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Communication

School of Journalism and Communication
River Building 4302B
613-520-2600 Ext. 7405
http://carleton.ca/communication

  • M.A. Communication
  • Ph.D. Communication
  • Ph.D. Communication with Specialization in Political Economy

M.A. Communication

Academic Regulations

See the General Regulations section of this Calendar.

A standing of B- or better must be obtained in each credit counted towards the master's degree.

Admission Requirements

The minimum requirement for admission to the master's program is a B.A.(Honours) degree or the equivalent, with high honours standing in communication or a related discipline. Related disciplines may include sociology, political science, film studies, and Canadian studies.

Applicants without a background in communication studies may be required to take certain designated courses from the undergraduate Communication program in addition to their regular program.

Possession of the minimum entrance standing is not in itself, however, assurance of admission into the program.

Applicants who lack an Honours degree but who have a 3-year degree with honours standing (a minimum B standing overall) may be considered for admission to a qualifying-year program. Students who complete the qualifying year with high honours standing may be considered for admission to the master's program in the following year. Refer to the General Regulations section of this Calendar for regulations governing the qualifying year.

Program Requirements

Each student, in consultation with the supervisor of graduate studies, will be required to follow a thesis, research essay or a coursework program for a total of 5.0 credits. Two of the four areas of concentration must be chosen.Students in the M.A. program are restricted to one directed studies course, COMS 5808. Students may take one optional course (0.5 credit) outside the program, with permission of the supervisor of graduate studies.

M.A. Communication - Thesis program (5.0 credits)
1.  1.0 credit in:1.0
COMS 5101 [1.0]
Foundations of Communication Studies
2.  0.5 credit in:0.5
COMS 5605 [0.5]
Approaches to Communication Research
3.  2.0 credits in:2.0
COMS 5909 [2.0]
M.A. Thesis
4.  1.5 credits from the list of optional courses below1.5
Total Credits5.0
M.A. Communication - Research Essay program (5.0 credits)
1.  1.0 credit in:1.0
COMS 5101 [1.0]
Foundations of Communication Studies
2.  0.5 credit in:0.5
COMS 5605 [0.5]
Approaches to Communication Research
3.  1.0 credit in:1.0
COMS 5908 [1.0]
Research Essay
4. 2.5 credits chosen from the list of optional courses2.5
Total Credits5.0
M.A. Communication - Coursework program (5.0 credits)
1.  1.0 credit in:1.0
COMS 5101 [1.0]
Foundations of Communication Studies
2.  0.5 credit in:0.5
COMS 5605 [0.5]
Approaches to Communication Research
3. 3.5 credits chosen from the list of optional courses3.5
Total Credits5.0
Optional Courses
COMS 5200 [0.5]
Civic Media
COMS 5202 [0.5]
Persuasion
COMS 5203 [0.5]
Communication, Technology, Society
COMS 5206 [0.5]
Communication, Culture, Regulation
COMS 5207 [0.5]
Communication and Racialization
COMS 5208 [0.5]
Audiences, Consumption, Reception
COMS 5212 [0.5]
History, Time, Memory
COMS 5214 [0.5]
The Local and the Global
COMS 5218 [0.5]
Special Studies of Media and Communication
COMS 5219 [0.5]
Regional Studies of Media
COMS 5220 [0.5]
Visual Culture
COMS 5221 [0.5]
Science and the Making of Knowledge
COMS 5222 [0.5]
Cultural Intersections
COMS 5223 [0.5]
Work in the Contemporary Media Environment
COMS 5224 [0.5]
Internet, Infrastructure, Materialities
COMS 5225 [0.5]
Critical Data Studies
COMS 5509 [0.5]
Gender, Sexuality, Culture
COMS 5808 [0.5]
Directed Studies

Note: students may take up to 0.5 credit outside the program with permission of the supervisor of graduate studies.

