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Sociology and Communication Joint Major
Sociology and Communication overlap in many concerns: nature, production, commodification, and politics of culture; communicative processes and social identity, class, gender, etc. This joint major is for those who share these common interests.
A minimum 2.50 CGPA is required for entry and continuation in this program.
Program Requirements
Students complete 120 units, as specified below.
Lower Division Communication Requirements
Students complete a total of 24 units, with a grade of C- or better
including both of
An introduction to selected theories about human communication. This course is required for a major, honours or minor in communication. Breadth-Social Sciences.
An introduction to the forms, theories and institutions of communication as they relate to broader social change, with a focus on the political, economic and regulatory shifts characterizing Canadian and transnational media systems. This course is required for a major, honours or minor in communication.
and at least six CMNS 200 division courses with a grade of C- or better
including at least two of
An introduction to empirical research methods in diverse traditions of communication enquiry. Some methods recognize communication as everyday interactions; others analyze communication as a process; still others blend traditional scientific empiricism with analytical and critical methods derived from the arts and humanities. Topics include: ethics, paradigms, conceptualizing and operationalizing research, sampling, interviews, surveys, unobtrusive observation, content analysis, and the role of statistics in communication research. Prerequisite: CMNS 110 or 130. Quantitative.
Media and communication studies often utilize historical, governmental and corporate records. The course introduces the techniques necessary to analyze the primary source documents. Topics include: ethics, documentary discourse analysis, Canadian and international documentary searches on NGOs, governments, corporations; writing of policy briefs. Prerequisite: CMNS 110 or 130.
Examination of a wide range of approaches to research in media and cultural studies, including a discussion of ethical issues. Topics may include: historical methods, field work methods, textual analysis, case studies. Prerequisite: CMNS 110 or 130. Students who have credit for CMNS 286 in Spring 2004 may not take this course for further credit.
and including at least one course from each of the three areas of concentration in communication (see below), with a grade of C- or better.
* completion of this quantitative (Q) course satisfies half of the University's Q requirement for students admitted in fall 2006 or later (see Writing, Quantitative and Breadth Requirements below)
Communication Areas of Concentration
Media and Culture
Explores the history and contexts of media institutions, practices, texts and discourses with particular concern for the way they affect the meaning and experience of culture.
This course examines television, both as a medium of communication and an element of culture. Prerequisite: CMNS 110 and 130.
Focus on communication for social change; historical and contemporary perspectives in consumer culture; technology, media and popular culture; media and identity; and communication as public education. Prerequisite: CMNS 110 and 130.
An interdisciplinary examination of the significance of advertising as a social message system in our consumer society. The course proposes an analytical method for appreciating the changing styles and functions of advertising in the 20th century. Prerequisite: CMNS 110 and 130. Stduents with credit for CMNS 223 may not take this course for further credit. Writing.
Introduces students to the study of the relationship between public communication, information media practices and structures, and democracy. Examines the role of media and communication in existing and emerging democratic contexts, including print and electronic journalism, alternative media, public spheres, and the challenges of constructing and maintaining a democratic media and communication environment in Canadian and global contexts. Prerequisite: CMNS 130.
Technology and Society
Analyzes topics within the broader field of communication through a focus on information and communication technologies and the knowledge society from the standpoint of scholarship in science and technology studies.
An assessment of the social implications of developments in information technology from prehistory to the middle of the 20th century. Topics include: the origins of symbolic representation; the oral tradition; the significance of different systems of writing and numeration; the consequences of print; and the initial changes brought about by electronic media. Prerequisite: CMNS 110.
An introduction to new communication/information technologies, seen as new media of communication: the technologies, their uses, and the social issues arising from them. Prerequisite: CMNS 110 or 130. Students with credit for CMNS 253 may not take this course for further credit. Writing.
Political Economy and Policy
Explores the contested economic, political, and regulatory processes shaping media institutions and communication processes.
What do we mean when we talk about the 'cultural industries' today? This course explores the business structure and economics of the cultural sectors, the regulatory and policy frameworks, and their social and cultural contexts. Students are encouraged to develop, compare and contrast at least two sectors from the audio, print or visual industries. While the primary focus is on the Canadian case, students will be encouraged to look at other countries. Overriding themes explore the following: relationships between public and private sectors; independent and commercial creators; rights of creators versus distributors; specialty and general media; indigenous and global contents. Prerequisite: CMNS 130.
Examination of the political and economic processes that have generated the policies and structures of mass media, telecommunications and related industries; the relationship between the dichotomies of state and market, citizen and consumer, capitalism and democracy, global and local, and sovereignty and globalization in media industries and policies; overview of influences on State and international policies towards the media. Prerequisite: CMNS 110 and 130.
Lower Division Sociology Requirements
Students complete a total of 23 units, including all of
An examination of Canadian society from the perspective of the social sciences -- an introduction both to the nature of Canadian society and to the use of sociological and anthropological concepts applied to the analysis of modern societies in general. This course is meant to appeal to those who specifically wish to expand their knowledge of Canadian Society, and also to those who may be considering further work in sociology and anthropology. Topics to be considered include class structure, the nature of Canada's population, regional variation, gender relations, multiculturalism, native issues. Prerequisite: . Writing/Breadth-Social Sci.
