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Graduate Calendar 2008-2009
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Mass Communication

St. Patrick's Building 344A
Telephone: 613-520-7408
Fax: 613-520-6690
Web site: carleton.ca/sjc

The Program

Director of the School: Karim H. Karim
Supervisor of Graduate Studies: André Turcotte

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 who 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.

Master of Arts

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, 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, non-thesis, or a course-only 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 MCOM 5101 and MCOM 5605. Students in the M.A. program are restricted to one directed studies course, MCOM 5808 (0.5 credit). Students may take one optional course (0.5 credit) outside the program, with permission of the supervisor of graduate studies.

All master's students are required to complete:

  • MCOM 5101 (1.0 credit)
  • MCOM 5605 (0.5 credit)
  • a thesis (2.0 credits) and 1.5 credits from the list of optional courses below, or a research essay (1.0 credit) and 2.5 credits chosen from the list of optional courses, or 3.5 credits chosen from the list of optional courses

Optional Courses

  • MCOM 5200
  • MCOM 5202
  • MCOM 5203
  • MCOM 5204
  • MCOM 5206
  • MCOM 5208
  • MCOM 5210
  • MCOM 5212
  • MCOM 5214
  • MCOM 5216
  • MCOM 5218
  • MCOM 5509
  • MCOM 5808

Note: students may take up to 0.5 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:

  • MCOM 6000 (1.0 credit)
  • 2.0 additional credits from the list of optional courses below; up to 0.5 credit may be taken in a relevant discipline outside of the School; students in the Ph.D. program are restricted to one (0.5 credit) directed studies course (MCOM 6010)
  • 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 additional credits from the list of optional courses below; 0.5 credit may be taken in a relevant discipline outside of the School, particularly those that address central theoretical and/or methodological issues within the student's chosen field of concentration. Students in the Ph.D. program are restricted to one (0.5 credit) directed studies course (MCOM 6010)

  • MCOM 5200
  • MCOM 5202
  • MCOM 5203
  • MCOM 5204
  • MCOM 5206
  • MCOM 5208
  • MCOM 5210
  • MCOM 5212
  • MCOM 5214
  • MCOM 5216
  • MCOM 5218
  • MCOM 5509
  • MCOM 5605
  • MCOM 6001
  • MCOM 6005
  • MCOM 6006
  • MCOM 6007
  • MCOM 6010
  • JOUR 5401
  • JOUR 5500

Comprehensive Examinations

In addition to their course requirements, doctoral candidates are required to write two comprehensive examinations each worth 1.0 credit. The first comprehensive examination (MCOM 6900) is closely related to the course materials in the doctoral seminar (MCOM 6000) and is conducted by the instructors of MCOM 6000 in May following completion of the seminar. To be eligible for the first comprehensive, candidates must have a GPA of 9.0 or higher on their previous course work, including MCOM 6000. Students who fail the first comprehensive may be asked to withdraw from the program.

The second comprehensive examination (MCOM 6901) is normally completed during the second year of the program and tests the student's in-depth knowledge of one field of study. It is conducted by the student's supervisor and advisory committee and involves examination of an approved project related to the chosen field. Before taking the second comprehensive examination, students must have completed all of their course work with a GPA of 9.0 or higher and have satisfactorily completed MCOM 6900. The second comprehensive is expected to 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 fulfil this requirement within the prescribed time period may be asked to withdraw from the program.

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 and to determine the term of offering, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca

