Communication - undergraduate program

Communication

[ undergraduate program | graduate program | faculty ]

All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice.

For course descriptions not found in the UC San Diego General Catalog 2019–20, please contact the department for more information.

COMM 10. Introduction to Communication (4)

Introduction to the history, theory, and practice of communication, including language and literacy, representation and semiotics, mediated technologies and institutional formations, and social interaction. Integrates the study of communication with a range of media production (for example, writing, electronic media, film, performance). COMM 10 may be taken concurrently with the COMM A-B-C courses and intermediate electives. Course is offered fall, winter, and summer quarters.

COMM 87. Freshman Seminar (1)

The Freshman Seminar Program is designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small seminar setting. Freshman Seminars are offered in all campus departments and undergraduate colleges, and topics vary from quarter to quarter. Enrollment is limited to fifteen to twenty students, with preference given to entering freshmen.

COMM 100A. Communication, the Person, and Everyday Life (4)

A critical introduction to processes of interaction and engagement in lived and built environments. Includes historical survey of theories/methods, including actor network theory, conversation analysis, ethnography, ethnomethodology, cultural linguistics, performance, and social cognition; and integrates scholarly study with production-oriented engagement. Students will not receive credit for COHI 100 and COMM 100A. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 100B. Communication, Culture, and Representation (4)

A critical introduction to the practice and the effects of representation within historically situated cultural contexts. Surveys a range of theories/methods in interpretations and identity to understand the effects of these practices upon the form and content of various representational genres, and integrates scholarly study with production-oriented engagement. Students will not receive credit for COCU 100 and COMM 100B. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 100C. Communication, Institutions, and Power (4)

A critical introduction to structures of communication formed across the intersections of the state, economy, and civil society. Includes historical survey of communication industries, legal and policy-based arenas, civic and political organizations, and other social institutions; and integrates scholarly study with production-oriented engagement. Students will not receive credit for COSF 100 and COMM 100C. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 190. Junior Seminar in Communication (4)

The junior seminar entails a detailed examination of a specific topic from the field of communication, exploring in greater depth theories and methods introduced in the core communication curriculum. Seminars are limited to thirty students, with a heavy focus on class participation. Students complete a research project with a significant final product (typically a research paper). Students will not receive credit for both COGN 150 and COMM 190. Prerequisites: junior or senior standing and COMM 10 and at least one from COMM 100A, 100B, 100C.

COMM 101. Introduction to Audiovisual Media Practices (4)

This upper-level undergraduate course is required as the gateway to all future media production courses. Students will learn about historical and theoretical contemporary media practices such as film, video, internet, and social media production and how these practices are informed by technical and social constraints. In lab, students will work hands-on with video and new media equipment to apply what they have learned through genre and practical technique. Students will not receive credit for COGN 21 or 22 and COMM 101. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 101D. MPL: Nonlinear/Digital Editing (4)

Prepare students to edit on nonlinear editing facilities and introduce aesthetic theories of editing: time code editing, time line editing on the Media 100, digital storage and digitization of audio and video, compression, resolution, and draft mode editing. By the end of the course students will be able to demonstrate mastery of the digital editing facilities. May be taken for credit three times. Students will not receive credit for COMT 100 and COMM 101D. Prerequisites: COMM 10 and COMM 101 prerequisites can be taken concurrently by permission.

COMM 101E. MPL: Ethnographic Methods for Media Production (4)

This is a practical course on ethnographic fieldwork—obtaining informed consent interviewing, negotiating, formulating a research topic, finding relevant literature, writing a research paper, and assisting others with their research. May be taken for credit three times. Students will not receive credit for COMT 112 and COMM 101E. Prerequisites: COMM 10 and COMM 101 prerequisites can be taken concurrently by permission.

COMM 101K. MPL: Documentary Sketchbook (4)

Digital video is the medium used in this class both as a production technology and as a device to explore the theory and practice of documentary production. Technical demonstrations, lectures, production exercises, and readings will emphasize the interrelation between production values and ethics, problems of representation, and documentary history. May be taken for credit three times. Students will not receive credit for COMT 120 and COMM 101K. Prerequisites: COMM 10 and COMM 101 prerequisites can be taken concurrently by permission.