An introduction to the study of human social and cultural life from an anthropological perspective. The course will explore the scope and nature of the discipline of anthropology through study of selected cases drawn from both technologically simple communities and complex modern industrial societies. Students with credit for SA 170 may not take SA 101 for further credit. Breadth-Social Sciences. Equivalent Courses: SA170. Breadth-Social Sciences.
The study of basic concerns of sociology, such as social order, social change, social conflict and social inequality. Breadth-Social Sciences. Equivalent Courses: PSA.101. Breadth-Social Sciences.
An account of sociological theory, outlining the main ideas and concepts of the principal schools of thought. Prerequisite: SA 150.
An introduction to the conduct of sociological and anthropological research. Topics covered include: the relationship between theory and research, concept formation, operationalization, exploratory studies, hypothesis generation and testing, data collection techniques within both sociology and anthropology, the assessment of causality, the critical evaluation of research on both theoretical and methodological grounds, the definition of research problems, and ethical issues in social research. Prerequisite: SA 101 or 150. Quantitative.
Descriptive and inferential statistics aimed at students in the social sciences. Scales of measurement. Descriptive statistics. Measures of association. Hypothesis tests and confidence intervals. Students in Sociology and Anthropology are expected to take SA 255 before this course. Intended to be particularly accessible to students who are not specializing in Statistics. Prerequisite: Recommended: SA 255, CRIM 120, POL 213 or equiv. Students with credit for STAT 101, 102, 103, 201, 270, ARCH 376 or, BUEC 232 (formerly 332), may not subsequently receive credit for this course. Quantitative.
Upper Division Communication Requirements
Students complete a minimum of total 24 communication units. Directed study and field placement courses may not be used.
Upper Division Sociology Requirements
Students complete a minimum total of 20 units in sociology (S) or SA courses (five courses) which will include
An examination of aspects of the work of one or more of the nineteenth or early twentieth century sociological theorists. Prerequisite: SA 250.
and one of
An examination of measurement issues within sociological research, focusing on the logical and conceptual construction and Interpretation of tables, and an examination of the uses and abuses of statistics. Through an Introduction to 'hands on' use of the computer, this course emphasizes the applications, rather than the mathematics, of statistics. Prerequisite: SA 255 or POL 201, and STAT 203 (formerly 103). Students with credit for SA 355 may not take POL 315 for further credit. Quantitative.
An examination of qualitative field methods, including participant observation, interviewing, archival research, cross-cultural research, life histories, network analysis, mapping, and ethical problems of fieldwork. Prerequisite: SA 255. Writing.
Elective Courses
In addition to the courses listed above, students should consult an academic advisor to plan the remaining required elective courses.
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Program Requirements
For all bachelor of arts (BA) programs (except the honours program), students complete 120 units, which includes
- at least 60 units that must be completed at 間眅埶AV
- at least 45 upper division units, of which at least 30 upper division units must be completed at 間眅埶AV
- at least 65 units (including 21 upper division units) in Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences courses
- satisfaction of the writing, quantitative, and breadth requirements
- an overall cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and upper division CGPA of at least 2.0, and a program (major, joint major, extended minor, minor) CGPA and upper division CGPA of at least 2.0
Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology Degree Requirements
For all bachelor of arts options, at least 120 units are required, which include completion of
- at least 60 units completed at 間眅埶AV
- at least 45 upper division units, of which at least 30 must be completed at 間眅埶AV
- satisfaction of the writing, quantitative and breadth requirements of the University. Students who complete a joint major, or two extended minors, or an extended minor and a minor, or two minors, may fulfill the breadth requirements in either one or both of their chosen program areas.
Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements
Students admitted to 間眅埶AV beginning in the fall 2006 term must meet writing, quantitative and breadth requirements as part of any degree program they may undertake. See for university-wide information.
WQB Graduation Requirements
A grade of C- or better is required to earn W, Q or B credit
| Requirement |
Units |
Notes | |
| W - Writing |
6 |
Must include at least one upper division course, taken at 間眅埶AV within the student’s major subject | |
| Q - Quantitative |
6 |
Q courses may be lower or upper division | |
| B - Breadth |
18 |
Designated Breadth | Must be outside the student’s major subject, and may be lower or upper division 6 units Social Sciences: B-Soc 6 units Humanities: B-Hum 6 units Sciences: B-Sci |
|
6 |
Additional Breadth | 6 units outside the student’s major subject (may or may not be B-designated courses, and will likely help fulfil individual degree program requirements) Students choosing to complete a joint major, joint honours, double major, two extended minors, an extended minor and a minor, or two minors may satisfy the breadth requirements (designated or not designated) with courses completed in either one or both program areas. |
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Residency Requirements and Transfer Credit
The University’s residency requirement stipulates that, in most cases, total transfer and course challenge credit may not exceed 60 units, and may not include more than 15 as upper division work.