Instructor: Dr. Robert M. Seiler
Office: SS 308 / 220-4842
Office hours: by appointment

This course surveys the major approaches to the study of human communication in the Critical Theory and the Cultural Studies traditions, emphasizing such interpretive methods of research as ideology critique, political economy, ethnography, and narrative inquiry, with a view to understanding how meaning is produced and reproduced in our society. In particular, it examines the theoretical and the methodological issues running through the field, highlighting the intellectual context in which the theorists studied in the course develop these research approaches and then apply them to specific cultural texts and activities.

The course will operate in formal and informal modes, combining lectures, discussions of audio-visual materials, presentations, and workshops. This approach presupposes that students have read the materials and have developed insights they wish to share. These activities, together with the assignments, will help students become qualitative COMS researchers.

Via lectures, discussions, group projects, assignments, and other activities, this course will help students gain

• an understanding of key researchers and an appreciation of the intellectual traditions within the Critical Theory and the Cultural Studies domains of communications research
  
• a sense of the historical contexts (economic, social, political, etc.) that made certain questions interesting to researchers
  
• a sense of how those questions were answered, i.e., what satisfied the requirements for validity and commensurability in this area) and
  
• the ability to pose a researchable communication question and to frame an answer in the intellectual tradition employed.

Gray, Ann, and Jim McGuigan (eds.). 1997. Studying Culture: An Introductory Reader. 2nd edn. London: Arnold.

Additional course materials, such as hand-outs and notes, will be posted on my COMS 441 Web site, which is available at www.ucalgary.ca/~rseiler/coms441.htm

Note: This course focuses on theoretical and methodological matters. Underestimating the amount of reading required can lead to serious problems. Some of the readings in Gray and McGuigan (1997) are fairly short, but many are rather long and require re-reading. Read these texts before coming to class. Try to formulate your comments and questions in advance, so that you can share your insights with the rest of the class. Bring the textbook to class, because we will study the readings closely.

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each assignment submitted.

• a mid-term exam on March 1, based on the readings, the lectures, the class-room discussions, and the audio-visual materials studied in class, that is, up to and including ideology critique and political economy, worth 25 per cent of the final grade;

• a research paper, a report of 5-7 pages in length, replicating one of the papers we study in the course, due March 31, worth 35 per cent;

• class-participation, based on such criteria as attendance, contribution to class discussions, preparedness, engagement with the subject, and class-room etiquette, worth 10 per cent; and

• a final exam, based on the readings, the lectures, the class discussions, and the audio-visual materials studied throughout the term, scheduled by the Registrar for the period April 17-28, worth 30 per cent.

All assignments must be completed to receive a passing grade.

Note: Assignments should be returned to the instructor directly. If this is not possible, students should leave them in the daytime or the after-hours drop box in SS 110. Assignments will be removed the following morning, stamped with the previous day's date, and then placed in the instructor's mailbox.

Like most of my colleagues, I factor the quality of students' writing into my grading of assignments and exams. Writing in the active voice is the best way of preventing ambiguity. Students who have trouble expressing themselves clearly and directly should consult a writer's guide, including the faculty's Detailed Marking Code, which is located at www.ucalgary.ca/~rseiler/code.htm, and/or visit the Effective Writing Centre (SS 110).

Policy regarding Late Assignments: assignments submitted after the due date may be penalized one grade point (A- to B+) for each day late.

Writing Skills: The faculty of Communication and Culture maintains that writing skills include not only surface correctness (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and so on) but also clarity and directness. See www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Research papers must be properly documented. PLAGIARISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course, and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university. University level writing skills, along with proper academic style, structure, and format will be expected in students' essays. A significant portion of your essay grade will be based on your writing skills as defined by the faculty.

Grading System: The Faculty of Communication and Culture uses the following equivalencies in its grading system:

Plagiarism: Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. (For details see 2005-06 Calendar, pp. 50-53, located at www.ucalgary.ca/pubs/calendar/current/How/HOW_LB.htm). Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university. You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is insufficient by itself. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and other people's words and ideas begin. This includes assignments submitted in non-traditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such formats.

If you have any questions regarding how to document sources, see THE GUIDE TO THE PRESENTATION OF RESEARCH, which you can find on my COMS 441 web site.

Instructors can no longer post grades, either alphabetically or numerically by ID number, now that the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) has taken effect. Students can contact the Registrar's Office to obtain their grades.

Students with Disabilities: If you are a student with a disability who may require academic accommodation, it is your responsibility to: register with the Disability Resource Centre (220-8237), and discuss your needs with your instructor no later than fourteen (14) days after the start of this course.