BCSC 204 - Foundations in Sustainability Communication
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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In the spirit of our namesake, Dr. J.W. Grant MacEwan, and our university’s focus on sustainability, this course introduces fundamental concepts in human communication about our natural environments in the face of rising ecological, social and economic threats to the sustainability of the Earth’s ecosystems, all life on it and the societies we have created. Students will explore how human communication constructs the environment and our relationships to it, and apply strategies appropriate to creating and disseminating messages about sustainability. They will study and apply ethical considerations in sustainability communication, including the role of advocacy in scholarship and practice. Also, students will provide critical evaluations of sustainability messages in diverse fields, while building a foundation to create their own sustainability communications. |
| Prerequisites: BCSC 101 or SUST 201. |
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BCSC 215 - Applied Communications
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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In this course, students learn to use the tools and resources necessary to copyedit and proofread according to prescribed professional standards. Students learn to distinguish proofreading from copyediting, increase the speed and accuracy of their editing, and select and follow a style guide for a particular project. They also examine some of the larger issues in editing: authorial intention versus editorial responsibility, in-house versus freelance employment, copyright, professional conduct and ethics, and the importance of deadlines in the publishing process. |
| Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in BCSC 100. |
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BCSC 216 - Professional Communication
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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Professional communication is a new and evolving field that considers information and the way it is created, distributed, managed and consumed. In this course, students learn and apply the theories of professional communication. They analyze information and develop strategies and techniques for internal and external communication. Considering print and oral formats but with a focus on digital formats, students plan, execute, and evaluate communication, then adapt their practice to meet dynamic and evolving organizational or institutional needs. Recent trends will be considered, contributing to students' understanding of the context of professional communication. Throughout, students explore what constitutes professionalism and ethical practice in the context of contemporary professional communications. |
| Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in BCSC 101. |
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BCSC 253 - Classical and Modern Rhetoric
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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Students use tools of persuasion to build arguments on a variety of topics. They learn to construct written arguments and arrange those arguments in effective and appropriate patterns. Looking at persuasive techniques going back to the Ancient Greeks, students search for and evaluate similar strategies in contemporary texts. By the end of this course, they understand the ethical, aesthetic and political dimensions of persuasion. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 100. |
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BCSC 310 - Strategic Communication Planning
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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In this course, students gain critical information, insights and skills in strategic communication research and planning. They learn to apply research and planning skills in solving communication issues or problems. They also learn how to apply S.O.P. (analyzing situation, organization, and the public) as part of the strategic communication planning process. Students gain practical experience in developing and crafting key messages as well as producing formal strategic communication plans that are vital to advancing organizational and institutional interests and goals. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 216. |
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BCSC 395 - Professional Field Placement and Practice
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
Students gain work experience typical of an entry-level professional communicator. Under the guidance of a faculty supervisor, students apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired in their first three years of study to a work situation. Concurrent or following the field placement, students reflect on aspects of professional practice and conduct research into a topic related to their career plans. |
| Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in BCSC 306. |
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BCSC 400 - Intercultural Communication
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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This course is designed to examine the principles and processes of communicating from one culture to another. Students will identify and assess the major challenges presented by intercultural interactions both at home and abroad. These challenges include developing cultural awareness, cultural sensitivity, and intercultural communication competence. Students will apply what they have learned in developing strategies and skills to communicate effectively with people from other cultures, a capability that is critical in the increasingly culturally diverse workplace and globalized society. |
| Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in BCSC 200. |
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BCSC 418 - Organizational Communication Theory
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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In this course, students examine the major theories in organizational communication scholarship. They apply these theories to empirical case studies in projects such as presentations and a final paper. Specific subjects to be worked on include: the ethical and ideological implications of strategic organizational communication; intercultural and gender relations and contestations in organizations; communication as central to organizational systems and culture/climate; and how communication technology such as social media are impacting organizations, and vice versa. Covered scholarly content will trace historically back to classical organizational theories, focusing on their communicative aspects or implications. Modern and contemporary theoretical traditions will then be surveyed, such as: administrative; critical, feminist, postmodernist, network-theoretical, risk-theoretical, and discourse-analytical (rhetorical) approaches to the study of communication in and by organizations. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 200 and in BCSC 310. |
