CMNS110: Introduction to Communication Studies

SEMESTER: Spring 2025

INSTRUCTOR: Caitlin Turner
EMAIL: cturner@[Link]
OFFICE HOURS: Friday’s By Appointment

PREREQUISITES
No official FIC prerequisites. This course does involve a lot of reading and writing, so please
be prepared!

OBJECTIVES/COURSE OVERVIEW
The aim of this course is to provide a general introduction to a range of theories that seek to
explain why we communicate as we do.

The first part of the course establishes a general overview of communication theory from both
theoretical and historical points of view. We will examine the relation between communication
and social consciousness, and theories of orality and literacy. We will also review the
development of various communication technologies.

The second part of the course will focus on specific fields within the area of communication,
including the study of popular culture, media analysis, film studies, and advertising. We will
also examine the rise of technology studies in communication and consider the way in which
electronic/digital media (in particular computers and the Internet) have refashioned both
human consciousness and culture.

REQUIRED READINGS
All required readings are provided on Moodle. In order to do well in this course, you will need
to do the readings BEFORE class each week. A schedule of required readings is available at
the end of the syllabus, and on Moodle.
COURSE ASSESSMENT

Plagiarism Quiz 5%

Annotated Bibliography 10%

Mass Culture Assignment 15%

Final Research Project 20%

Midterm Exam 20%

Final Exam 20%

Attendance & Participation 10%

Plagiarism Quiz:

Plagiarism is the act of using someone else’s work, ideas, research and/or images and passing
them off as your own. In University, plagiarism, even if accidental, is considered cheating and
is taken very seriously. The easiest way to avoid plagiarism is to give credit to every idea that
is not yours by adding citations to your written work. There are many citation styles to choose
from and with a little bit of practice, citing your work will become the easiest part of the
writing process.

In this class I expect you to understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. We will go
over these ideas in class, but you need to spend time outside of class learning about
plagiarism and how to cite properly. You can choose APA, MLA, or Chicago.

The plagiarism quiz is designed to test your knowledge of plagiarism and practices that lead
to plagiarism (intentional or not). You will have three chances to take the quiz and your
highest mark will be counted. Students who do not attempt the quiz by the due date will
receive a zero, no extensions or exceptions will be given. Once the quiz is closed, it will not
be reopened for any reason.

If you have taken the quiz three times and cannot pass it, please email me to set up a time
to talk about the issues you are having. This meeting needs to be done BEFORE you hand in
the Final Research Paper.

For additional information on plagiarism, please go to the SFU library website and take the
plagiarism tutorial ([Link] It won’t take long, but it can make
a big difference.
Annotated Bibliography:

Before submitting your Final Research Project, you will submit an Annotated Bibliography,
providing FULL citations for THREE peer-reviewed academic sources that you will use in your
paper.

You may pick any citation style you like (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.). For each academic citation,
you must write 4-5 sentences explaining WHAT this source is about, and HOW you are using
it in your final paper. The sources you have in your Annotated Bibliography, MUST also be
used in your final paper; think through your choices, don’t just grab a couple sources and
deal with it later. Doing this assignment properly will help a great deal with the final paper.

No extensions or exceptions: late penalties will apply. Use Moodle to upload your bibliography.

NOTE: your final research project ALSO needs a bibliography. EVERY essay you write needs
a bibliography. This Annotated Bibliography assignment is not a substitute for the bibliography
in your project.

Final Research Project:

This semester, you will produce a final research project. The project is composed of two parts:
a research paper and complimentary video.

Paper: Your paper will present a well thought out argument based on academic research and
evidence, using a range of academic sources. Your Final Research Paper must be 1000-1200
words (excluding bibliography and title page), and you must use a minimum of 3 peer-
reviewed academic sources (from your Annotated Bibliography) in your work. This is a
research paper; you are expected to research your topic and use academic sources to inform
your argument.

Creative Video: A 5-minute creative video of your own making that acts as a companion to
your research paper. It should explain your ideas and analysis with the use of different
mediums like video, images, sound etc. There is no single format for this video; be creative
and thoughtful. Do NOT re-read your paper, the video should be complimentary and add to
the ideas already discussed in the paper. You must use your own voice and image, no AI
generated voices will be accepted.