M.A. Communication with Specialization in African Studies - Research Essay program (5.0 credits)
1. 0.5 credit in:0.5
AFRI 5000 [0.5]
African Studies as a Discipline: Historical and Current Perspectives
2. 0.0 credit in:0.0
AFRI 5800 [0.0]
Scholarly Preparation in African Studies
3. 1.0 credit in:1.0
COMS 5101 [1.0]
Foundations of Communication Studies
4. 0.5 credit in:0.5
COMS 5605 [0.5]
Approaches to Communication Research
5. 1.0 credit in:1.0
COMS 5908 [1.0]
Research Essay
6. 2.0 credits chosen from the list of optional courses.2.0
Total Credits5.0
M.A. Communication with Specialization in African Studies - Thesis program (5.0 credits)
1. 0.5 credit in:0.5
AFRI 5000 [0.5]
African Studies as a Discipline: Historical and Current Perspectives
2. 0.0 credit in:0.0
AFRI 5800 [0.0]
Scholarly Preparation in African Studies
3. 1.0 credit in:1.0
COMS 5101 [1.0]
Foundations of Communication Studies
4. 0.5 credit in:0.5
COMS 5605 [0.5]
Approaches to Communication Research
5. 2.0 credits in:2.0
COMS 5909 [2.0]
M.A. Thesis
6. 1.0 credits from the list of optional courses.1.0
Total Credits5.0
M.A. Communication with Specialization in Data Science - Coursework Option (5.0 credits)
1. 0.5 credit in:0.5
DATA 5000 [0.5]
Data Science Seminar
2. 1.0 credit in:1.0
COMS 5101 [1.0]
Foundations of Communication Studies
3. 0.5 credit in:0.5
COMS 5605 [0.5]
Approaches to Communication Research
4. 0.5 credit in:0.5
COMS 5225 [0.5]
Critical Data Studies
5. 0.5 credit from:0.5
COMS 5203 [0.5]
Communication, Technology, Society
COMS 5221 [0.5]
Science and the Making of Knowledge
COMS 5224 [0.5]
Internet, Infrastructure, Materialities
6. 2.0 credits in electives2.0
Total Credits5.0
M.A. Communication with Specialization in Data Science - Research Essay Option (5.0 credits)
1. 0.5 credit in:0.5
DATA 5000 [0.5]
Data Science Seminar
2. 1.0 credit in:1.0
COMS 5101 [1.0]
Foundations of Communication Studies
3. 0.5 credit in:0.5
COMS 5605 [0.5]
Approaches to Communication Research
4. 0.5 credit in:0.5
COMS 5225 [0.5]
Critical Data Studies
5. 1.0 credit in:1.0
COMS 5908 [1.0]
Research Essay
Research Essay on a Data Science topic approved by the Advisory Board representative from Communication in consultation with the graduate Committee of the Institute of Data Science.
6. 1.5 credits in electives.1.5
Total Credits5.0
M.A. Communication with Specialization in Data Science - Thesis Option (5.0 credits)
1. 0.5 credit in:0.5
DATA 5000 [0.5]
Data Science Seminar
2. 1.0 credit in:1.0
COMS 5101 [1.0]
Foundations of Communication Studies
3. 0.5 credit in:0.5
COMS 5605 [0.5]
Approaches to Communication Research
4. 0.5 credit in:0.5
COMS 5225 [0.5]
Critical Data Studies
5. 2.0 credits in:2.0
COMS 5909 [2.0]
M.A. Thesis
M.A. Thesis on a Data Science topic approved by the Advisory Board representative from Communication in consultation with the Graduate Committee of the Institute of Data Science.
6. 0.5 credit in electives0.5
Total Credits5.0

Ph.D. Communication

Academic Regulations

See the General Regulations section of this Calendar.

A standing of B- or better must be obtained in each course counted towards the Ph.D. degree.

Admission Requirements

The normal requirement for admission into the doctoral program is a master's degree (or the equivalent) in communication or a cognate field such as journalism studies, with an overall average of B+ or better.

Applicants who have deficiencies in certain areas may be admitted to the Ph.D. Program, but will normally be required to complete additional course work.