COMM 101M. MPL: Communication and Computers (4)

This course introduces students to computers as media of communication. Each quarter students participate in a variety of networking activities designed to show the interactive potential of the medium. Fieldwork designed to teach basic methods is combined with readings designed to build a deeper theoretical understanding of computer-based communication. Students will not receive credit for COMT 111A and COMM 101M. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 101N. MPL: Sound Production and Manipulation (4)

Advanced seminar in sound production, design, editing. Students create projects by recording original sounds, editing on a Pro-Tools system. We consider the potential of sound in film, radio, TV, and the web by reviewing work and reading sound theory. May be taken for credit three times. Students will not receive credit for COMT 121 and COMM 101N. Prerequisites: COMM 10 and COMM 101 prerequisites can be taken concurrently by permission.

COMM 101T. MPL: Topics in Production (4)

Specialized study in production with topics to be determined by the instructor for any given quarter. Students will use studio, editing rooms, cameras to construct a variety of in or outside studio productions that can include YouTube, Documentary shorts, Vimeo, with topics that show the effects on social issues. May be taken for credit three times. Prerequisites: COMM 101 or COGN 22 or VIS 70N prerequisites can be taken concurrently by permission.

COMM 102C. MMPP: Practicum in New Media and Community Life (6)

A combined lecture/lab in a specially designed after-school setting in southeastern San Diego working with children and adults. Students design new media and produce special projects, and explore issues related to human development, social justice, and community life. May be taken for credit three times. Prerequisites: none

COMM 102D. MMPP: Practicum in Child Development (6)

A combined lecture/lab course on after-school learning, social change, and community-based research. Students are expected to participate in a supervised after-school setting at one of four community labs in San Diego County. Students will learn ethnographic field methods, develop culturally relevant curriculum, and work in diverse settings. May be taken for credit three times. Prerequisites: none.

COMM 102M. MMPP: Studio Television (6)

This course offers students the opportunity to produce and engage in critical discussions around various television production formats. We will study and produce a variety of projects, including public service announcements, panel programs, scripted drama, and performance productions. May be taken for credit three times. Prerequisites: COMM 10 and COMM 101 or COGN 22 or VIS 70N.

COMM 102P. MMPP: Television Analysis and Production (6)

An introduction to the techniques and conventions common in television production with equal emphasis on method and content. Studio sessions provide students with opportunities to experiment in framing subject matter through a variety of cinematographic methods. May be taken for credit three times. Prerequisites: COMM 10 and COMM 101 or COGN 22 or VIS 70N.

COMM 102T. MMPP: Television Documentary (6)

An advanced television course that examines the history, form, and function of the television documentary in American society. Experimentation with documentary techniques and styles requires prior knowledge of television or film production. Laboratory sessions apply theory and methods in the documentary genre via technological process. Integrates research, studio, and field experience of various media components. May be taken for credit three times. Prerequisites: COMM 10 and COMM 101 or COGN 22 or VIS 70N.

COMM 103D. CM: Documentary History and Theory (4)

History of nonfiction film and video. Through film and written texts we survey the nonfiction film genre, considering technological innovations, ethical issues, and formal movements related to these representations of the “real.” Students write a research paper in lieu of a final. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 103E. CM: History of Electronic Media (4)

This course considers the social, cultural, economic, and technological contexts that have shaped electronic media, from the emergence of radio and television to their convergence through the internet, and how these pervasive forms of audiovisual culture have impacted American society. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 103F. CM: How to Read a Film (4)

This course increases our awareness of the ways we interpret or make understanding from movies to enrich and increase the means by which one can enjoy and comprehend movies. We will talk about movies and explore a range of methods and approaches to film interpretation. Readings will emphasize major and diverse theorists, including Bazin, Eisenstein, Cavell, and Mulvey. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 104D. CMS: Asia (4)

The development of media systems in Asia, focusing on India and China. Debates over nationalism, regionalism, globalization, new technologies, identity politics, censorship, privatization, and media piracy. Alignments and differences with North American and European media systems will also be considered. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 104E. CMS: Europe (4)

The development of media systems and policies in Europe. Differences between European and American journalism. Debates over the commercialization of television. The role of media in postcommunist societies in Eastern Europe. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 104F. CMS: Africa (4)