I will provide a list of paper topics. You must choose one of these topics to write on, OR you
may come up with your own topic, in which case you must email me a proposal (1 page in
length) AND receive my permission to write on this topic. If you write on a topic that is not
assigned, and has not been approved ahead of time, you will receive a grade of zero. Your
proposal must be received by Feb 14th at 5:00pm. I will NOT accept proposals after this date.

Your Final Research Project is due on Moodle (emailed submissions will not be accepted). No
extensions will be given for this assignment.
A 5% per day, late penalty will be applied to all papers that are past due.

NOTE: In this class I do not review drafts, but there are ways to get help. FIC offers students
an opportunity to receive 1 on 1 writing support with an FIC Instructor. This service is free,
legitimate, and professional help with your writing. Any student who seeks out 1 on 1 support
on their paper will receive a bonus 3% increase in their paper grade.

You MUST provide verification that you attended the session. Prior to the session, fill out the
Support Tutorial Form (found on Moodle) and ask the instructor to sign it at the end of your
session. If you attend a Zoom session, email them a copy of the form PRIOR to your meeting so
that they can send it back to you. You MUST ask the writing instructor for the confirmation during
the session. The writing instructor may not remember/be able to confirm attendance days later.
The completed confirmation must be uploaded with your paper. There will be no exceptions
or extensions, I will not consider any confirmation received after the assignment deadline.

The schedule for 1on1 tutorials can be found here: [Link]

29q3V--MqrOagItEiJR_94OBiuN9rd6ExQa5S3kCB8/edit

Mass Culture Assignment:

This semester we will be talking about Mass Culture. During Week 7, you will be given an
assignment based on the lecture and readings from this week. We will discuss this assignment
in class during Week 7, and your submission is due Week 10. To do well on this assignment,
you must do the assigned readings, and attend the lecture. No extensions will be given for
this assignment, late penalties will be applied.

The Mass Culture Assignment will give you an opportunity to think critically and creatively
about cultural products and spaces. Your goal with this assignment is to provide a detailed,
theoretically rich, and self-reflective response. Your submission should be 800-1000 words
long and include full citations and bibliography (not included in word limit). Standard
submission guidelines apply: typed, double-spaced, size 12 font, use a proper citation style
and submitted on Moodle. You will be graded on the depth of your answer, use of course
material and theory, as well as things like sentence structure, and grammar.

Exams:

The midterm exam will cover the first half of the course. The final exam will cover only the
second half of the semester.

The midterm exam will be held during regular class time in Week 6.
The final exam will be held on the last day of class during Week 13. Failure to write the Final
Exam will result in a grade of N.
*You MUST write the exams during the regularly scheduled class time and day.
MAKE-UP EXAMS:

FIC does NOT offer any make-up opportunities for missed exams. Please be sure to check
your exam schedule very carefully. If you miss an exam for any reason, please see an
advisor immediately. If you have documented reasons for exam accommodations, please
see an advisor immediately.

If you miss a major assignment, you MUST provide me with a clear, documented reason for
your absence. Talk to an advisor immediately.

Due Dates & Submissions

You will be submitting all of your assignments on Moodle. If you have never done this before,
please familiarize yourself with the platform. If I don’t see your assignment, I can’t grade it.
I will be happy to help you learn how to do this. I do NOT accept emailed submissions, so
please be aware of your due dates and submission requirements. These details are outlined
in this syllabus, on Moodle and will be discussed in class.

Due dates and times are non-negotiable. Late penalties will be applied to ALL assignments
that are not submitted on time, or in the correct format. Take some time to organize your
schedule and keep track of your assignments.

CLASS ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION

We will spend a lot of time each class discussing theories and ideas that are NOT in the
readings. Doing the assigned readings will help prepare you for the lectures and exams, but
the single most important thing you can do if you want to succeed in CMNS 110 is to ATTEND
LECTURES and TAKE NOTES.

I take attendance very week. If you miss a lecture, it is up to you to get notes from a
classmate. I will NOT give you a copy of my lecture. You MUST attend the lecture you are
registered in; you cannot switch sections to make up for a missed class. You may NOT record
the lectures; you need to develop your active listening skills and note taking strategy.