Program Requirements

Doctoral candidates must successfully complete the equivalent of 10.0 credits. The specific requirements are as follows:

Ph.D. Communication (10.0 credits)
1.  1.0 credit in:1.0
COMS 6000 [1.0]
Doctoral Seminar in Communication Studies
2.  2.0 credits from the list of electives below; up to 0.5 credit may be taken in a relevant discipline outside of the School; students in the Ph.D. program are restricted to one (0.5 credit) directed studies course:2.0
COMS 6010 [0.5]
Directed Studies
3.  2.0 credits in:2.0
COMS 6900 [1.0]
Comprehensive Examination I
COMS 6901 [1.0]
Comprehensive Examination II
4.  5.0 credits in: 5.0
COMS 6909 [5.0]
Ph.D. Thesis
Total Credits10.0
Ph.D. Communication with Specialization in Political Economy (10.0 credits)
1. 1.0 credit in:1.0
COMS 6000 [1.0]
Doctoral Seminar in Communication Studies
2. 1.0 additional credit from the list of optional courses below: up to 0.5 credit may be taken in a relevant discipline outside of the School; students in the Ph.D. program are restricted to 0.5 credit in directed studies: COMS 6010 Directed Studies1.0
3. 2.0 credits in:2.0
COMS 6900 [1.0]
Comprehensive Examination I
COMS 6901 [1.0]
Comprehensive Examination II
4. 0.5 credit in:0.5
PECO 6000 [0.5]
Political Economy: Core Concepts
5. 0.5 credit in:0.5
A relevant political economy course from the approved list.
6. 5.0 credits in:5.0
COMS 6909 [5.0]
Ph.D. Thesis
Total Credits10.0
Elective Courses
All doctoral candidates must complete 2.0 additional credits from the list of electives below; 0.5 credit may be taken in a relevant discipline outside of the School, particularly those that address central theoretical and/or methodological issues within the student's chosen field of concentration. Students in the Ph.D. program are restricted to one (0.5 credit) directed studies course (COMS 6010 Directed Studies).
COMS 5200 [0.5]Civic Media0.5
COMS 5202 [0.5]Persuasion0.5
COMS 5203 [0.5]Communication, Technology, Society0.5
COMS 5206 [0.5]Communication, Culture, Regulation0.5
COMS 5207 [0.5]Communication and Racialization0.5
COMS 5208 [0.5]Audiences, Consumption, Reception0.5
COMS 5212 [0.5]History, Time, Memory0.5
COMS 5214 [0.5]The Local and the Global0.5
COMS 5218 [0.5]Special Studies of Media and Communication0.5
COMS 5219 [0.5]Regional Studies of Media0.5
COMS 5220 [0.5]Visual Culture0.5
COMS 5221 [0.5]Science and the Making of Knowledge0.5
COMS 5222 [0.5]Cultural Intersections0.5
COMS 5223 [0.5]Work in the Contemporary Media Environment0.5
COMS 5224 [0.5]Internet, Infrastructure, Materialities0.5
COMS 5225 [0.5]Critical Data Studies0.5
COMS 5509 [0.5]Gender, Sexuality, Culture0.5
COMS 5605 [0.5]Approaches to Communication Research0.5
COMS 6001 [0.5]Selected Topics in Communication0.5
COMS 6005 [0.5]Communication and History0.5
COMS 6006 [0.5]Political Economy of Communication0.5
COMS 6007 [0.5]Communication, Discourse, and Representation0.5
COMS 6010 [0.5]Directed Studies0.5
JOUR 5401 [0.5]Journalism Law0.5
JOUR 5500 [0.5]Journalism and Society II0.5

Comprehensive Examinations

In addition to their course requirements, doctoral candidates are required to write two comprehensive examinations each worth 1.0 credit. The first comprehensive examination (COMS 6900) is closely related to the course materials in the doctoral seminar (COMS 6000) and is conducted by the instructors of COMS 6000 in May following completion of the seminar. To be eligible for the first comprehensive, candidates must have a GPA of 9.0 or higher on their previous course work, including COMS 6000. Students who fail the first comprehensive may be asked to withdraw from the program.