This course will critically examine the role of the mass media in sub-Saharan Africa in the areas of colonial rule, nationalist struggles, authoritarianism, and popular movements. It will examine general trends regionally and internationally, as well as individual national cases, from the early twentieth century to the internet news services of the information age. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 104G. CMS: Latin America and the Caribbean (4)

The development of media systems and policies in Latin America and the Caribbean. Debates over dependency and cultural imperialism. The news media and the process of democratization. Development of the regional television industry. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 105G. CT: Computer Games Studies (4)

Course considers computer games both as media and as sites of communication. Games are studied through hands-on play and texts from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Course encompasses commercial, academic, and independent games. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 105M. CT: Mobile Communication (4)

Movement is central to our lives. This course draws on the latest research into how we travel, trade, and move. Diverse topics will be covered, including kids in cars, the New York subway, and theories of mobility. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 105P. CT: Photographic Technologies (4)

This course examines photographic technologies as a set of instruments and practices that modern societies have developed and used to tell stories about themselves and make particular claims about truth and reality, focusing on the domains of science, policing, journalism, advertising, and self-expression. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 106A. CI: Introduction (4)

Course examines the organization of some of the many industries (e.g., film, music, gaming, and publishing) that make up the cultural landscape with an eye toward discerning the conditions that shape the production of cultural goods and services: how is production organized within cultural industries; how are products distributed; and what is the impact of both the organization and distribution of goods on the conditions of work and labor? Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 106C. CI: History Through Comics—Japan (4)

Pasts have been conveyed through various media for millennia. This course will use comics to explore how this medium impacts how we might learn and understand Japanese history. Topics discussed include memory, storytelling, perspective, and visuality. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 106F. CI: Film Industry (4)

A study of the social organization of the film industry throughout its history. Who makes films, by what criteria, and for what audience. The changing relationships between studios, producers, directors, writers, actors, editors, censors, distributors, audience, and subject matter of the films will be explored. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 106G. CI: Tourism: Global Industry and Cultural Form (4)

The largest industry in the world has far-reaching cultural ramifications. We will explore tourism’s history and its contemporary cultural effects, taking the perspective of the “toured” as well as that of the tourist. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 106I. CI: Internet Industry (4)

The political economy of the emergent internet industry, charted through analysis of its hardware, software, and services components. The course specifies leading trends and changing institutional outcomes by relating the internet industry to the adjoining media, telecommunications, and computer industries. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 106T. CI: Television Culture and the Public (4)

How and what does television communicate? Emphasis will be on contemporary US television programming, placed in comparative and historical context. Special topics may include: TV genres, TV and politics, TV and other media. Frequent in-class screenings. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 106V. CI: TV Industry (4)

Course examines political economy of television throughout its history. How TV is made, who is involved, how is industry organized, how does it get regulated, distributed? Consider how these answers changed over time and look at recent influences of digital technologies. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 107. Visual Culture (4)

How visual images contribute to our understanding of the world and ourselves. Theoretical approaches from media studies, art history, gender studies, and social theory will be used to analyze cultures of science, art, mass media, and everyday life. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 108A. POB: Introduction (4)

How do political contests and debates come to be organized on and around bodies? In what sense is the natural body a sign system and how does its organization represent and reproduce cultural values, moral assumptions, social relations, and economic rationales? This course examines these and other questions through political, historical, and media analysis. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 108D. POB: Disability (4)

Cultural and historical ways of defining and understanding disability relative to communication and assistive technologies, including the impact of digital technologies and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Course use of audiovisual texts and writings from fields including science and technology studies, and cultural studies. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 108G. POB: Gender and Biomedicine (4)

Historical and cultural aspects of media, information, imaging technology use in biomedical research, clinical care, health communication to constructions of gender and identity. We approach the subject through audiovisual texts and writings from fields including science and technology studies and cultural studies. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 109D. MC: Advertising and Society (4)

Advertising in historical and cross-cultural perspectives. Ideology and organization of the advertising industry; meaning of material goods; gifts in capitalist, socialist, and nonindustrial societies; natures of needs, desires, and whether advertising creates needs, desires; and approaches to decoding the advertising messages. Prerequisites: COMM 10.

COMM 109E. MC: Mass Communication: Political Economy of Mass Communication (4)