COMS 591 - L01
Senior Seminar in Communication

Fall 2008
Lecture: Thursday 14:00 - 16:50

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

 

Course Description

With reference to a special topic, this course explores the variety of ways in which communication builds social and cultural values. Students will undertake a major project that will integrate their understanding of communication theory, history and methodology. See individual course outlines for current topics.

 

Objectives of the Course

 

The objective of this course is to provide an overview of the essential means for studying and analyzing mass communication. 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 mass communication.

 

Textbooks and Readings:

Available through Blackboard.

 

Assignments and Evaluation

Quizzes (10 x 1% = 10%). Beginning in the fourth week of term, we will open each class with a short (2 or 3 questions) quiz covering the week's readings. These quizzes will take place every week.

 

Presentations (3 x 15% - 45%). Each week, beginning with the fourth week, we will have a number of presentations by individual class members. Depending upon enrolment, this could be as many as seven presentations per week. Presentations will be brief and focus on the course material and the readings for that week. Students will have FIVE MINUTES to make their presentation from the time that their name is called. There will be no in-class time to prepare or mount Powerpoint presentations and/or film clips. These can be easily mounted if they are sent to the professor AT LEAST 24 hours in advance of class. If you use up all of your time setting up Powerpoint, your presentation will be cut off. Ask yourself: do you really need to use Powerpoint?

 

Final Paper (45%). The final paper will be on a topic of the student's choice related to the material discussed in class. It will take the form of a long essay (18-20 pages). Papers are due in class on December 4. Late papers 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