Mass Communication St. Patrick's Building 310 Telephone: 788-7408 Fax: 788-6690 The Program Associate Director: Paul Attallah Supervisor of Graduate Studies: E.M. Saunders 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 pass 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. Master of Arts Admission Requirements The minimum requirement for admission to the master's program is an honours bachelor's 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 five full 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: Foundations of Communication Studies. Students may take one optional course (one full credit) outside the program, with permission of the supervisor of graduate studies. All master's students are required to complete: * 27.511: Foundations of Communication Studies * two half credits selected from: 27.521: History of Social Communication 27.523: Communication, Technology and Society 27.525: Communication and Social Relations 27.531: Communication Institutions, Cultural Industries and State Policy * a thesis (two credits) and two half credits from the list of optional courses below, or a research essay (one credit) and four half credits chosen from the list of optional courses Optional Courses * 27.555: Communication Media * 27.556: International Communication * 27.557: History of Canadian Broadcasting * 27.558: Mass, Public, Audience * 27.559: Media, Culture and Gender * 27.565: Special Topics in Communication Research * 27.589: Directed Research * 27.590: Directed Studies Note: Students may take up to one 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 course counted towards the master's degree. Graduate Courses* The following is a list of all courses in mass communication at the graduate level. Please note that not all courses are offered every year. Students should consult the university and school timetables published early in July. * Communication 27.511T2 Foundations of Communication Studies This course undertakes an examination of the historical emergence of communication studies in North America. It examines specific problematics and theoretical paradigms as they relate to their contexts of emergence and their underlying logics. It will deal 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 An examination of how major changes in the institutions and technologies of communication have affected the development of western society from the medieval period to the present day. Consideration will be given to relevant theoretical studies on communication as well as to selected works on social and cultural history. * 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 The course provides a detailed analysis of communication processes and practices and the way in which they produce and reproduce the social contexts and relations of gender, age, ethnicity, and political and other socio-cultural attachments. The course explores major theoretical contributions to the understanding of this relationship and considers a number of specific case studies and empirical research findings. * Communication 27.531F1 or W1 Communication Institutions, Cultural Industries and State Policy The course examines the economic and industrial organization of communication and cultural production in Canada. It introduces students to political economy analysis and institutional analysis of the communication and cultural industries. The course covers the historical development of communication institutions and enterprises, the governing logics and mechanisms of operation, and the role of state agencies in this sector. The course will, among other things, study the notions of market and mandate, labour and leisure, and consumption and choice. The course also considers the state, both as an actor and as a field of intervention in the socio-economic development of communication, and the processes of policy making as they concern contemporary Canadian debates. * 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 addresses the institutions, processes and policies in international communication. It does so by discussing the development of global news, mass entertainment, advertising and telecommunication systems. The course examines public and private international organizations that create media and make international communication policy. It addresses critical issues including the relationship between the freedom to communicate and national sovereignty, the role of international media coverage in world politics, and the impact of global media technologies on traditional cultures. * Communication 27.557F1 or W1 History of Canadian Broadcasting An examination of the development of public and private radio and television broadcasting in Canada in both English and French from the 1920s to the present day. Consideration will be given to changes in the structure and regulation of the Canadian broadcasting system; the evolution of broadcast technology; developments within areas of programming such as news, public affairs, drama, women's interests, and children's programs; the role of special services such as the CBC Northern Service and Radio Canada International; and controversies such as the debate over Canadian content regulations. Each student will be expected to write a seminar paper based in part on original research using primary source materials such as archival documents, oral history interviews, and extant program tapes. * 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 and why shifts in the understanding of social organization occur, how and why 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 and explores the possibilities for a feminist politics of 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; and writing organization and style. * 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 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 Northern and Native Issues 12.520 Women's Studies 12.530 Canadian Culture and Cultural Policy Economics 43.533 Regulation and Public Enterprise Film Studies 19.528 Canadian Cinema Geography 45.543 Selected Concepts in Cultural Geography Journalism and Communication 28.500 Journalism and Society I 28.560 Journalism and Society II Political Economy 44.500 Theories of Political Economy 44.501 The Methodology of Political Economy Political Science 47.403 Politics and the Media 47.504 Policy Making in Canada 47.541 Canadian Public Administration and Policy Analysis Sociology 53.525 Canadian Society 53.536 Cultural Studies 53.538 Feminist Analyses 53.539 Cultural Theory 53.554 Selected Problems in Political Economy I 53.555 Selected Problems in Political Economy II