MCOM 5101 [1.0 credit]
Foundations of Communication Studies
Examines the origins and traditions of modern communication studies with attention to theoretical and methodological aspects of developments and debates shaping current communication research.
MCOM 5200 [0.5 credit]
Communication and Citizenship
Examines the role of communication in relation to the emergence, development, and problematization of citizenship within civil society and the public sphere.
MCOM 5202 [0.5 credit]
History and Theory of Persuasion
Examines various efforts to discover and apply techniques of successful persuasion from classical rhetoric to scientific public opinion research with attention to contemporary political, public information, and corporate campaigns.
MCOM 5203 [0.5 credit]
Communication, Technology, and Society
Examines the technological context of social communication in terms of human agency, medium theory, and the idea of progress.
MCOM 5204 [0.5 credit]
Media, Culture, and Policy
Examines policy-making as a form of communication from a variety of perspectives, with a focus on the strategies and negotiations that precede policy representation.
MCOM 5206 [0.5 credit]
Communication, Culture, and Regulation
Examines the role of law, moral regulation, and other social means of control in media and cultural practices in areas such as intellectual property, consumerism, and public health.
MCOM 5208 [0.5 credit]
Entertainment Studies
Examines the ways in which entertainment media, audiences, and popular culture shape and reflect social relations in contexts such as movie theatres, tabloids, fanzines, and fashion.
MCOM 5210 [0.5 credit]
Communication and Taste
Examines classical and contemporary theories of taste and their implications for communication. Attention is paid to the role of communication in shaping taste and its classificatory schemata.
MCOM 5212 [0.5 credit]
Communication and Everyday Life
Examines the role of communication within everyday environments ranging from the psychical domain of the self to the worlds of architecture, sound, and etiquette.
MCOM 5214 [0.5 credit]
Communication and Globalization
Examines globalization and communication in the context of international communication history, cultural imperialism, transnational regulation, media integration, and diasporic networks.
MCOM 5216 [0.5 credit]
Communication and Empire
Examines various interpretations of the role of communication in the development of empires and the modern world order.
MCOM 5218 [0.5 credit]
Special Studies of Media
Examines a particular traditional or non-traditional medium of communication. Topic will vary from year to year.
MCOM 5509 [0.5 credit]
Media, Culture, and Gender
Examines various theoretical debates on the production and reproduction of gender relations through communication processes and institutions, and addresses current research issues in feminist and other gender-based approaches to culture and communication.
MCOM 5605 [0.5 credit]
Approaches to Communication Research
Examines the processes of conducting communication research in the context of writing a thesis or research essay. Considers topic selection, question framing, research design, the use of theory, and specific methodologies such as content analysis, discourse analysis, survey research, ethnography, semiotics, and historical analysis.
MCOM 5808 [0.5 credit]
Directed Studies
Directed research or readings on a topic area not covered in that year's course offerings.
MCOM 5908 [1.0 credit]
Research Essay
MCOM 5909 [2.0 credits]
M.A. Thesis
MCOM 6000 [1.0 credit]
Doctoral Seminar in Communication Studies
A seminar leading to the first comprehensive encompassing the program's three fields of concentration: the history of communication as object and field of study, the political economy of communication, and socio-cultural analysis of communication.
MCOM 6001 [0.5 credit]
Selected Topics in Communication
Examines a newly emerging issue, research method, or theory related to communication. Topic will vary from year to year.
MCOM 6005 [0.5 credit]
Communication and History
Examines the history of communication and its conceptualization from various perspectives as well as the way in which historical events arise through communication.
MCOM 6006 [0.5 credit]
Political Economy of Communication
Examines the history of political economy with particular attention to applications in the field of communication.
MCOM 6007 [0.5 credit]
Communication, Discourse, and Representation
Examines the processes and practices of representation through which meanings arise.
MCOM 6010 [0.5 credit]
Directed Studies
Directed research or readings on a topic area not covered in that year's course offerings.
MCOM 6900 [1.0 credit]
Comprehensive Examination I
Examination normally conducted in May of each year in connection with MCOM6000 and covering the program's three fields of concentration: the history of communication as object and field of study; the political economy of communication; and the socio-cultural analysis of communication. Graded as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.
MCOM 6901 [1.0 credit]
Comprehensive Examination II
Examination by the student's thesis supervisor and committee of an approved project related to a particular field of communication research; the field may or may not be related to the student's thesis. Graded as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.
MCOM 6909 [5.0 credits]
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
CDNS 5101, CDNS 5102, CDNS 5201 CDNS 5202, CDNS 5301, CDNS 5302

Economics
ECON 5303

Journalism and Communication
JOUR 5000, JOUR 5500

Political Economy
PECO 5000, PECO 5001

Political Science
PSCI 4003, PSCI 5401

Sociology
SOCI 5205, SOCI 5306, SOCI 5308 SOCI 5309, SOCI 5504, SOCI 5505