[Calendar Home Page] Wilfrid Laurier University - 2002/2003 Undergraduate Academic Calendar

Faculty of Arts


Communication Studies Courses

Note: A studio fee is charged for studio courses (excluding CS207 and CS208).

CS100 Introduction to Communication Studies 0.5

An introduction to the study of human communication from prehistory to the digital age, emphasizing the social implications of technological change, past and present. The course will introduce students to various research traditions and topics in areas such as language, media and culture.

CS101 Mass Communication in Canada 0.5

An introduction to the key issues in Canadian mass communications from a variety of perspectives, including such topics as social history of mass media in Canada, public policy and politics, and popular culture.

CS104 Photography as a Form of Visual Expression and Communication 0.5

(Cross-listed as FI104.)

CS200 Human Communication Processes 0.5

A study of the complexity of everyday communication through an examination of the interplay between verbal and non-verbal resources used to produce "messages". Discussed are the powers and limitations of language as well as the role of communication in maintaining and changing social reality. (The course does not include direct instruction in communication skills.)

Prerequisite: CS100 or CS101.

CS201 Reasoning and Argumentation 0.5

(Cross-listed as PY201.)

CS202 Nonverbal Communication 0.5

An introduction to the study of nonverbal communication in interpersonal, intercultural and mass media contexts. Topics include the relationship of nonverbal to verbal communication, human versus animal communication, facial expressions, body language, gesture, visual art, body adornment and dress.

Prerequisite: CS100 or CS101.

CS203 Conceptual Issues in Communication and Culture 0.5

A study of key topics in communication and culture, such as language, representation, ideology, knowledge, power, subjectivity, emancipation and community. Emphasis will be given to the analysis of theoretical perspectives.

Prerequisite: CS100 or CS101.

CS204 The Film as a Modern Medium 0.5

A study of the technical problems of film making, leading to the writing, production and editing of a silent film.

Prerequisite: Registration in a Communication Studies or Fine Arts program (or permission of the dean of arts).
Studio course

CS205 Electronic Approaches to Film Making 0.5

A study of the principles involved in electronic filmmaking, sound recording for film, and the merging of film and video techniques.

Prerequisite: CS204 and registration in a Communication Studies or Fine Arts program (or permission of the dean of arts).
Studio course

CS207 Media and Society 0.5

Basic study of the selection, organization, and arrangement of written material in various media, with some practical application, designed to develop an awareness of functions such as news reporting, public relations and advertising. Study of media, such as newspapers, periodicals, radio and television.

Studio course

CS208 Graphic Design and Print Media 0.5

An introduction to the technologies of print production and basic principles of effective graphic design. Some consideration is given to design and digital communications, as well as to critical visual literacy. (It is recommended that students have access to a computer and be proficient in the use of a word processing software package.)

Studio course

CS209 Radio/Audio: Technical Aids to Communication 0.5

A study of the history and technology of radio and audio recording, with some attention to audio production, including scriptwriting.

Prerequisite: Registration status: senior student.
Exclusion: CS105.
Studio course

CS210 Television: Technology and Modern Media 0.5

A study of the history and technology of television, with some attention to the details and demands of studio and technical work.

Prerequisite: Permission of the department.
Exclusion: CS309.
Studio course

CS212 Language, Communication and Culture 0.5

An examination of the relationship between language, communication and culture from a multi-disciplinary perspective, including anthropology, linguistics, philosophy and sociology. Topics examined include the nature of language, words and meaning, the relationship between language, culture and the world, and the idea of the preservation of languages.

Prerequisite: CS100 or CS101.

CS214 Intermediate Photography 0.5

(Cross-listed as FI214.)

CS235 Communication Research Methods 0.5

A survey of communication studies research acquainting students with the variety of quantitative and qualitative methods used in the field. The emphasis is on developing skills needed to gain access to, and to evaluate critically, research in communication studies on such topics as media influence, public opinion or interpersonal communication.

Prerequisite: CS100 or CS101.

CS303 History of Communication Thought 0.5

An exploration of communication concepts in Western intellectual history and social thought from the 17th century to the present. Topics include the nature of language, oral versus literate traditions, cultural relativity, progress, emancipation, and the role of technology in extending and limiting human communication. Primary source readings will be used.

