COMMUNICATION STUDIES 210

INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION STUDIES

FALL 2016
Department of Art History and Communication Studies
McGill University
Christopher Gutierrez
Lectures: M-W 15:35-16:25
Adams Auditorium
Conferences: TBA

Instructor
Dr. Christopher Gutierrez
Office:
Arts W-233
Office hours: Thursday 12:00 - 14:00
E-mail:
christopher.gutierrez@mcgill.ca
Teaching Assistants
TBA

OVERVIEW
As the only required course in our minor, COMS 210 offers an introduction to the field of
Communication Studies as it is practiced at McGill. Students will be introduced to a variety of
ideas and debates within contemporary communication studies. In this version of COMS 210,
the focus of the course will be largely on new media theory and participatory models of
communication. As such, the course is divided into three separate parts. The first section,
People and Machines, will introduce students to questions about the meaning of
communication and to theories of communication technology. The second section, Ownership,
Infrastructure, Participation, Representation will elaborate on the meaning of communication by
considering the complex network of economic, physical and cultural forces that are created
and maintained through varying communication and media technologies. The third section,
Emotion, Experience, Design, will evaluate the experience of new media and communication
technology by considering the particular affective properties of media experiences and will
close the course by considering the impact of developing technologies and ubiquitous media
on our everyday life experiences.

REQUIREMENTS, METHOD OF EVALUATION, AND ASSIGNMENTS

Pop Quizzes
Conference Participation
Group Presentation
Reading Response
Term Paper
Final Exam

10%
10%
10%
15%
25% (November 23rd)
30% (Registrar Scheduled)

Pop Quizzes: You will be quizzed regularly throughout the semester to make sure that you are
keeping up with, and understanding, the readings. The quizzes will be closed book and closed
notes. At the end of the term, the instructor will drop your lowest quiz score (including 0
scores for non-attendance). Beyond this exception, missed quizzes cannot be made up at any
time.
Conference Participation: This mark will reflect your performance during the weekly
conference. Students will be evaluated each week on their preparedness and contribution to
the discussion. Because laptops are not permitted (except in special circumstances) during
conferences, being prepared for conferences means both having read the readings
beforehand and having a printed copy with you. If you make an exceptional contribution to the
course it will be recognized in your mark for participation, and equally, rude, disruptive or
confrontational behaviour will significantly lower your mark.
Reading Response: Between 2 and 4 pages, absolutely no more than 5. Once during the
semester you will be expected to hand in short and succinct paper in response to that weeks
reading. A hard copy should be submitted at the start of conference. These responses should
provide enough of a summary of the articles main argument to demonstrate a clear
understanding of the reading while also engaging with the important theoretical and practical
debates that the readings addresses. Further details, and due dates, will be given in the first
conference session.
Final Exam: Registrar Scheduled. The Final Exam will be a mixture of short answer and essay
questions. More details will be given during class.
Group Presentation: During the first week of conferences, you will sign up for a group (4 or 5
students per group) and be assigned a specific presentation date. On that day, you will be
responsible for a brief (10 minute) presentation on the assigned reading as well as the creation
of a series of discussion questions that will be used to guide the conference section.
Term Paper: 6 to 10 pages. The final paper will consist of an original piece of scholarship by
the student. Further details of specific requirements (number of sources, reference to specific
course material, etc.) will be given during lecture.

COURSE POLICIES
Student Responsibilities: Students are responsible for reading and analyzing the assigned
material prior to each class. You should come to class and conference prepared to discuss any
questions you have and to engage meaningfully with the material. Similarly, you should be
prepared to engage in scholarly discussion about the course material with your instructor, your
T.A. and your fellow students. This type of engagement means, first and foremost, that you treat
your instructors and fellow students with respect: listen to what they say, do not interrupt them,
and respond to them with courtesy, civility, and grace. Please note that failure to follow the
letter and spirit of university or course regulations can result in the reduction of your final
grade, failure of the course, and other penalties set by University policy.
Grading Policies: Your T.A. and I are available to help throughout the semester. Please take
advantage of our offices hours to come to us with any questions or concerns you might have
about the assignments and exams prior to submitting your work. Working with students is a
valuable part of our jobs, and one that we enjoy, so please come to get to know us!
Grades for this course are based on the scale set out in the Arts and Science Calendar that is
reproduced below. Grades in the A range are awarded only for superior, and not merely
sufficient, work. In any given year, approximately 10-15% of students in COMS 210 will receive
a grade in the A range. Grades in the B range are awarded for work that is above
satisfactory. Grades in the C range are awarded for satisfactory work while those in the D
range are reserved for unsatisfactory and insufficient work.
Grade Appeals: All grades in this course are considered final except in cases where there has
been in error in their calculation. If you wish to discuss a grade you received, please come visit
the instructor or TA during office hours and they will look over your assignment to help clarify
the evaluation and to indicate ways in which you can improve your work. If, after this process is
completed, you still feel that you received an undeserved grade you must make your case in
writing within one week (7 days) of receiving your grade. The letter must include the grounds
on which you are making the appeal, the original assessment, and a photocopy of your marked
grade. Once this is received, the instructor agrees to review your grade and reevaluate the
assignment; please be aware that your grade could be elevated, remain the same, or be
reduced after this process is complete.
Late Assignments: Outside of cases of documented illness or emergency, no extensions will
be given in this course. Any assignment that is turned in late will be penalized 10% each day
(including weekends). Assignments turned in more then 7 days after the due date will not be
accepted and will be given a grade of 0.
A Few Helpful Tips: First, make friends! Your fellow students should be your first contact if you
happen to miss a lecture, dont understand a reading, or have a question about the course.
Second, think before you send an email! Youll see a specific policy about this below, but the
thing is, we receive a ton of email during the semester so if you can find the answer to your
question in the course syllabus, from your newly made friend, or in the course materials, please
check there first. It will save all of us the stress of sending, and receiving, short one word emails.

