100-level

COMS101
Media and Society
Description
COMS101 explores the relationship between society and media - including social media, print, broadcasting, and all kinds of online spaces. It asks how our understandings of the world and people around us are mediated, how media have shaped society, and how society is reflected and produced through media. We will explore topics like media audiences, technologies, ownership and work; the frames of representation, power, and identity; and analytical tools like semiotics, discourse, and narrative. COMS101 is a stage one course that does not require any prior media study, but it builds on everything you have ever watched, listened to, interacted with, and produced. This course has on-campus and distance options. It includes weekly written exercises and requires active in-class engagement on campus, or in the distance stream to develop core university skills and learn effectively from the teaching staff and from each other.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Semester One 2024 (Distance)
Points
15 points
COMS102
Introduction to News and Journalism
Description
This course provides students with an understanding of how news journalism works and why it looks the way it does. The course includes practical work designed to help students understand news practice from the inside and outside. The focus will be on Aotearoa New Zealand cases and particularly on the representation of te ao Maori in the news.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Semester Two 2024 (Distance)
Points
15 points
COMS104
Introduction to Strategic Communication
Description
This course examines the role of strategic communication in society as an economic and political force. Strategic communication attempts to persuade and argue for a particular position that one is advocating for - whether that be on behalf of a business, a governmental policy, or a social cause. Obvious examples from within media are public relations and advertising, however, this course will examine how sponsored messaging has affected social institutions, from education to politics to media to health to philanthropy. The second half of the course is focused on building the skills necessary to create effective strategic messages. This course has on-campus and distance options, and requires active participation.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Semester Two 2024 (Distance)
Points
15 points