Prerequisite: CS203.

CS304 Canadian Communication Thought 0.5

This course is a survey of classic and contemporary literature in the area of Canadian communication, media and cultural criticism. Topics include aboriginal and colonial media, the enduring tension between continentalism and nationalism, the use of cultural institutions in nation building, multiculturalism, as well as Innis, McLuhan and Grant and their legacy in contemporary theory. (Cross-listed as CA304.)

Prerequisite: CS203.

CS305 Cultural Studies 0.5

This course is a survey in the classic and contemporary literature in the interdisciplinary study of culture. Topics discussed include the Birmingham tradition of cultural studies, continental European and American perspectives, subculture and queer theory.

Prerequisite: CS203.
Exclusion: CS410.

CS308 Sociology of Mass Communication 0.5

(Cross-listed as SY308.)

CS310 Mass Communications, Anthropology and Development 0.5

(Cross-listed as AN332.)

CS312 Image, Sound, Text 0.5

An examination of some of the narrative formats and medium specific techniques that have been used in film, radio, and television over the past one hundred years. Topics to be covered include the legacy of silent film, film sound, the codes of radio, television genres, and the documentary tradition in all three media.

Prerequisite: CS200.

CS315 Print Communication and Culture 0.5

This course examines the production and distribution of primary forms of print communication, such as newspapers, magazines and books, against a historical and contemporary background, and with respect to print communication's role in the formulation and dissemination of ideas in society. Topics include print design and technological change, audiences and reading spaces, the impact of promotional culture, and the reinvention of print in the digital age.

Prerequisite: CS203.

CS322 Gender, Communication and Culture 0.5

An in-depth study of gender and communication as approached by sociolinguistics, media and cultural criticism. Topics may include debates on sexist language, the gendered subject and linguistic performance, media representations of gender, and normative and alternative forms of gender in culture.

Prerequisite: CS200.
Exclusion: CS340I.

CS323 Media and Communication Ethics 0.5

An examination of the main ethical issues in mass communications media (television, newspapers, the internet, etc.), including such topics as objectivity, freedom of expression, representations of sex, violence and other human behavior, privacy, confidentiality and obligations to the public.

Prerequisite: Registration status: senior student.

CS325 Digital Media and Culture 0.5

This course is a survey of classic and contemporary literature in the area of digital media and culture, including the personal computer, the Internet, virtual reality, digital photography, computer generated imagery and video games. This course is meant to reflect the emergent interest in these technologies and their implications for identity, political economy, society and culture.

Prerequisite: CS203.

CS333 Alternative Media 0.5

This course examines the history, structure, role, content, and development of a range of independent, progressive and radical media. The emphasis is on different media and communication forms (e.g., language, pamphlets, manifestos, video, Web sites) set within their historical and socio-political contexts, particularly their contribution to, and position within, oppositional cultures, social movements and political organizations.

Prerequisite: CS203.
Exclusion: CS340j.

CS340 Special Topics 0.5
Prerequisite: Registration status: senior student in the Communication Studies program.
Irregular course

CS341 Advertising as Communication 0.5

This course examines various culturally-based critiques of advertising, by contrasting what critics of the industry say advertisers are doing and what advertisers say they are trying to do. Students will be introduced to key concepts and approaches in the industry. The course proceeds through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops and readings.

Prerequisite: Registration status: senior student.

CS400 Senior Seminar in Communication Studies 0.5

The course integrates communication concepts from the humanities, social sciences and media components of the major. Special attention is given to contemporary issues as they affect individuals and society.

Prerequisite: CS200, and either registration status of at least third year in a Communication Studies program or permission of the instructor.

CS429 Directed Studies 0.5

This course enables students to work in a selected area of Communication Studies, under the guidance of a faculty member.

Prerequisite: Permission of the department. (Open to Communication Studies majors only.)
Exclusion: CS329.
Irregular course



Faculty of Arts
Faculty of Arts – Programs and Courses
Communication Studies

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DRAFT electronic version updated at 1:45 p.m. January 30, 2003

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