Communications Studies (COMS) 441 - Lecture 01

CULTURAL STUDIES IN COMMUNICATIONS

Fall 2007

TR 11:00-12:15

Brian Rusted

Social Sciences Building 340

220-7766                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

rusted@ucalgary.ca

Office hours: Thurs 13:30-16:00 or by appointment

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Some assignments in this course may require research involving human subjects. Students should be aware of information contained in the note on "Ethics" below. Some course content may contain material that is sexually explicit, violent or otherwise offensive. If you have concerns about this please make them known to the instructor in advance.  Lecture notes will not be available for electronic distribution: it is the student's responsibility to make notes on lecture material during the lecture. Use of recording technologies in class is prohibited.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

 

A survey of major approaches to the study of human communication in the cultural and critical traditions, including semiotic models of communications processes and interpretive methods of research. The course considers the intellectual context in which these research traditions emerge and are applied.

OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE:

The course has the following objectives: 1) to introduce students to qualitative traditions of communications research; 2) to provide an integrated sense of the development of theory and method in qualitative research; 3) to consider the contributions of critical and cultural studies traditions to the broader practices of communications research; 4) to increase fluency in working with the key concepts in the qualitative traditions of communications research and, 5) to have direct experience of thinking within the frameworks offered by certain theories and methods. 

TEXTBOOKS AND READINGS:

 

Required reading for the course includes the following book that will be available in The Bookstore. Other related materials indicated for particular classes will be on reserve in the library. Some of this material is required, while other readings are recommended (if you need more background, or wish to pursue a topic in more detail).

Gedalof, Allan J. et. al. eds. (2005). Cultural Subjects: A Popular Culture Reader. Thomson Nelson.

ASSIGNMENTS AND EVALUATION:

Grading is based on assignments designed to encourage both an understanding of the development of qualitative research traditions in communications, and the application of particular methods to contemporary social practices. The biography assignment is aimed at putting into historical context the work of a particular theorist or their relation to the development of a particular research method. The article assignment is aimed at developing fluency in theoretical terms and an appreciation of their application. The analysis assignments provide critical textual and ethnographic skills, familiarity with different forms of data, and an appreciation of the ethical issues of research involving human subjects. The final exam will be an opportunity to integrate qualitative theory and practice within the field of Communications Studies.

 

The final grade will be based on completing three of the following five term assignments in addition to completing the registrar scheduled final exam. In your choice of three of the following five assignments, one must be a presentation.

 

Biographical presentation 25% (coordinated with specific weekly topic)

Article presentation 25% (coordinated with specific weekly reading)

Text analysis 25% (due in class, October 4)

Material Culture analysis 25%  (due in class November 1)

Performance analysis 25%  (due in class December 4)

 

Final Exam 25% (Registrar Scheduled)

 

Detailed descriptions of each assignment will be handed out at the beginning of the course.

 

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: Yes

 

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

 

Assignments submitted after the deadline may be penalized with the loss of a grade (e.g.: A- to B+) for each day late.

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

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 offence. 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. Useemergency 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:

Week 1: September 11

Introduction 

- Gedalof, Part I "A General and Historical Overview of Cultural Studies"

Week 2:  September 18

Theories of Culture

• - Gedalof, Part II "Cultural Studies Theory"; Unit 1, chapter 3
• - Althusser, chapter 2.1 in Counsell and Wolf

Week 3:  September 25

Subjectivity

• - Gedalof, Unit I, Chapters 2 and 4
• - De Saussure, chapter 1.1 in Counsell and Wolf
• - Barthes, chapter 1.2 in Counsell and Wolf

Week 4:  October 2

Identity

• - Gedalof, Unit I, Chapters 7 and 8
• - Chaney, chapter 4 in Lull

Week 5:  October 9

Popular Forms:

- Gedalof, Unit I, chapters 5 and 6

Week 6: October 16

Popular Forms:

• - Gedalof, Unit II, chapters 9 and 10
• - Weinstein in Greenberg

Week 7:  October 23

Visual Culture

• - Gedalof, Unit II, chapters 11, 12 and 13
• - Messaris, chapter 9 in Lull

Week 8: October 30

Material Culture:

• - Gedalof, Unit III, chapters 14 and 15
• - hooks, chapter 4.3 in Counsell and Wolf

Week 9:  November 6

Cultural Sites:

• - Gedalof, Unit III, chapters 16 and 17
• - Tuan, chapter 6.1 in Counsell and Wolf

Week 10: November 13

The Body:

• - Real, chapter 8 in Lull
• - Norton in Greenberg
• - Bahktin, chapter 8.3 in Counsell and Wolf

Week 11: November 20

The Body:

• - Gedalof, Unit IV chapters 20 and 21
• - Butler, chapter 3.3 in Counsell and Wolf

Week 12:  November 27

The Body:

• - Gedalof, Unit IV, chapter 22
• - Jones and Kucker, chapter 11 in Lull
• - Iser, chapter 7.1 in Counsell and Wolf

Week 13:  December 4

Conclusion

 

RESERVE READING LIST:

 

Bainbridge, Caroline (2007). Culture and the Unconscious. Palgrave.

 

Birchall, Clare (2006). Knowledge Goes Pop. Berg.

 

Counsell, Colin (2001). Performance Analysis: An Introductory Coursebook. Routledge.

 

Denzin, Norman and Michael Giardina, eds. (2007). Contesting Empire, Globalizing Dissent: Cultural Studies After 9/11. Paradigm.

Gibson, Mark (2007). Culture and Power: A History of Cultural Studies. Berg.

Greenberg, Arielle (2006). Youth Subcultures: Exploring Underground America. Longman.

 

Hall, Stuart (1997). Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifiying Practices. London: Routledge.

 

Huq, Rupa (2005). Beyond Subculture: Youth and Pop in a Multi-Ethnic World. Routledge.

 

Kellner, Douglas (2003). Media Spectacle. Routledge.

 

Lull, James (2001). Culture in the Communication Age. New York: Routledge.

 

Monaghan, Leila and Jane Goodman, eds. (2006). A Cultural Approach to Interpersonal Communication: Essential Readings. Blackwell.

 

Schwoch, John and Mimi White (2006). Questions of Methods in Cultural Studies. Blackwell.

 

Stanczak, Gregory (2007) Visual Research Methods. Sage.

 

Storey, John (2006). Cultural Theory and Popular Culture. University of Georgia Press.

 

Tilley, Christopher and Patricia Spyer, eds. (2006). Handbook of Material Culture. Sage.