 |
|
|
Mass Communication
St. Patrick's Building 310
Telephone: 520-7408
Fax: 520-6690
The Program
Associate Director, Paul Attallah
Supervisor of Graduate Studies, Vincent Mosco
Master of Arts
The Mass Communication program of the School of Journalism and Communication
offers a program of studies leading to a Master of Arts degree in Communication.
Courses covering four areas of concentration are offered:
* the history of communication and media systems
* communication/information technologies and society
* communication and social relations
* communication policy and political economy
Additional information may be obtained by consulting the supervisor
of graduate studies.
Qualifying-Year Program
Applicants who lack an Honours degree, but have a 3 year degree with honours
standing (a minimum B standing overall) may be considered for admission
to a qualifying-year program. Students who complete the qualifying year
with high honours standing may be considered for admission to the master's
program in the following year. Refer to the General Regulations section
of this Calendar for regulations governing the qualifying year.
Admission Requirements
The minimum requirement for admission to the master's program is a B.A.(Honours)
degree or the equivalent, with high honours standing in communication or
a related discipline. Related disciplines may include sociology, political
science, film studies, and Canadian studies.
Applicants without a background in communication studies may be required
to take certain designated courses from the undergraduate mass communication
program in addition to their regular program.
Possession of the minimum entrance standing is not in itself, however,
an assurance of admission into the program.
Program Requirements
Each student, in consultation with the supervisor of graduate studies,
will be required to follow a thesis or a non-thesis program for a total
of 5.0 credits. Two of the four areas of concentration must be chosen.
In selecting their program of studies, all students will be required
to take Communication 27.511. Students may take one optional course (1.0
credit) outside the program, with permission of the supervisor of graduate
studies.
All master's students are required to complete:
* Communication 27.511
* 1.0 credit selected from: Communication 27.521, 27.523, 27.525, 27.531
* a thesis (2.0 credits) and 1.0 credit from the list of optional courses
below, or a research essay (1.0 credit) and 2.0 credits chosen from the
list of optional courses
Optional Courses
* Communication 27.555
* Communication 27.556
* Communication 27.557
* Communication 27.558
* Communication 27.559
* Communication 27.565
* Communication 27.589
* Communication 27.590
Note: Students may take up to 1.0 credit outside the program
with permission of the supervisor of graduate studies.
Academic Standing
A standing of B- or better must be obtained in each credit counted
towards the master's degree.
Doctor of Philosophy
The School of Journalism and Communication offers a program of studies
leading to the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Communication. The program
focuses on three fields of concentration:
* The history of communication
* The political economy of communication
* The socio-cultural analysis of communication
Admission Requirements
The normal requirement for admission into the doctoral program is a master's
degree (or the equivalent) in communication or a cognate field such as
journalism studies, with an overall average of B+ or better.
Applicants who have deficiencies in certain areas may be admitted to
the Ph.D. Program, but will normally be required to complete additional
course work.
Program Requirements
Doctoral candidates must successfully complete the equivalent of 10.0 credits.
The specific requirements are as follows:
* Communication 27.600 (1.0 credit)
* 2.0 additional credits from the list of optional courses below; up
to 1.0 credit may be taken in a relevant discipline outside of the School
* Comprehensive examinations (2.0 credits)
* A thesis (5.0 credits) which must be defended at an oral examination
* A language requirement as stated below
Optional Courses
All doctoral candidates must complete 2.0 credits of optional courses
from the list of approved options below. Students are encouraged to take
up to 1.0 credit from courses offered in other departments, particularly
those that address central theoretical and/or methodological issues within
the student's chosen field of concentration. Students are also encouraged
to choose directed readings/research courses with the core faculty of the
program.