200-level

COMS201
Media Audiences
Description
How does our media consumption shape our opinions, actions, identities and lives? How do audiences influence the production and circulation of media? How do we create our own media presence online, and act as an audience for each other? This course examines the relationship between audiences and media. We discuss theory and research that represents audiences as passive consumers of media products, active decoders of media texts, producers of our own representations online, and participants in interactive media production. The course looks at a broad range of media forms and content to reflect and build on your own experiences of being media audience members. "Media Audiences" will encourage you to reflect on your own relationship with media, and to consider the broader contexts that shape your listening, viewing, reading, and interaction. This course has on-campus and distance options. It has a one hour lecture and a two-hour workshop each week. The course includes group work in classes and for assessments, and requires active in-class engagement. You will advance core skills in reading and carrying out research, with reflection, collaborative work, networking, creativity, writing and presentation.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Semester Two 2024 (Distance)
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from COMS or CULT, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
CULT201
COMS204
Advertising and Cultural Consumption
Description
Advertising has become a central component of our contemporary cultural environment that finances all of the communication industries. However, the effects of advertising may lie far outside only the funding of media systems. This course explores the relationship between advertising, consumerism, identity, the environment and citizenship. You will learn be deconstructing the system, analysing advertisements, examining the effects of advertising on identity, and looking into the rise of ethical brands and sustainability. Then will study advertising from an insider perspective, finding out how advertising agencies work and ads are created. This course has on-campus and distance options. It includes group work and requires active engagement in class, or online for distance students, to create and share work with others, in order to learn from and support each other.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Semester One 2024 (Distance)
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from COMS, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
COMS205
Media and Politics
Description
The course provides an understanding of the role of the media in domestic and international politics. It does this by analysing key theoretical assumptions and debates on the role of media institutions in the struggle for power domestically and internationally. This course includes group work and requires active in-class engagement. It has on-campus and distance options. It features internationally-recognised top experts in the field of political communication as our guest speakers. Research, critical debate, collaborative work, networking, creativity, writing and presentation are among the core skills this course aims to advance.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Semester One 2024 (Distance)
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from COMS or POLS, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
POLS232
COMS207
Social Media
Description
This course contains practical work in the community and groupwork. The course prepares students to do public communication in a rapidly changing media environment. The first half of the course explores how a range of social media platforms work and how professional communicators are attempting to use it. Topics include networks, online community, social media analytics and social media campaigns. In the second half of the course students apply these ideas in small-group projects for a community organisation or company. This course is available only to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Communication.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
15 points COMS or 60 points BC Schedule V. Subject to approval by the Head of Department.
Restrictions
COMS222 (2008-2012), DIGI207
COMS225
Politics and New Media
Description
A Facebook profile is required to take part in this course. This course is being offered at two universities at once in Finland and Aotearoa New Zealand. Students will take part in discussions with students from the other university and will be taught by academics from each university, with a tutor and lecturer at Canterbury coordinating the local version of the course. The course studies the latest developments on how public life and politics are being shaped by web-based communication. You will be asked to think critically about the globalisation of politics online, about the divisions between haves and have nots and about the ways different groups pursue their agendas online.
Occurrences
Summer Jan 2024
Summer Jan 2024 (Distance)
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
ny 15 points at 100 level from COMS, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
COMS231
Digital Media Production
Description
This practical course teaches some of the core production skills that all communication practitioners need. You’ll be introduced to basic digital media skills and shown how to produce and package content for online and mobile platforms. As well as being asked to create work, you’ll be asked to reflect on it in the context of broader trends in media practice and the ethical responsibilities of digital communication. Please note, this course has a strongly practical focus and requires active in-class engagement for hands-on activities (such as photographing, filming and editing) and sharing and discussing work with others. It is not a distance course. This course is restricted to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Communication or Graduate Diplomas in Journalism or Strategic Communication.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
15 points COMS or 60 points BC Schedule V. Subject to approval by the Head of Department.
COMS232
Risk and Crisis Communication
Description
This applied course introduces students to a major area of the planning of communication, the management of risk. Theories of risk, crisis and the risk society are described, before the course focuses in detail on the practice of risk communication, including communication planning, crafting messages and involving communities in collective risk decision-making. Risks explored range from individuals' health and safety, disasters, reputational crises and pervasive risks such as climate change. This course has on-campus and distance options. You will learn from professional guests, and from each other, to develop skills in evaluating and planning crisis response.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Semester Two 2024 (Distance)
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Any 15 points at 100 level from COMS, or either ENVR101 or GEOG106, or any 60 points at 100 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
COMS233
Media Law for Journalists
Description
This course aims to give you the foundational knowledge you need to practice ethically and legally as a journalist. By the end of the course you’re expected to have developed a basic understanding of the range and impact of laws and regulations restricting the media and journalists in New Zealand, as well as practical skills in court reporting. You will be required to attend a courts field trip, and to create and share work with others in order to learn from and support each other. Please note, the course’s practical focus requires active in-class engagement. It is not a distance course. Note: This course is restricted to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) or Graduate Diploma in Journalism.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
Limited Entry: Subject to admission to the Journalism Major and permission from the Head of Department.
Restrictions
LAWS396