The second comprehensive examination (COMS 6901) is normally completed during the second year of the program and tests the student's in-depth knowledge of one field of study. It is conducted by the student's supervisor and advisory committee and involves examination of an approved project related to the chosen field. Before taking the second comprehensive examination, students must have completed all of their course work with a GPA of 9.0 or higher and have satisfactorily completed COMS 6900. The second comprehensive is expected to be completed no later than two years or six terms after initial full-time registration, or four years or 12 terms after initial part-time registration. Students who do not fulfill this requirement within the prescribed time period may be asked to withdraw from the program.

Thesis Requirement

A thesis proposal is presented after the comprehensive requirement has been satisfied, and defended at an oral presentation. The thesis, normally equivalent to 5.0 credits, must be successfully defended at an oral examination.

COMS 5101 [1.0 credit]
Foundations of Communication Studies
Origins and traditions of modern communication studies with attention to theoretical and methodological aspects of developments and debates shaping current communication research.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 5101 (no longer offered).

COMS 5200 [0.5 credit]
Civic Media
The role of communication in relation to the emergence, development, and problematization of citizenship within civil society and the public sphere. Topics to be covered include the communicative strategies of NGOs, the aesthetics of protest, and alternative forms of journalism, among others.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 5200 (no longer offered).

COMS 5202 [0.5 credit]
Persuasion
Examines various efforts to discover and apply techniques of successful persuasion from classical rhetoric to scientific public opinion research with attention to contemporary political, public information, and corporate campaigns.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 5202 (no longer offered).

COMS 5203 [0.5 credit]
Communication, Technology, Society
Critically examines the technological context of social communication in terms of human agency, medium theory, and the idea of progress.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 5203 (no longer offered).

COMS 5206 [0.5 credit]
Communication, Culture, Regulation
Contemporary and historical modes of regulating and governing media and communication, including policy-making, moral regulation, markets, code and so on. Topics may include the regulation of ownership, content, production, circulation, and consumption.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 5206 (no longer offered).

COMS 5207 [0.5 credit]
Communication and Racialization
Provides theoretical and methodological foundations for graduate students studying the constructs of race, ethnicity, and indigeneity in communication and media contexts, particularly from a critical/cultural perspective.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 5207 (no longer offered).

COMS 5208 [0.5 credit]
Audiences, Consumption, Reception
How audiences and users consume, interact with, deploy and shape media; how they receive and interpret information; and the impacts of these practices on social relations and institutions. Consumerism, entertainment, and “sites” of consumption, including information technologies, space, and built environments.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 5208 (no longer offered).

COMS 5212 [0.5 credit]
History, Time, Memory
Interactions among notions of time, environments, media technologies and artifacts, and the production of memory and history. Topics may include practices of memorialization through historical monuments or museums, contemporary challenges of data storage and media archiving, issues of technological obsolescence and waste, and more.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 5212 (no longer offered).

COMS 5214 [0.5 credit]
The Local and the Global
Communicative aspects of globalization in the context of the local. Among the areas to be addressed include global communication history, cultural imperialism, international regulation, transnational networking, cultural industries, media integration, diasporic communication, and the translocal circulation of content.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 5214 (no longer offered).

COMS 5218 [0.5 credit]
Special Studies of Media and Communication
Examines a specific traditional or non-traditional medium or practice of communication. Topics will vary from year to year.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 5218 (no longer offered).

COMS 5219 [0.5 credit]
Regional Studies of Media
An exploration of the media landscape of specific region or geographical/political territory. Attention will be given to understanding specific conditions of reception, the character of media industries, and the historical development of media forms. Topics will vary from year to year.

COMS 5220 [0.5 credit]
Visual Culture
The role of image in (re)producing culture. Diverse practices of visual communication such as photography, built environments, screen culture, and image sharing through virtual social networks.

COMS 5221 [0.5 credit]
Science and the Making of Knowledge
Issues related to science and communication. Topics may include: contemporary issues such as public health risks, climate change, science as ideology, the relationship between science and politics; historical considerations of the relationship between knowledge and expertise.