* Communication 27.521
* Communication 27.523
* Communication 27.525
* Communication 27.531
* Communication 27.555
* Communication 27.556
* Communication 27.557
* Communication 27.558
* Communication 27.559
* Journalism 28.541
* Journalism 28.550
Comprehensive Examinations
Once doctoral candidates have successfully completed all course requirements,
maintaining a GPA of 9.0 or better, they will proceed
to the comprehensive examinations. The comprehensive requirement normally
consists of two examinations equivalent to 2.0 credits. Both examinations
must normally be completed no later than two years or six terms after initial
full-time registration, or four years or 12 terms after initial part-time
registration. Students who do not fulfill this requirement may be asked
to withdraw from the program.
The first examination tests the student's mastery of the theoretical,
methodological and substantive issues of the discipline as a whole. Students
complete a written examination, covering all three fields of specialization
in the program, which will be determined and graded by the instructors
of Communication 27.600. Submission of the written examination is followed
by a comprehensive oral examination, which is not restricted to issues
raised by the written portion. Students who fail the examination will normally
be asked to withdraw from the program.
The second examination tests the student's knowledge of one field of
specialization. The student normally will write answers to a set of field
questions and will defend these answers before the student's advisory committee.
Language Requirement
Students are required to demonstrate an understanding of a language other
than English, preferably French. Language testing will be administered
by the School and will normally include a demonstration of reasonable understanding,
on sight, of material contained in selected samples of scholarly literature
in a foreign language and in the field of communication.
Thesis Requirement
A thesis proposal is presented after the comprehensive requirement has
been satisfied, and defended at an oral presentation. The thesis, normally
equivalent to 5.0 credits, must be successfully defended at an oral examination.
Academic Standing
A standing of B- or better must be obtained in each course counted
towards the Ph.D. Degree. Students are advised to consult the General Regulations
section of the Graduate Calendar for details of regulations governing graduate
programs.
Graduate Courses
Not all of the following courses are offered in a given year. For an
up-to-date statement of course offerings for 2000-2001, please consult
the Registration Instructions and Class Schedule booklet published
in the summer.
F,W,S indicates term of offering. Courses offered in the fall and winter
are followed by T. The number following the letter indicates the credit
weight of the course: 1 denotes 0.5 credit, 2 denotes 1.0 credit.
-
Communication 27.511T2
-
Foundations of Communication Studies
-
This course undertakes an examination of the historical emergence of communication
studies. It deals with the methodological debates which have occurred between
various schools over the competing definitions of communication, and over
the broader question of the centrality of communication to society.
-
Communication 27.521F1 or W1
-
History of Social Communication
-
A historical examination of the institutions, practices, and media of communication
in various social milieux.
-
Communication 27.523F1 or W1
-
Communication Technology and Society
-
The course examines the social and cultural significance of communication
and information technology (e.g., computers, television, telecommunication).
It examines how these technologies influence and are influenced by major
social institutions (e.g., business, government, entertainment) and by
cultural practices.
-
Communication 27.525F1 or W1
-
Communication and Social Relations
-
This course studies how communication practices reproduce relations of
inclusion and exclusion. It explores theoretical contributions to notions
of public sphere, civil society, and citizenship. These issues are examined
at the transnational level and are studied by looking at Orientalism and
globalism.
-
Communication 27.531F1 or W1
-
Communication Institutions, Cultural Industries and State Policy
-
This course introduces various approaches to understanding communication
policy and the political economy of communication. The course focuses on
recent transformations in the communication industries, the impact of new
technology, and changes in how governments intervene in the communications
field.
-
Communication 27.555F1 or W1
-
Communication Media
-
A research seminar which focuses critically upon one of the communication
media (such as radio, television, film, telecommunications, publishing,
etc.) with a view to understanding its history, forms and genres, and social
uses.
-
Communication 27.556F1 or W1
-
International Communication
-
This course explores communication in a global context. It looks at the
New World Information and Communication Order debate, structures and regulation
of transborder communication, and broadcasting and news flows. Resistance
to cultural imperialism and the emergence of diasporic networks of communication
are also studied.
