Communications Studies (COMS) 367 - Lecture 01
Introduction to Visual Culture
Winter 2007
Mondays, 15:00 - 18:00  

Instructor:	Dr. Rebecca Sullivan
Office Location:	SS344
Office Phone:	220-3397
E-Mail:	rsulliva@ucalgary.ca (preferred)
Web Page:	homepages.ucalgary.ca/~rsulliva/home.html
Office Hours:	MW 12:30-14:00

Additional Information

Some of the materials and topics presented in class include explicit sexual or violent content. If these materials make you uncomfortable, you are encouraged to speak with the professor. You will not be exempt from the work but we will work together to accommodate your concerns. This class respects difference and diversity for all gender and sexual orientations, while welcoming thoughtful, critical discussions about their representations and discourses in media and popular culture.

Responsibility for all course materials resides with the student. The professor will not give out lecture notes, repeat information, nor provide replacement copies of material that was provided during regular class hours. Use of recording technologies in class is prohibited. Mailing lists have been set up for the class. This is to assist you in developing a peer support group amongst yourselves. Membership is mandatory for the class and students are assumed to have checked for any messages in advance of the class, in case of sudden changes to the schedule. The professor will monitor the group, but not contribute. The mailing address is coms367l01w07-l@mailman.ucalgary.ca

The mailing lists are automatically populated every evening by the university network and uses the e-mail address you have on file when you register. No human can override this system. Therefore it is entirely the responsibility of the student to ensure that their records are up to date.

Course Description

This course explores our practices of engagement with visual media. Using a variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives, we will explore visual texts in order to understand their communicative power.

Objectives of the Course

Using lectures, screenings and group work, students will gain (1) the opportunity to synthesize, assess and apply sophisticated scholarly concepts to issues that concern you personally; (2) better understanding of the practices of looking, seeing and viewing in our everyday lives; (3) an appreciation of the limits and potential of visual communications in scholarly research.

Textbooks and Readings:

reading package available from the Student's Union, "Bound and Copied."

Assignments and Evaluation

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment.

Note: Please return assignments directly to the 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.

Participation: 10%

Section Quizzes: 4 X 10% = 40%

Group Scene Analysis: 20%

Final Paper: 30%

The group scene analysis and final paper are due by April 9th if you wish to receive comments from the professor

All assignments are due by April 23rd to be counted toward your final grade

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

See above.

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 wish help with your writing at any stage, including drafts, you are invited to contact the Writing Centre, SS110, 220-7255.�

Grading System

The following grading system is used in the Faculty of Communication and Culture:

A+ (96-100); A (92-95); A- (86-91); B+ (81-85); B (77-80); B- (71-76);
C+ (65-70); C (62-64); C- (59-61); D+ (55-58); D (50-54); F (0-49)

 

Plagiarism

Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. 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 (SS110) 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/info

"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.

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

To be handed out in class.