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BCSC 205 - Introduction to Film Studies and Narrative
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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This course is designed to acquaint students with the history of narrative film, with the fundamentals of how film communicates ideas, generates narratives, and evokes emotions, and with various other kinds of cinema including documentary and animated film. It also aims to enable students to watch films more closely so that their viewing will become more active and hence, a richer experience. |
| Prerequisites: N/A |
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BCSC 207 - Documentary Film Principles and Practices
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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This course explores what the term documentary film means and examines the ways its forms and ethics have changed since the beginning of cinema. It focuses on nonfiction narrative films that work with and against documentary realism's claims of transparency and authenticity. Students examine documentary cinema from its beginnings in the 1920s through the 1980s, concentrating especially on Canadian/U.S and European filmmakers. Students are introduced to a wide variety of documentary forms so they can see how these films variously re-present significant social phenomenon. Students examine how these representations express particular perspectives and worldviews and how they reflect or self-reflexively comment on documentary realist techniques. Students explore some of the theoretical questions that constantly surround this most philosophical of film: How do these films shape notions of truth, reality and point of view? What are the ethics and politics of representation and who speaks for whom when we watch a documentary? What do documentaries make visible or conceal? What, if anything, constitutes objectivity? |
| Prerequisites: BCSC 205. |
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BCSC 221 - Writing to be Heard
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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In this course, students learn to write for the ear. They closely examine speeches and presentations for key messages and persuasive technique, then prepare and deliver a presentation or speech. Theories of writing and listening are applied as students determine communication objectives, write and rehearse a speech or presentation that engages, inspires and motivates an audience. By the end of this course, they offer constructive, critical analysis of the content and delivery of a speech or a presentation. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 100. |
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BCSC 223 - Introduction to Screenwriting
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
Students are introduced to writing for film, television and video productions. Screenwriting genres are examined and students work with essential elements of a screenplay such as theme, character, story structure, dramatic objectives, conflict and resolution, scene creation and sequencing, the relationship between audio and video elements, and screenplay formatting. Each student presents a key concept in screenwriting and script analysis, and students exchange feedback in a workshop simulation of the working environment of a story department in a production studio. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 100. |
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BCSC 241 - Introduction to Technical Communication
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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This course introduces students to the many professional contexts in which technical communicators practise. By considering various elements of technical communication and communication theory, students learn and practise adapting specialized information for global audiences, and expert and non-expert audiences. Students also examine professional ethics required of technical communicators and the potential consequences of unethical practice. |
| Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in BCSC 200. |
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BCSC 260 - Substantive and Structural Editing
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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In this course, students examine the objectives and techniques of stylistic, structural, and developmental editing by working through large, complex projects. Throughout the course, students engage with editorial and rhetorical theory, refining their editorial skills and applying independent critical analysis to scenarios involving print and online publishing. |
| Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in BCSC 215 or PROW 135. |
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BCSC 282 - Short Written Forms
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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In this course, students expand their creativity and problem-solving skills to address writing and editing contexts requiring tightly written prose. They study the history and context of short forms and develop potent samples, relying on scholarship and accurate and effective audience analysis, diction, structure, tone and form. Students learn to produce tight, effective prose that communicates in few words with great power. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 100. |
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BCSC 303 - Popular Culture and Film Studies: Film Noir
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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The course explores the popular trend of film noir by way of an in-depth examination of the components of noir: its thematic predispositions, its misanthropic narratives, and its stylized visuals; the course explores the interrelation of noir and the zeitgeist, including, political structure, social structure, interpersonal relationships, identity, and sexuality. Students explore noir’s contribution to “feminist film” theory, “queer film” theory and character based psychoanalytic readings. Cultural forms from diverse consumer media, are discussed and analyzed, including, but not exclusive to, the novel, short story and the serialized novel, comic books and comics in newspapers, episodes, series and miniseries for television, and other related media from the popular press, the Internet, and social media. Additionally, particular attention is focused on the construction of film images, dialogue, editing, sound, and the varied modes of organizing core elements in the modern history of film noir. |
| Prerequisites: BCSC 205. |
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BCSC 305 - Popular Culture and Film Studies: Science Fiction
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