COMS 5222 [0.5 credit]
Cultural Intersections
Critically examines the engagement of cultures with each other in contexts such as the constructions of self and other, settler-colonial relations, postcolonial discourses, multiculturalism, cosmopolitanism, communication between groups and across borders, and the roles of media in cultural intersections .

COMS 5223 [0.5 credit]
Work in the Contemporary Media Environment
Modes of media work and labour. Topics may include studies of immaterial labour, emotional labour, user-generated content and active audiences, labour and labour relations in digitizing media industries.

COMS 5224 [0.5 credit]
Internet, Infrastructure, Materialities
The internet as infrastructure; how the technical characteristics of the internet influence our experience and use of this medium. Questions addressing the physical structures, power and control, and ecological impacts of the internet are also considered.

COMS 5225 [0.5 credit]
Critical Data Studies
Theoretical debates, research approaches and discursive regimes pertaining to the datafication of everyday life, data and living environments, and the quantified control of the future. Emphasis on the production of databased knowledge and the influence data have on the material and social world.

COMS 5509 [0.5 credit]
Gender, Sexuality, Culture
Theoretical debates and current research in the production and reproduction of gender, sexual and sexualized relations through communication processes, practices and institutions.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 5509 (no longer offered).

COMS 5605 [0.5 credit]
Approaches to Communication Research
Processes of conducting communication research in the context of writing a thesis or research essay. Topic selection, question framing, research design, the use of theory; specific methodologies such as content analysis, discourse analysis, survey research, ethnography, semiotics, and historical analysis.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 5605 (no longer offered).

COMS 5808 [0.5 credit]
Directed Studies
Directed research or readings on a topic area not covered in that year's course offerings.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 5808 (no longer offered).

COMS 5908 [1.0 credit]
Research Essay
Precludes additional credit for COMM 5908 (no longer offered).

COMS 5909 [2.0 credits]
M.A. Thesis
Precludes additional credit for COMM 5909 (no longer offered).

COMS 6000 [1.0 credit]
Doctoral Seminar in Communication Studies
A seminar leading to the first comprehensive encompassing the program's three fields of concentration: the history of communication as object and field of study, the political economy of communication, and socio-cultural analysis of communication.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 6000 (no longer offered).

COMS 6001 [0.5 credit]
Selected Topics in Communication
Examines a newly emerging issue, research method, or theory related to communication. Topic will vary from year to year.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 6001 (no longer offered).

COMS 6005 [0.5 credit]
Communication and History
The history of communication and its conceptualization from various perspectives as well as the way in which historical events arise through communication.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 6005 (no longer offered).

COMS 6006 [0.5 credit]
Political Economy of Communication
The history of political economy with attention to applications in the field of communication.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 6006 (no longer offered).

COMS 6007 [0.5 credit]
Communication, Discourse, and Representation
The processes and practices of representation through which meanings arise.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 6007 (no longer offered).

COMS 6010 [0.5 credit]
Directed Studies
Directed research or readings on a topic area not covered in that year's course offerings.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 6010 (no longer offered).

COMS 6900 [1.0 credit]
Comprehensive Examination I
Examination normally conducted in May of each year in connection with COMS 6000 and covering the program's three fields of concentration: history of communication as object and field of study; political economy of communication; socio-cultural analysis of communication. Graded as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 6900 (no longer offered).

COMS 6901 [1.0 credit]
Comprehensive Examination II
Examination by the student's thesis supervisor and committee of an approved project related to a particular field of communication research; the field may or may not be related to the student's thesis. Graded as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory.
Precludes additional credit for COMM 6901 (no longer offered).

COMS 6909 [5.0 credits]
Ph.D. Thesis
Precludes additional credit for COMM 6909 (no longer offered).

Summer session: some of the courses listed in this Calendar are offered during the summer. Hours and scheduling for summer session courses will differ significantly from those reported in the fall/winter Calendar. To determine the scheduling and hours for summer session classes, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca

Not all courses listed are offered in a given year. For an up-to-date statement of course offerings for the current session and to determine the term of offering, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca

May 18, 2017 04:38 PM