217 or 40-219; Portfolio review and a 70% average in Communication, Media and Film Honours or Combined Honours Programs) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours per week)

40-319. Documenting Your World
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 productions that explore specific personal, social and/or community/campus related issues. Advanced research skills will be emphasized. Readings and in-class screenings will focus on the theory and practice of documentary for social change. (Prerequisites: 40-217 or 40-219 and 40-234; Portfolio review and a 70% average in Communication, Media and Film Honours or Combined Honours Programs) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours a week)

40-320. Screenwriting Fundamentals
This course explores the theory and craft of the screenplay with a focus on writing for short film and video projects. A central goal of the class is to refine student filmmakers' storytelling and scripting skills and to impart the conventions of this specialized genre through writing assignments, discussion, and analysis of texts via screenings and readings. (Pre-requisites: admission to advanced production courses or permission of the instructor) (3 lecture hours)

40-322. Labour, Workplace and Communication
The course involves a critical exploration of the relationships between labour and information technology from a communication perspective. Both political economy and cultural studies approaches are used to analyze the everyday experiences of individuals in both their paid and unpaid labour. Issues examined may include Scientific Management and Fordism/Post-Fordism, globalization, electronic surveillance, the natural environment, and the intersection(s) of race/ethnicity, class, and gender. (Also offered as Labour Studies 54-322). (Prerequisites:40-275 or Labour studies majors must have at least semester 4 standing.) (Credit cannot be obtained for both 40-321 and 40-322.)

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: 40-217 or 40-219; Portfolio review and a 70% average in Communication, Media and Film Honours or Combined Honours Programs) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory per week)

40-334. Methods of Mass Media Criticism
This course examines contemporary methodological approaches to the study of mass media artefacts, signifying systems and representational politics. Topics 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: one of 40-240 or 40-241 and 40-243).

40-360. Public Relations, Media and Society
An examination of 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 and evaluate PR techniques and practices. Topics may include: the emergence of the PR industry; "spin" and the engineering of consent; corporate and government PR relationship between PR and informational media. (Prerequisites: 40-225 or 40-243 or 40-272) (Crosslisted as Digital Journalism 30-360)

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: 40-201 and 40-275.)

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: 40-201/30-201 or 40-225.) (Cross-listed as Digital Journalism 30-370.)

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:40-275.)

40-381. Advertising in Social Context
Contextualizes the world of advertising within consumer culture and the broader media environment. The course draws upon approaches from Critical Theory, Marxism, feminism, semiotics, critical multiculturalism, and other perspectives. Topics include: the historical and social roots of consumerism; the evolution of the 'branded' society, issues of representation and meaning; the ideological and economic functions of advertising. (Prerequisites: 40-225 or 40-243 or 40-272)

40-398. Internship I
Application of communication skills and knowledge in work experience situations. Admission to the course is by consent and is available only to four-year Honours students. The course is graded by the Undergraduate Advisor on the basis of a written report plus other references. (Prerequisite: Semester 6 standing and approval of Undergraduate Advisor in Communication, Media and Film.)

40-399. Internship II
(Same description as 40-398.)

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)

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).

40-423. 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 and one of 40-318, 40-319 or 40-327 and one of 40-234 or 40-272; Portfolio Review and a 70% average in Communication, Media and Film Honours or Combined Honours Programs) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours per week.)

40-424. Advanced Non-Fiction Media Production

This course focuses on the creation of content for, and design of, a course website on non-fiction digital media. Students will plan, write, shoot, edit and compress news and documentary projects and manage all website tasks including flowchart planning, wireframe modeling, creation and marketing. This course integrates theories and practices of digital media with an emphasis on professional standards and skills. (Prerequisite: One of 40-318, 40-319 or 40-327; Portfolio review and a 70% average in Communication, Media and Film Honours or Combined Honours Programs) (2 lecture, 2 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.)

40-428. 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. (Prerequisites: One of 40-318, 40-319 or 40-327; Portfolio review and B- average in CMF Honours or Combined Honours Programs) (2 lecture, 2 laboratory hours per week.)


40-436. Advanced Research Methods
This course provides an in-depth examination of quantitative and qualitative research methods appropriate to the investigation of communicative processes, traditional and new media/digital formations. Using one of more of the topics covered in the course, student groups will design and implement a primary research project that includes data collection, analysis and effective communication of results/findings. Topics may include: content analysis, textual analysis, focus groups, interviews, participant observation, social network analysis, online surveys, research ethics. (Prerequisite: 40-334.)

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: 40-243 and 40-240 or 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)

40-475. Advanced Communication Theory
An examination of contemporary communication theories, such as: critical, cultural, functional, structural, and postmodern approaches. Special attention will be devoted to critically evaluating the underlying assumptions and frameworks of various theories. (Prerequisite: 40-275 and at least Semester 6 standing.)

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 in print, audio and/or visual media. The course may be offered as a regular class. For tutorials (available only to four-year Honours students), project proposals must be approved, prior to registration, by the Undergraduate Advisor and Head in Communication, Media and Film. (Prerequisite: successful completion of the appropriate upper-level production courses.) (Normally, 40-489 or 40-495 may be taken no more than a total of 2 times combined.)

40-490. Selected Topics in Communication Studies
An advanced study of selected topics in Communication Studies. Topics and prerequisites may vary depending on the focus of the course. (Prerequisites will vary; generally will require at least Semester 7 standing.) (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.)

40-498. Internship III

Application of communication skills and knowledge in work experience situations. Admission to the course is by consent and is available only to four-year Honours students. The course is graded by the Undergraduate Advisor on the basis of a written report plus other references. (To be undertaken after the successful completion of relevant 300-level courses.) (Prerequisite: Semester 7 standing and approval of Undergraduate Advisor in Communication, Media and Film.)

40-499. Internship IV
(Same description as 40-498.)

DIGITAL JOURNALISM: COURSES