The course informs students with the popular history of a specific theme or genre of modern narrative film: science fiction. In addition to an in-depth examination of thematic developments of science fiction, the course explores the interrelation of cultural forms from diverse consumer media, including, but not exclusive to, the novel, short story and the serialized novel, comic books and comics in newspapers, musical songs and concept albums, dramatic plays, musicals and opera, feature and experimental films, episodes, series and miniseries for television, and other related media from the popular press, the Internet, and social media. The course also examines concepts and concerns central to film and media studies, including narrative, genre, authorship, national cinemas, and canon construction. The course also focuses on the construction of film images, dialogue, editing, sound, and the varied modes of organizing core elements in the modern history of science fiction film. |
| Prerequisites: BCSC 205. |
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BCSC 308 - Communication Law II
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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This course expands upon the foundational legal groundwork provided in the BCSC 307: Communication Law I - Introduction. It starts with a “ground up” examination of civil and criminal procedure before the courts before moving to a practical lesson in conducting legal research and reading and understanding court cases. Communication Law II then explores the legal boundaries of freedom of expression, studying how courts weigh the right of free speech against the harm caused by different forms of expression, including hate speech and obscenity. The course will also engender a deeper understanding of the professional responsibilities a career writer has, toward not only individuals who can be affected by the publication of a written work, but to society as a whole. |
| Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in BCSC 200 and BCSC 307. |
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BCSC 322 - Interviewing Techniques
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
In this course, students hone their interviewing skills and gain self-confidence through assignments of increasing complexity. Of central importance is to instill in the student a sense of professionalism and proper interview etiquette. Topics include pre-interview planning and research, types of interviews, interview principles and techniques, choosing and attributing sources, and producing interviews for multimedia platforms. Legal and ethical responsibilities of a journalism are also covered. |
| Prerequisites: BCSC 100. |
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BCSC 326 - Rhetoric of Popular Culture
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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Students critique popular culture as a form of rhetoric, deconstructing its arguments and their social and commercial effects. They apply rhetorical theory in major pop culture contexts and investigate the effects of current media and communications convergence on the forms and content of popular culture. The course contrasts pop culture derived from mainstream and alternative media, and examines hierarchies of cultural forms, assessing the significant of "high" and "low" culture. Ultimately, students develop the ability to overlay rhetorical principles onto pop culture media to create powerful tools for change and control. |
| Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in BCSC 253. |
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BCSC 328 - Documentary Screenwriting
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
This course focuses on the theory and practice of writing documentary screenplays, and the history of this genre. Students examine historical and contemporary documentaries, emphasizing Canadian productions and their influence on the documentary form. Students also consider the ethical decisions requiring filmmakers to align their messages with information, fact and reality. A brief survey of treatments and functions of a documentary (such as training and education, political, social activist, and cultural and art-house films and videos) provides the foundation for a story idea and treatment, industry-standard outline and professional shooting script that students will develop in this course. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 223. |
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BCSC 330 - Intermediate Strategic Communication
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
This course focuses on the implementation phase of a strategic communication project or campaign with an emphasis on tactics. Using case studies as a foundation, students examine an organization’s goals and propose a communications plan to ensure communication effectiveness. Students explore a range of communication tools, both conventional and emerging, and reflect on the implementation process from the perspective of various communication theories. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 310. |
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BCSC 331 - Corporate Narrative
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
In this course, students examine the types of corporate ‘storytelling’ with a strategic role and function in communications planning. This course focuses on the early stages of strategic process including research, goal setting, objectives and creative risk taking. As students examine organizational narrative and develop the ability to identify and capture memorable, innovative and effective stories, they will translate stories into design and media concepts, including audio/visual, multimedia, reports, newsletters, social media and presentations for the organization’s audiences. |
| Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in BCSC 216. |
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BCSC 332 - Writing and Publishing Prose I
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
Students develop knowledge of the theory and skills in the practice of writing prose for publication. In this course, students read and write widely in prose forms and genres. The emphasis is on literary forms, specifically fiction and creative nonfiction. Students develop the know-how to publish their work in recognized national and international publications. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 343. |
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BCSC 340 - Technical Communication for Digital Applications
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
In this course, students become familiar with software development processes and learn about technical communication documentation for custom digital applications and commercial software. Students determine the characteristics of successful documentation for digital applications, including procedural, tutorial, and reference materials for internal and external audiences, and online user assistance such as help, guided tours, and in-depth articles. They examine options in methodology, with an emphasis on task orientation, and discuss how the fast-changing and multi-platform nature of this field affects their tasks. Students replicate a full digital application documentation project cycle, organizing a development team, producing a documentation plan including user analysis, assessing the effectiveness of their documentation through usability tests, creating and presenting a prototype print version, and developing appropriate online user assistance functions. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 241. |
