Communication Studies (COMS) 591 S20
Senior Seminar in Communications
Spring 2008
Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00 - 13:30

Instructor:	Richard Sutherland
Office Location:	SS 351
Office Phone:	210-8475
E-Mail:	rfsuther@ucalgary.ca
Web Page:	Blackboard
Office Hours:	By appointment

Additional Information

Course Description

The course uses popular music and technology as a site for an investigation for a number of wider perspectives on both technology and on popular culture. We will explore the complexity of this relationship through a number of texts and scholarly perspectives, allowing us to see technology as an integral component in music's creation, consumption and content, as well as popular music's role in shaping understandings, adoption and applications of certain technologies.

 

Objectives of the Course

Through class discussion, assignments and presentations students will apply the understanding of theory and methodology in communication studies they have acquired through previous coursework to investigate this area of popular culture as interaction of meanings, people and things. Students will demonstrate the ability to move beyond simple deterministic models of both culture and technology and toward a more detailed and nuanced conception of the practices that make up this field.

Textbooks and Readings:

All readings available online. A detailed reading list will be available by the start of the class.

 

Assignments and Evaluation

Term paper (12-15 pages) due the week of June 24 40%

Term paper proposal May 22 10%

Paired class presentation May 27 - June 19 25%

Class participation 10%

Reading responses 10%

Response to a classmate's paper 5%

 

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

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 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 Faculty of Communication and Culture Research Ethics site: http://www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/ethics

or the University of Calgary Research Ethics site: http://www.ucalgary.ca/research/compliance/ethics/info/undergrad/

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

 

To be distributed first day of class.