300-level

COMS305
Media and Social Change
Description
This course analyses the role of the media in social change and question whether media can, in fact, produce consensus within society, and if those changes are controllable by the artist/writer/producer, the audience, or the state. It does this by exploring theoretical underpinnings of societal shifts through the framework of the media as an important institution in society and in the construction of social reality. The course will invite students to further understand the role of the media in power relations by analysing such notions and processes as ideology, hegemony, representations, and media ethics. This course includes group work and requires active in-class engagement. This is not a distance course. This course has a strongly practical focus that requires active in-class engagement. This course requires students to create and share work with others, in order to learn from and support each other.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from COMS, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
COMS306
Media Communication in International Context
Description
The course sets out to provide a critical insight and analysis into the role of media in contemporary international contexts. Its focus is on political communication during conflicts and wars, as well as its contribution to international collaborations and cross-border and cross-culture dialogues. Through a series of in-depth case studies, the course provides a comprehensive review of the key concepts and theories on the media's impact on, and role in international political communication. This course includes group work with students in the course collaborating with students from different countries, and requires active in-class engagement. It has on-campus and distance options. It features internationally-recognised top experts as our guest speakers. Research, team work, international collaboration, creativity, writing, presentation and cross-cultural skills are among the core skills this course aims to advance.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Semester Two 2024 (Distance)
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from COMS or POLS, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
Restrictions
POLS332
COMS320
Strategic Campaign Development
Description
This advanced course in strategic communication will start with a broad introduction to the process of strategic campaign planning. A significant portion of the course will be devoted to different situations that a campaign creator may come across. The course will talk about theoretical and professional strategies in advertising and public relations. Students will learn ways to create different types of campaign messages. This is not a distance course. This course teaches some of the core skills that all communication professionals will need. It includes group work and requires active in-class engagement.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Any 30 points at 200 level from COMS, or any 60 points at 200 level from the Schedule V of the BA.
COMS330
Communication in Context
Description
This course enables students to put their professional knowledge into a broader context of the communication landscape and the wider social landscape. The course will be divided into a series of modules in which different aspects of the context will be studied. Students will develop competence to work in bicultural and global contexts, learn about the responsibilities of a good communication practitioner and be asked to reflect on the kind of role they wish to fill. This course is restricted to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Communication or Graduate Diplomas in Journalism or Strategic Communication. The course cannot be done at a distance as the learning involves in-person discussion and a noho marae.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
30 points COMS 200-level or 60 points BC Schedule V. HoD mandatory.
COMS331
Researching and Reporting News
Description
This course provides an introduction to the foundational skills and knowledge required for communicating news and information to various publics. You’ll learn how to develop writing and multimedia skills to produce engaging digital content. You’ll also gain knowledge of your ethical responsibilities and learn to critically reflect on your own and others' media practice. The course combines analytical skills with practical experience, including fieldwork and work placement opportunities, to help consolidate the links between theory and practice and develop independence in professional work. Please note, the course’s strongly practical focus requires active in-class engagement. It is not a distance course. Note: This course is restricted to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) or Graduate Diploma in Journalism.
Occurrences
Semester One 2024
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Limited Entry. (i) COMS231, COMS232, COMS233. (ii) Permission from the Head of Department.
COMS332
News Production
Description
This course builds on the foundational skills and knowledge required for communicating news and information to various publics. You will learn how to develop your reporting and multimedia skills to produce engaging digital content. You will also gain knowledge of your ethical responsibilities and learn to critically reflect on your own and others' media practice. The course combines analytical skills with practical experience, including fieldwork and work placement opportunities, to help consolidate the links between theory and practice and develop independence in professional work. Please note, the course’s strongly practical focus requires active in-class engagement. It is not a distance course. Note: This course is restricted to students enrolled in the Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) or Graduate Diploma in Journalism.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
Limited Entry. (i) COMS331 (ii) Permission from the Head of Department.
COMS333
Podcasting Project
Description
COMS333 examines podcasts as a media form, and develops techniques of podcast making. You will explore the technologies that lead to podcasting, along with histories of audio storytelling. You will develop a collaborative podcast project. This is not a distance course. It teaches practical skills and requires students to create and share work with others, in order to learn from and support each other. In COMS333 you will advance core skills in audio production, textual analysis, media archaeology, collaborative work, networking, creativity, writing and presentation.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2024
Points
30 points
Prerequisites
15 points at 200-level in COMS. Students without this prerequisite but with at least a B average in 60 points of relevant courses, may enter the course with the approval of the Department Co-ordinator or the Undergraduate Co-ordinator for COMS.

Not Offered Courses in 2024

300-level

COMS304
Journalists at Work
Description
The practical work in this course involves producing a student-oriented magazine. Planning, researching and writing the magazine will be complemented by academic analysis of journalism as a practice and the role it plays in society and communities. Topics will include: journalists' conception of their role, journalism ethics, community media, accountability and investigative reporting, celebrity journalism, longer-form journalism and sports journalism.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2019
For further information see COMS304 course details
Points
30 points
COMS307
Broadcasting Aotearoa New Zealand: Online and On Air
Description
Broadcasting Aotearoa New Zealand explores the stories that are told about Aotearoa New Zealand on television and radio, and in web series, podcasts, and other digital spaces. The course explores the role broadcasting has played in shaping society and the ways in which society is reflected and produced in programming online and on air. COMS307 asks what are the bicultural histories and futures of Aotearoa New Zealand, and how might new, inclusive stories be told on a variety of platforms? In COMS307 you will develop a funding application for a television programme, web series, podcast, or interactive platform, and you will be able to relate your programme plan to the social, cultural, political, and economic histories and contexts of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Occurrences
Not offered 2024, offered in 2018 , 2019
For further information see COMS307 course details
Points
30 points