Participation also counts towards your Attendance and Participation grade. It is not enough
to just show up and sit there for four hours. For full marks you need to be engaged in the
class, participate in both in-class discussions and activities as they are assigned. Throughout
the semester we will do in-class activities that are intended to help you with the course
material and assignments. While these are NOT graded, they are part of your participation
grade. Taking them seriously will help you improve overall.

I will use PowerPoint in class, but only for illustrative purposes – slides will not contain course
notes etc. The slides will be made available on Moodle. Downloading these slides is NOT a
substitute for attending class, taking notes, asking questions, etc.
NOTE: You can miss up to 2 content lectures and still maintain full Attendance marks (this
does not include exams). If you miss a class, you do not need to email me or provide
documentation; if you don’t feel it’s best to come to class, that’s your decision. Participation
is evaluated separately.

GRADE DISTRIBUTION

A+ 95 and above A 90 to 94 A- 85 to 89

B+ 80 to 84 B 75 to 79 B- 70 to 74

C+ 65 to 69 C 60 to 64 C- 55 to 59

D 50 to 55 F 49 and under

*Failure to write the Final Exam will result in a grade of N.

Requesting Additional Feedback:

Grades will be released on Moodle; feedback is given primarily through rubrics and general
comments. Once grades have been released, if you would like to request more detailed
feedback you MUST follow three steps: first, review the assignment guidelines and your
feedback; second, using the feedback request form, conduct a self-assessment of your
work; and finally, email me with a copy of the self-assessment and the original assignment
requesting a time to discuss the feedback. I will NOT discuss your assignment, the grade or
give additional feedback over email. The feedback request form is available on Moodle.

COMMUNICATION

Office hours are by appointment. Same day appointments are not available.

You can also reach me by email. Before emailing me, please check your syllabus for the
answer. All emails should include your student number and course code (CMNS110 section
13). I check my email throughout the week, but not in the evenings or on the weekends; it
may take up to 48 hours for a return email. Emails should be sent through your FIC email,
non-FIC emails may end up in spam and there is no guarantee I will see it.

NOTE: All course communications will be sent to your FIC email, you are responsible for
checking it regularly.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY

FIC, as with other institutions, expects integrity, ethical conduct, and academic honesty of
its students. Academic integrity is fundamental to learning and the protection of earned
credentials.
In Communications courses, the most common contravention of academic integrity is
plagiarism. All work submitted for this course must be your own and produced specifically
for the assignments given. You may not submit work that was copied, translated, or re-
written from a book, article, website, or any other source; that was submitted for credit in
another course or at another institution; and/or that was completed by a friend, relative,
tutor, professional writer, or anybody else.

Let’s talk AI:

Reading, writing, and critical thinking are key elements of the learning outcomes for this
course. To help students build and develop these skills we will work with a variety of
materials, assessments, and tasks. For these tasks the use of AI and generative AI is
limited. I am aware of the appeal of these platforms and the value they can add to our
work; however, they are very limiting and, in many cases, countervailing to what we are
trying to do. If you feel that the use of such software would help you with the initial steps of
your work, you may do so with full attribution and citation. ALL work that was informed,
generated, or changed by AI software must be properly noted and cited. You can use any
citation style you would like (i.e: APA, MLA etc).

Remember: you are responsible for everything you submit for consideration and grading at
the College. Generative software can produce false and inaccurate information and is not
your own work. Treat it with caution and limit your use. Unauthorized and unaccredited
content generation is regarded as a type of academic misconduct and is falsification of
research. You will be graded on your use and understanding of the assignment, course
material, theories, and ideas; not your ability to use software.

Students found to have breached the regulations related to any form of academic misconduct
including but not limited to plagiarism and cheating will be subject to the following measures:

First Offence: Awarded “0” for the assessment and given a permanent record on their file

Second Offence: Awarded “0” for the course, regardless whether the offence was committed
in the same course or another course

Third Offence: Risk expulsion from FIC and the cancellation of Study Permit

It is solely the student’s responsibility to be aware of Academic Integrity Policy and

consequences of violating it. The policy is available at: [Link]
[Link]/FIC_Academic_Integrity_Policy.
pdf

Plagiarism, even unintentional or accidental, will not be tolerated in this course. ALL incidents
will be reported to the administration, and may result in the student failing this course. If you
are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism, please ask the instructor or an academic
advisor.
NOTE: the writing quality of your in-class assignments/exams, proposal and final paper must
be consistent. I will keep ALL written work until the end of semester, to ensure the quality
remains the same. Your written work should match your in-person abilities. If there are any
perceived discrepancies, you may be asked to produce copies of your drafts and working
documents.