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BCSC 341 - Literary Journalism
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
Students explore the history and structure of literary journalism, reading past and present examples of the genre, as well as essays on the craft. Through their readings, students dissect the narrative of literary journalism and the extensive research that drives it. Students also analyze the genre's: origins and future; definitive characteristics, techniques and styles; social, artistic and political influences; ethical and professional issues. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 210 or BCSC 253. |
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BCSC 342 - Writing for Periodicals
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
Whether in print or online, the editorial content of periodicals comprises various forms of articles. Students learn the forms and ingredients of articles written for newspapers, magazines, and newsletters in local, regional, and national contexts. Starting with editorial and readership analysis, students embark on the article-writing process: they shape topics into story ideas, identify appropriate primary sources, carry out interviews, and incorporate the formal elements of article writing into publishable copy. Students also consider the market for print and online periodicals in both a Canadian and a North American context, examine the effects of media ownership on magazine publishing, and, throughout the course, examine the ethical issues that arise in the periodical industry. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 210 or BCSC 253. |
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BCSC 343 - Introducing Creative Nonfiction
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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In creative nonfiction, writing the human experience meets art and truth. In this course, students examine the literary forms of creative nonfiction, including the personal essay, literary diaries, and memoir, and the sub-genres of creative nonfiction, including literary travel writing, nature writing, science writing, and cultural criticism. Students also look at current and emerging trends in the genre. By reading extensively and broadly, analyzing what they read with a particular focus on the theory and craft of writing creative nonfiction, students gain a broad understanding of what is sometimes known as the fourth genre. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 100 and ENGL 103. |
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BCSC 352 - The Media and the Message
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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In this course, students examine media relations from both administrative and critical perspectives. They learn to place media relations within the practical and theoretical communicative frameworks of identity, image, and reputation; risk, issues, and crises; and various definitions of the public sphere. They analyze the effects of media logic upon an organization’s choice of message channel, formulate strong recommendations and effective key messages, and evaluate organizational structures and paradigms for their network and communicative power. Overall, the course provides the student with a deeper understanding of the power, ethics, and responsibilities of her or his future role as a professional participant within today’s complex media ecology. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 100. |
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BCSC 360 - Magazine Editing
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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Building on skills learned in previous editing courses, students have an opportunity to model professional practice in the planning, execution, and production of a magazine that will be published by the School of Communications. As members of an editorial board, they set editorial policy, calendars, plots, timelines, and costing; determine style guides, recurring elements, and publication standards; and manage external contractors, print production, and distribution. Throughout the course, students refine their abilities to apply their creative processes in a team setting and provide constructive criticism of their own and others' work. |
| Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in BCSC 260. |
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BCSC 361 - Book Editing
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
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In this course, students develop as editors by investigating the field of book editing. They consider the evolution of North American book culture and contrast it with that of other Western societies. Students analyze current issues in book editing as they examine the processes of publishing a book, from manuscript acquisition and development to purchase in a bookstore or on a website, with a focus on the Canadian publishing context. Throughout the course, they continue to improve their editing knowledge, judgment, and skills through readings, discussions, exercises, written assignments, and guest speakers. |
| Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in BCSC 260. |
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BCSC 362 - Print Culture Studies
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
In this course, students survey the development of print-based communications and critically analyze the cultural context of newspapers, magazines, and books as material objects. Students examine the history of print technologies, the rise of a literate marketplace through mass education and the concomitant rise of professional writers to serve that audience, the structure of cultural classes, and the possible disappearance of print in a global society that is embracing digital media and encouraging communications convergence. |
| Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in BCSC 200. |
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BCSC 379 - Public Affairs Data Journalism
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
Students explore how journalists find stories in data, and, how visualizing data adds depth and insight for the reader. In this hands-on course, students work like data journalists by collecting and organizing data; then, students apply the tools of analysis to find the facts, trends, and patterns that reveal a story. Principles of data visualization are also discussed as students write and produce a web-based news story complete with information graphics. |
| Prerequisites: BCSC 210 or BCSC 203. |
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BCSC 430 - Advanced Strategic Communication