Third, plagiarismDont do it! Theres lots of information about plagiarism on the McGill
website (http://www.mcgill.ca/students/srr/honest) and the official McGill policy is below. If
youre worried about proper referencing and citation check these resources first. If that doesnt
answer your question, come to our office hours before you submit your work!
Grade Breakdown:
Grade

Grade point

Percentages

4.0

85 -100

A-

3.7

80 84

B+

3.3

75 79

3.0

70 74

B-

2.7

65 69

C+

2.3

60 64

2.0

55 59

D (Conditional
Pass)

1.0

50 54

F (Fail)

0 - 49
EMAIL POLICY

During the academic year we receive a considerable amount of email. In order for us to
respond to e-mail efficiently, please follow the following guidelines:
1. If you cannot see us during office hours, e-mail us to set up an appointment; we will try to
respond as soon as possible but we usually cannot accommodate a meeting in 24 or even 48
hours.
2. We each read and reply to e-mail once a day and usually do not read or reply to e-mail after
5 PM or weekends. Please allow up to 48 for a response to your email, especially if the email is
sent on a weekend.
3. Follow instructions for turning in assignments. No assignments submitted by e-mail will be
accepted.
4. Grade inquiries and disputes will not be considered or discussed via e-mail. For all grade
inquiries and questions about assignments, please set up an appointment with us or come to
office hours.
OTHER INFORMATION AND MCGILL POLICIES
Language: In accord with McGill Universitys Charter of Students Rights, students in this
course have the right to submit in English or in French any written work that is to be graded.
(Approved by Senate on 21 January 2009)

Classroom Technology: Mobile computing and communications devices are permitted in

lecture insofar as their use does not disrupt the teaching and learning process. The use of
mobile computing and communications devices must, in all cases, respect policies and
regulations of the University, including in particular the following:1. The Code of Student
Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures; 2. The Policy Concerning the Rights of Students with
Disabilities; 3. The Policy on the Responsible Use of McGill IT Resources. No audio or video
recording of any kind is allowed in class without the explicit permission of the instructor.
Mobile computing and communication devices are not to be used for voice communication
without the explicit permission of the instructor.
Accommodations: Students requiring special testing accommodations or other classroom
modifications should notify the professor and the Office for Students with Disabilities as soon
as possible. The OSD is located in Suite 3100, Brown Student Services Building, ph: 398-6009
(voice), 398-8198 (TDD), www.mcgill.ca/osd/.
Academic Integrity: McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore all students must
understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism, and other academic
offences under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures. (see www.mcgill.ca/
students/srr/honest/ for more information). Luniversit McGill attach une haute importance
lhonntet acadmique. Il incombe par consequent tous les tudiants de comprendre ce
que lon entend par tricherie, plagiat et autres infractions acadmiques, ainsi que les
consequences que peuvent avoir de telles actions, selon le Code de conduite de ltudiant et
des procedures disciplinaires (pour les plus amples renseignements, veuillez consulter le site
www.mcgill.ca/students/srr/honest/).
Academic resources: Students looking for additional assistance with academic reading, study,
research and writing skills should consult the McGill academic resources website at:
www.mcgill.ca/students/academicresources/.
Counseling: McGills Counseling Service provides extensive personal, academic, and career
counselling to undergraduate and graduate students, including workshops on study skills,
multiple choice exams, text anxiety/stress management. They are located in Brown Student
Services Bldg, 398-3601 www.mcgill.ca/counselling/.
Illness: Students are responsible for material covered in all classes, including anything missed
due to illness. Examinations will not be re-scheduled and assignment due date extensions will
not be provided for any reason other than documented illness or emergency. Students unable
to attend examinations or complete assignments due to illness are expected to contact me
prior to the examination or due date by email and by phone. Appropriate documentation will
be required to support requests for special consideration due to illness (see http://
www.mcgill.ca/students/advising/faq#a14).
Exceptional Circumstances: In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the
Universitys control, the content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change.

