Course description
Program Requirements
Each student, in consultation with the supervisor of graduate studies, will be required to follow a thesis, non-thesis, or a course-only program for a total of 5.0 credits. Two of the four areas of concentration must be chosen.
In selecting their program of studies, all students will be required to take MCOM 5101 and MCOM 5605. Students in the M.A. program are restricted to one directed studies course, MCOM 5808 (0.5 credit). Students may take one optional course (0.5 credit) outside the program, with permission of the supervisor of graduate studies.
All master's students are required to complete:
* MCOM 5101 (1.0 credit)
* MCOM 5605 (0.5 credit)
* a thesis (2.0 credits) and 1.5 credits from the list of optional courses below, or a research essay (1.0 credit) and 2.5 credits chosen from the list of optional courses, or 3.5 credits chosen from the list of optional courses
Optional Courses
* MCOM 5200
* MCOM 5202
* MCOM 5203
* MCOM 5204
* MCOM 5206
* MCOM 5208
* MCOM 5210
* MCOM 5212
* MCOM 5214
* MCOM 5216
* MCOM 5218
* MCOM 5509
* MCOM 5808
Note: students may take up to 0.5 credit outside the program with permission of the supervisor of graduate studies.
MCOM 5101 [1.0 credit]
Foundations of Communication Studies
Examines the origins and traditions of modern communication studies with attention to theoretical and methodological aspects of developments and debates shaping current communication research.
MCOM 5200 [0.5 credit]
Communication and Citizenship
Examines the role of communication in relation to the emergence, development, and problematization of citizenship within civil society and the public sphere.
MCOM 5202 [0.5 credit]
History and Theory of 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.
MCOM 5203 [0.5 credit]
Communication, Technology, and Society
Examines the technological context of social communication in terms of human agency, medium theory, and the idea of progress.
MCOM 5204 [0.5 credit]
Media, Culture, and Policy
Examines policy-making as a form of communication from a variety of perspectives, with a focus on the strategies and negotiations that precede policy representation.
MCOM 5206 [0.5 credit]
Communication, Culture, and Regulation
Examines the role of law, moral regulation, and other social means of control in media and cultural practices in areas such as intellectual property, consumerism, and public health.
MCOM 5208 [0.5 credit]
Entertainment Studies
Examines the ways in which entertainment media, audiences, and popular culture shape and reflect social relations in contexts such as movie theatres, tabloids, fanzines, and fashion.
MCOM 5210 [0.5 credit]
Communication and Taste
Examines classical and contemporary theories of taste and their implications for communication. Attention is paid to the role of communication in shaping taste and its classificatory schemata.
MCOM 5212 [0.5 credit]
Communication and Everyday Life
Examines the role of communication within everyday environments ranging from the psychical domain of the self to the worlds of architecture, sound, and etiquette.
MCOM 5214 [0.5 credit]
Communication and Globalization
Examines globalization and communication in the context of international communication history, cultural imperialism, transnational regulation, media integration, and diasporic networks.
MCOM 5216 [0.5 credit]
Communication and Empire
Examines various interpretations of the role of communication in the development of empires and the modern world order.
MCOM 5218 [0.5 credit]
Special Studies of Media
Examines a particular traditional or non-traditional medium of communication. Topic will vary from year to year.
MCOM 5509 [0.5 credit]
Media, Culture, and Gender
Examines various theoretical debates on the production and reproduction of gender relations through communication processes and institutions, and addresses current research issues in feminist and other gender-based approaches to culture and communication.
MCOM 5605 [0.5 credit]
Approaches to Communication Research
Examines the processes of conducting communication research in the context of writing a thesis or research essay. Considers topic selection, question framing, research design, the use of theory, and specific methodologies such as content analysis, discourse analysis, survey research, ethnography, semiotics, and historical analysis.
MCOM 5808 [0.5 credit]
Directed Studies
Directed research or readings on a topic area not covered in that year's course offerings.
MCOM 5908 [1.0 credit]
Research Essay
MCOM 5909 [2.0 credits]
M.A. Thesis