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
In this course, students examine communication theory in the context of complex communications practice. Students advance their research, organizational analysis, and rhetorical skills in the evaluation of a real-world communication campaign. Depth of analysis and academic insight are emphasized. Ultimately, students make and defend original assessments and recommendations about communication effectiveness. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 310. |
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BCSC 431 - Advanced Seminar in Strategic Communication
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
This seminar engages students in an in-depth and focused study of a significant topic or issue in strategic communication. Course content varies each year depending on contemporary concerns and interest of faculty as well as students. The seminar topic is announced prior to registration. As an outcome of the course, students are able to demonstrate application of practical and theoretical knowledge of the field through a project or research paper. This course is especially helpful to senior students wishing to pursue graduate studies. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 430. |
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BCSC 432 - Writing and Publishing Prose II
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
This course builds on students’ work in BCSC 332 and is intended for students with strong interest and demonstrated skills in creative prose. The emphasis is on literary forms, specifically literary fiction and creative nonfiction. This course provides an intensive workshop experience and culminates with the production of a polished portfolio of work ready for submission to publishers. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of B- in BCSC 332 and portfolio review. |
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BCSC 440 - Technical Communication: Safety Standards and Policies
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
In this course, students survey industries that rely heavily on safety documentation, and consider the role of policies, practices, and procedures in creating a safety culture. They analyze safety processes and documentation and discuss the role of the three levels of safety controls to mitigate hazards. Students consider ethics and track the evolution of safety in industry. They review the safety- and engineering-related laws and standards in Canadian and international jurisdictions and determine how to locate pertinent safety regulations and standards for a specific topic. They assess methods for creating or revising documentation for safe work policies, practices, and procedures; safety orientations and training; emergency preparedness and response; quality assurance and control; and securing certificates of recognition from certifying safety partnerships. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 340. |
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BCSC 441 - Technical Communication for Policy Writing
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
Policies act as the rudder steering the people and processes of organizations and government agencies toward their stated goals. Technical communication can be the key to ensuring that these documents are clear and effective and encourage compliance. Students in this course describe the differences among policies, practices, and procedures and identify the characteristics of written goals that are implementable and measurable. They look at the legislation and regulations often related to policies, and address the effect of globalization on policy writing. Through critical analysis of samples of policies and human resource handbooks, students learn to anticipate potential consequences of policy wording, including the impact on organization culture. They also identify the role of policies and goals in defining responsibilities, coping with organizational change, and treating sensitive issues in human resources. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 340. |
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BCSC 452 - Advanced Seminar in Technical Communication
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
This seminar engages students in an in-depth and focused study of a significant topic or issue in technical communication. Course content varies each year depending on contemporary concerns and interest of faculty as well as students. The seminar topic is announced prior to registration. As an outcome of the course, students are able to demonstrate application of practical and/or theoretical knowledge of the field through a project or research paper. This course is especially helpful to senior students wishing to pursue graduate studies. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in two of the following: BCSC 340, BCSC 440, BCSC 441, BCSC 411. |
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BCSC 461 - Publication Editing and Management
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
This course examines production processes, which are the hub of publishing activity. The work of editors, designers, marketers and managers intersects in production, and the focus of this course is on production at a time of transition as publishers weigh print and electronic options. Students develop their creativity and problem-solving skills as they prepare specifications, source suppliers, compile costing sheets, buy print, develop schedules, and evaluate quality. They benefit from interacting with industry materials, technologies, and experts in the classroom and on field trips. |
| Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in BCSC 260. |
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BCSC 462 - Advanced Seminar in Editing and Publishing
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
This seminar engages students in an in-depth and focused study of a significant topic or issue in editing and publishing. Course content varies each year depending on contemporary concerns and interest of faculty as well as students. The seminar topic is announced prior to registration. As an outcome of the course, students are able to demonstrate application of practical and theoretical knowledge of the field through a project or research paper. This course is especially helpful to senior students wishing to pursue graduate studies. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in at least two of the following courses: BCSC 260, BCSC 360, BCSC 361, BCSC 362, BCSC 461. |
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BCSC 499 - Innovation and Entrepreneurship: New Ventures in Digital Media
| Hours:45:0:0 |
Credits:3 |
|
This course explores the global forces shaping today's innovations in digital media. Students examine the accelerators underpinning the current digital innovation landscape; and, they practice a rigorous approach to launching an entrepreneurial initiative that will solve problems and serve consumers or audiences. |
| Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in BCSC 313. |
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