SCHEDULE AND READINGS

All course readings listed in this syllabus are required for the course.
All readings are available in PDF format on the course mycourses website at: https://
mycourses2.mcgill.ca
PART 1: PEOPLE AND MACHINES
Week One: Introduction
September 2nd: Introduction
NO CONFERENCES THIS WEEK
Week Two: What?
September 7th: Perec, Georges. Approaches to What? from The Everyday Life Reader. Ben
Highmore, Routledge Press, 2002
NO CONFERENCES THIS WEEK
Week Three: People
September 12th: Peters, John Durham. Introduction: The Problem of Communication
fromSpeaking into the Air: A History of the Idea of Communication. University of Chicago Press,
2012.
September 14th: Peters cont.
NO CONFERENCES THIS WEEK
Week Four: And Machines
September 19th: Latour, Bruno. Mixing Humans and Nonhumans Together: The Sociology of a
Door Closer Social Problems 35-1 (1988): 298-310
September 21st: Van Dijk, Jose. Engineering Sociality in a Culture of Connectivity from The
Culture of Connectivity: A Critical History of Social Media, Oxford University Press, 2012
CONFERENCES BEGIN!

PART 2: OWNERSHIP, INFRASTRUCTURE, PARTICIPATION

Week Five: Ownership
September 26th: Bellamy Foster, John and Robert W. McChesney. The Internets Unholy
Marriage to Capitalism Monthly Review 62-10 (2011)
September 28th: Fisher, Mark. Capitalism and the Real from Capitalist Realism: Is There No
Alternative. Zero Books, 2009
Week Six: Infrastructure
October 3rd: Parks, Lisa. Around the Antenna Tree: The Politics of Infrastructural Visibility
FlowTV 9-9 (2009)
October 5th: Nakamura, Lisa. Economies of Digital Production in East Asia: iPhone Girls and
the Transnational Circuit of Cool Media Fields Journal 2 (2011)
Week Seven: Group Participation
October 10th: No Class!
October 12th: boyd, danah. Introduction from Its Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked
Teens. Yale University Press, 2014
Week Eight: Personal Participation
October 17th: Banet-Weiser, Sarah. Branding the Postfeminist Self: The Labor of Femininity
from Authentic: The Politics of Ambivalence in a Brand Culture. New York University Press, 2012
October 19th: Sarah Gram. The Young-Girl and the Selfie from http://textrelations.blogspot.ca/2013/03/the-young-girl-and-selfie.html, 2013
Week Nine: Representing Bodies
October 24th: Wegenstein, Bernadette. Body from Critical Terms for Media Studies. Eds. W.J.T
Mitchell and Mark B.N. Hansen, University of Chicago Press, 2010
October 26th: Nakamura, Lisa. Where do you Want to go Today: Cybernetic Tourism, the
Internet and Transnationality from Cybertypes: Race, Ethnicity, and Identity on the Internet.
Routledge Press, 2002

PART 3: EMOTION, EXPERIENCE, DESIGN

Week Ten: Emotion and Affect
October 31st: Shouse, Eric. Feeling, emotion, affect. M/C Journal 8.6 (2005): 26
November 2nd: Dean, Jodi. Affective Networks from Blog Theory: Feedback and Capture in
the Circuits of Drive Polity Press, 2010
Week Eleven: Mood and Agency
November 7th: Coyne, Richard. What is Mood? from Mood and Mobility: Navigating the
Emotional Spaces of Digital Networks. MIT Press, 2016
November 9th: Pham, Minh-Ha T. I Click and I Post and I Breathe, Waiting for Others to See
What I See: On #FeministSelfies, Outfit Photos and Networked Vanity. Fashion Theory: The
Journal of Dress, Body and Culture 19.2 (2015): 221-242
Week Twelve: Designing Habits
November 14th: Whitson, Jennifer R. Foucaults Fitbit from The Gameful World: Approaches,
Issues, Applications. Eds. Steffen P. Walz and Sebastian Deterding, MIT Press, 2014
November 16th: Schull, Natasha Dow. Digital Gambling: The Coincidence of Desire and
Design. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 597, 2005: 65-81
Week Thirteen: Data for Design
November 21st: Chun, Wendy Hui Kyong. Big Data as Drama. ELH, 83.2 (2016): 363-382
November 23rd: Kitchin, Rob. The real-time city? Big data and smart urbanism.
GeoJournal,79.1 (2014): 1-14 (TERM PAPERS DUE TODAY!)
NO CONFERENCES THIS WEEK
Week Fourteen: Everywhere Together
November 28th: Crandell, Jordan. The Ontology of the Drone from Drone: The Automated
Image. Le Mois de Photo de Montreal and Kerber Verlag, 2013
December 30th: Steyerl, Hito. In Free Fall: A Thought Experiment on Vertical Perspective from:
http://www.e-flux.com/journal/in-free-fall-a-thought-experiment-on-vertical-perspective/
Week Fifteen: Review
December 5th: FINAL EXAM REVIEW