-
Communication 27.557F1 or W1
-
History of Canadian Broadcasting
-
A topical and thematic examination of selected aspects of the history of
Canadian broadcasting, such as structure, regulation, technology, commercialism,
social impact, audience research, and areas of programming such as drama,
news, political and controversial broadcasts, and Northern broadcasting.
-
Communication 27.558F1 or W1
-
Mass, Public, Audience
-
This course examines the emergence and evolution of conceptions of modern
social organization through the key concepts of mass, public, and audience.
It looks at how shifts in the understanding of social organization occur,
how these shifts are theorized, and the implications for communication
study.
-
Communication 27.559F1 or W1
-
Media, Culture and Gender
-
This course examines the various theoretical positions which underlie the
debates on the production and reproduction of gender relations through
communication processes and communication institutions. It addresses current
research issues in the feminist debates on culture and communication.
-
Communication 27.565F1 or W1
-
Special Topics in Communication Research
-
The course considers a variety of research protocols and procedures which
may include: research organization; documentary research techniques; strategies
in textual analysis, including content analysis and thematic analysis;
qualitative techniques, including interviewing, observation, and ethnography;
quantitative methods, including questionnaires, coding procedures, and
statistical analysis.
-
Communication 27.589F1, W1, S1
-
Directed Research
-
The student, working under faculty direction, will develop and undertake
a research project in order to study a particular subject area.
-
Communication 27.590F1, W1, S1
-
Directed Studies
-
Tutorials or directed readings in selected areas of communication. The
student will present papers as the basis for discussion with the tutor.
-
Communication 27.598F2, W2, S2
-
Research Essay
-
Communication 27.599F4, W4, S4
-
M.A. Thesis
-
Communication 27.600T2
-
Doctoral Seminar in Communication Studies
-
The course examines major schools of thought in the field and leading theoretical
and methodological debates, with an emphasis on the three fields of concentration
in the program: the history of communication, the political economy of
communication, and the socio-cultural analysis of communication.
-
Communication 27.601F1 or W1
-
Selected Topics in Communication
-
A seminar offered from time to time in one of the three fields of concentration.
-
Communication 27.602F1, W1, S1
-
Tutorial in Communication
-
A tutorial in one of the fields of concentration of the program.
-
Communication 27.603F1, W1, S1
-
Directed Research
-
The student, working under faculty direction, will develop and undertake
a research project in order to study a particular subject area.
-
Communication 27.604F1, W1, S1
-
Directed Studies
-
Directed readings in selected areas of communication. The student will
present papers as the basis for discussion with the tutor.
-
Communication 27.690F2, W2, S2
-
Ph.D. Tutorial
-
A tutorial specifically designed as preparation for the first or breadth
comprehensive examination, under the direction of two or more faculty members.
The grade to be awarded will be that obtained on both the written examination
and the oral defense.
-
Communication 27.691F2, W2, S2
-
Ph.D. Tutorial
-
Working under the direction of three or more faculty members, the selected
tutorial provides preparation for the second or depth comprehensive examination.
The grade to be awarded is that obtained in the second comprehensive examination.
-
Communication 27.699F10,W10,S10
-
Ph.D. Thesis
Selection of Courses in Related Disciplines
In addition to courses offered by the Mass Communication program, the following
courses may, with the prior approval of the supervisor of graduate studies,
be used to complete program requirements. This list is not exclusive and
is subject to change. Students should be aware that enrolment in these
courses may be limited and that registration may be conditional upon obtaining
prior approval of the department concerned.
Note: It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that
permission is obtained from the appropriate department prior to registering
in any of the department's courses.
-
Canadian Studies
-
12.510, 12.520, 12.530
-
Economics
-
43.533
-
Geography
-
45.543
-
Journalism and Communication
-
28.500, 28.550
-
Political Economy
-
44.500, 44.501
-
Political Science
-
47.403 Politics and the Media
-
47.504, 47.541
-
Sociology
-
53.525, 53.536, 53.538, 53.539, 53.554, 53.555
|
|
