COMS441 - L01
Cultural Studies in Communication
Winter 2008
Tuesdays 14:00 - 16:50

January 15 - April 15, 2008

 

Instructor:                            Rebecca Sullivan

Office Location:                  SS344

Office Phone:                      403-220-3397

E-Mail:                                  rsulliva@ucalgary.ca

Web Page:                           see Blackboard

Office Hours:                       Mondays 13:00 - 15:00

Additional Information

Some of the materials and topics presented in class may 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 while welcoming thoughtful, critical discussions about their representations and discourses in media and popular culture.

 

Responsibility for attending and fulfilling the requirements for lectures, screenings, readings and assignments 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.

 

A mailing list has been set up for the class, the address is coms441l01w08-l@mailman.ucalgary.ca. This is to assist you in developing a peer support group amongst yourselves. Your subscription to the list is mandatory and automatic and you are assumed to have checked for any messages in advance of the class meetings, in case of sudden changes to the schedule. The professor will monitor the group and be able to read all posts, but will not contribute unless there is an important point of clarification to be addressed.

 

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 your responsibility to ensure that your records are up to date. You will miss receiving important information for this class if you do not have an up-to-date e-mail address registered on the system.

 

Course Description

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to key concepts in cultural studies as it pertains to the discipline of communication studies. Emphasis will be on mass mediated forms of popular culture.

Objectives of the Course

Through lectures, screenings, readings and independent assignments students will learn: (1) how to apply critical theoretical concepts to their understanding of media and popular culture; (2) important strategies for deconstructing media and popular culture and creating meaningful interpretations; (3) how to synthesize, assess and apply sophisticated scholarly concepts to issues that concern you personally.

Textbooks and Readings:

Media Studies: A Reader, second edition
edited by Sue Thornham and Paul Marris
available at the university bookstore

Assignments and Evaluation

Section Quizzes

February 5th, March 4th, March 25th, April 15th

15% each = 60% total grade

 

Each quiz will cover the screening, readings and lecture. You will have until 3:30 to complete it.

 

Group Assignments

Handed out on February 5th, March 4th, March 25th, April 15th

10% each = 40% total grade

 

On the first day of class you will be organized into groups with no less than 3 members but no more than 5, 4 being the optimum. After each of the quizzes, you will be given two essay questions which you will answer as a group. Your responses to each question must be no more than 750 words and follow a scholarly format (see my website on research skills).

 

All assignments are due by April 18th for comments and grading

All assignments are due by April 25th for grading without comments

Assignments received after April 25th will not be accepted

 

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

See "Assignments and Evaluations" for information on deadlines

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 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

 

Available on Blackboard