Instructors will introduce students to several contemporary debates in Canadian and global Communication Studies, with a particular focus on issues of the political economy of media, labour relations in media industries, and technological innovation/disruption. Students will also focus on skills of critical thinking in the context of Communication Studies, including the constitutive elements of an effective argument. Debates will be introduced through readings (canonical and contemporary reflections or case studies) and media clips. Students will be expected to reflect on their initial opinions, as well as how their opinions may change after lecture each week.
Sample topics include:
Instruction will consist of weekly lectures, as well as seminar-style discussion of specific issues. Participation and engagement with the material are essential in this course, and students must be prepared to discuss and debate each week.
Student learning will typically be assessed using the following assignments:
At the end of the course, the successful student will be able to satisfy the following learning objectives:
Suggested texts:
Coursepack of both canonical readings on specific issues as well as recent peer-reviewed journal articles.
Greenberg, J., & Elliott, C. (Current edition). Communication in question: Competing perspectives on controversial issues in communication studies. Toronto, Ontario: Nelson Education.
No prerequisite courses.
No corequisite courses.
No equivalent courses.
Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.
| Institution | Transfer Details | Effective Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander College (ALEX) | ALEX SOSC 1XX (3) | 2017/09/01 to - |
| Athabasca University (AU) | AU CMNS 2XX (3) | 2017/09/01 to - |
| Capilano University (CAPU) | CAPU CMNS 1XX (3) | 2017/09/01 to - |
| College of the Rockies (COTR) | COTR COMC 1XX (3) | 2017/09/01 to - |
| Coquitlam College (COQU) | COQU CMNS 130 (3) | 2018/01/01 to - |
| Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) | KPU COMM 1XXX (3) | 2017/09/01 to - |
| Langara College (LANG) | LANG ARTS 1XXX (3) | 2017/09/01 to - |
| North Island College (NIC) | NIC MCS 1XX (3) | 2017/09/01 to - |
| Okanagan College (OC) | OC CMNS 1XX (3) | 2017/09/01 to - |
| Simon Fraser University (SFU) | SFU CMNS 130 (3) | 2017/09/01 to - |
| Thompson Rivers University (TRU) | TRU CMNS 1XXX (3) | 2017/09/01 to - |
| Trinity Western University (TWU) | TWU MCOM 1XX (3) | 2020/05/01 to - |
| Trinity Western University (TWU) | TWU MCOM 2XX (3) | 2017/05/01 to - |
| Trinity Western University (TWU) | TWU MCOM 2XX (3) | 2017/05/01 to 2020/04/30 |
| University Canada West (UCW) | UCW COMM 1XX (3) | 2017/09/01 to - |
| University of British Columbia - Vancouver (UBCV) | UBCV ARTS 1st (3) | 2017/09/01 to - |
| University of Northern BC (UNBC) | No credit | 2017/09/01 to - |
| University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) | UFV MACS 299 (3) | 2017/09/01 to - |
| University of Victoria (UVIC) | UVIC SOCI 1XX (1.1) | 2017/09/01 to - |
| Vancouver Community College (VCC) | No credit | 2017/05/01 to - |