COMS 367 - L01
Introduction to Visual Culture
Fall 2008
Lecture: Tuesday 14:00 - 16:50

 

Instructor:	Bart Beaty
Office Location:	SS 330
Office Phone:	403- 220- 7246
E-Mail:	beaty@ucalgary.ca
Web Page:
Office Hours:	T/R 13:00 - 13:50

 

Course Description

An examination of visual modes of communication. Students will be introduced to the concepts of visual literacy and will learn to evaluate visual media as communication. Topics will include the elements of visual messages, the relation of visual communication to language, and the role of images in shaping culture.

 

Objectives of the Course

 

The objective of this course is to provide an overview of the essential means for studying and analyzing visual culture. To achieve this, students become familiarized with the terminology and methods of cultural analysis and with the tools that are critical to the appreciation of visual culture.

 

Textbooks and Readings:

Available through Blackboard.

 

Assignments and Evaluation

Text Response (20%). A video will be screened during the first class of the term. Students will be required to write a short critical and analytic essay about the visual elements of the video of approximately three to five pages in length. These essays are due at the beginning of class on September 16. Essays submitted late will not be penalized by loss of marks, but will receive no comments. Essays not submitted by November 25 will not be graded and will receive a mark of zero.

 

Journals (10 x 4% each = 40%). Each week, students will be required to write a short (1 to 2 pages) response to the assigned readings for the week, particularly taking into consideration the context of the course to date and the material discussed the previous week(s). Responses will be collected on three occasions (Sept. 30, Oct 28, Nov, 25). Journals not submitted on those days will not be penalized by loss of marks, but will receive no comments. Responses not submitted by November 25 will not be graded and will receive a mark of zero.

 

Final Take-Home Exam (40%). The final exam will be a take-home exam focusing on the contents of the course (lectures and readings) in its entirety. It will take the form of a long essay (10 - 12 pages). The question(s) will be given to the class on December 2 and the responses are due at 2:00 on December 9. Late exams will not be graded and will receive a mark of zero.

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment.
Note: Please hand in your essays directly to your tutor or instructor if possible. If it is not possible to do so, a daytime drop box is available in SS110; a date stamp is provided for your use. A night drop box is also available for after-hours submission. Assignments will be removed the following morning, stamped with the previous day's date, and placed in the instructor's mailbox.

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination:  No

Please note: If your class is held in the evening, the Registrar's Office will make every attempt to schedule the final exam during the evening; however, there is NO guarantee that the exam will NOT be scheduled during the day.

Policy for Late Assignments

The penalty for late assignments is the loss of comments. Late papers will be graded with no other penalty.

Writing Skills Statement

Faculty policy directs that all written assignments (including, although to a lesser extent, written exam responses) will be assessed at least partly on writing skills. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Writing skills include not only surface correctness (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc) but also general clarity and organization. Research papers must be properly documented.

If you need help with your writing, you may use the Writing Centre.  Visit the website for more details: www.efwr.ucalgary.ca

Grading System

Work in this course will be assigned a letter grade, which represents the following percentage range equivalents:

 

	Grading Scale
A+	96-100
A	90-95.99
A -	85-89.99
B+	80-84.99
B	75-79.99
B-	70-74.99
C+	65-69.99
C	60-64.99
C-	55-59.99
D+	53-54.99
D	50-52.99
F	0-49

 

Where a grade on a particular assignment is expressed as a letter grade, it will normally be converted to a number using the midpoint of the scale.  That is, A- would be converted to 87.5 for calculation purposes.  F will normally be converted to zero.

 

Plagiarism

Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university.

You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is insufficient by itself. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and other people's words and ideas begin. This includes assignments submitted in non-traditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such sources.

Please consult your instructor or the Writing Centre (SS 106, efwr.ucalgary.ca) if you have any questions regarding how to document sources.

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a disability who may require academic accommodation, it is your responsibility to register with the Disability Resource Centre (220-8237) and discuss your needs with your instructor no later than fourteen (14) days after the start of the course.

Students' Union

For details about the current Students' Union contacts for the Faculty of Communication and Culture see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/su

"SAFEWALK" Program -- 220-5333

Campus Security will escort individuals day or night -- call 220-5333 for assistance. Use any campus phone, emergency phone or the yellow phone located at most parking lot booths.

Ethics

Whenever you perform research with human participants (i.e. surveys, interviews, observation) as part of your university studies, you are responsible for following university research ethics guidelines.  Your instructor must review and approve of your research plans and supervise your research.  For more information about your research ethics responsibilities, see the U of C Research Ethics "Information for Applicants," sections 3.0 to 9.0, inclusive: http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/research/html/ethics/info_undergrad.html

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

 

To be handed out in class