ACADEMIC ACCOMODATION

Students with disabilities, who require special arrangements to meet their academic
obligations during the term, are required to make their situation known to FIC prior to the
semester starting. If you have not done so, please be in contact with the Student Success
Advisors at advising@[Link]. Your FIC Case Manager will be in touch with me,
and you are welcome to speak with me about your needs at anytime.

HOW CAN YOU DO WELL IN THIS COURSE?

1. Do your readings BEFORE you come to class. You do NOT need to understand most of what
you read, but you MUST read it once before class.

2. Come to class every week, stay for the entire class, and take LOTS of notes. There is a lot
of information in class each week. Compare notes with a friend. Come to my office hours.
Make sure you understand your notes, and therefore understand the major concepts in my
lectures.

3. Read this course outline carefully. Check for deadlines, make sure you understand the
major assignments and what I expect. Check the course outline throughout the semester.

4. Plan ahead. You have many different classes, with a lot of due dates and requirements -
sit down and make a plan to stay on top of all your work. This course may be an elective but
it counts the same on your GPA, so don’t leave everything to the last minute and expect to
pass.
Reading Schedule

Week 1 (Jan 17th): Introduction

This first introductory class is MANDATORY for all students who are registered. I will be
going over the course outline and grading scheme in detail, answering all questions, and
introducing course material. Note: ANY student who misses the first class should email me
so that I know you still intend to join CMNS110.
Optional: ‘How to Read a Book’ (Edwards, P.)

Week 2 (Jan 24th): Media Ecology and Orality

Read: 'The Judgment of Thamus' (Postman, N.)

Read: Does Your Language Shape the Way You Think? (Deutscher, G)

Week 3 (Jan 31st): The History of Writing

Read: ‘Socrates, Gutenberg, and McLuhan Walk Into a Bar’ (Underation, C.)

Week 4 (Feb 7th): McLuhan and the Toronto School of Communication

Read: ‘The Medium is the Message’ (McLuhan, M.)

This class will be delivered online. Students are expected to have read the material and
reviewed the lecture videos.

Week 5 (Feb 14th): The Internet

Read: “Materials for an Exploratory Theory of the Network Society” (Castells, M)

PLAGIARISM QUIZ IS DUE FEB 14th AT 11:55pm PST, ON MOODLE

Week 6 (Feb 21st): MIDTERM EXAM (during class)

No Readings. Exam is during class. THREE HOURS.

Week 7 (Feb 28th): Studying Popular Culture

Read: ‘The Frankfurt School’ (Strinati, D.)

Read: ‘The History of Popular Culture’ (O’Brien, S.)
Week 8 (March 7th): Hollywood and Global Cinema

Read: 'Film Languages' (Turner, G.)

Read: 'Masculinity in Movies' (MacKinnon, K.)

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY IS DUE MARCH 7th AT 11:55pm PST, ON MOODLE.

Week 9 (March 14th) NO CLASS

There will be no lecture or Office Hours held this week.

Week 10 (March 21st): Television

Read: 'Fear and Self-loathing in Couchland' (Kingwell, M.)

Read: ‘Is this TVIV? On Netflix, TVIII and Binge-Watching’ (Jenner, M.)

MASS CULTURE ASSIGNMENT IS DUE MARCH 21st AT 11:55pm PST, ON MOODLE.

Week 11 (March 28th): Political Economy of Communication

Read: ‘The political economy of communication' (McChesney, R)

Week 12 (April 4th): Consumer Culture and Advertising

Read: ‘You Are What You Buy’ (Paterson, M.)

FINAL RESEARCH PROJECT IS DUE APRIL 4th AT 11:55pm PST, ON MOODLE

Week 13 (April 11th): FINAL EXAM (during class)

No Readings. Exam is during class time, for THREE HOURS.