Communication Studies is a four-year program leading to a Bachelor of Arts. Students have the option to pursue a specialization, a joint specialization, a major or a minor in Communication Studies.  Our students also have the option of pursuing  a Minor in Sports Communication.  Within these options, students enjoy a great deal of flexibility in their course selections and are able to pursue study paths that are appealing to their unique interests. Communication Studies students also have a number of options in their learning path. They may choose to pursue a course-based curriculum, include a research focus or follow a path of specialization in Public Relations.

BACHELOR OF ARTS (4 YEAR) IN COMMUNICATION STUDIES 

Total 120 credits
Program Checklist

SPECIALIZATION IN COMMUNICATION STUDIES (60 CREDITS)

First Year

COST 1116E	Introduction to Mass Media
COST 1117E	Introduction to Communication Theory and Semiotics

6 credits in the Social Sciences
6 credits in the Sciences
12 elective credits

Second Year

COST 2446E	The Dynamics of Interpersonal Communication I
COST 2447E	The Dynamics of Interpersonal Communication II
COST 2506E	Information Technology I: Theory

12 credits from the COST pool of courses (see below)
9 elective credits

Third Year *

COST 3006E	Technology and the Individual Experience
COST 3007E	Technology and the Social Experience
COST 3127E	Communication Research

12 credits from the COST pool of elective courses
9 elective credits
* Students may choose to spend their third year of study at Cambrian College in the Public Relations program.  Program Checklist

Fourth Year

12 credits in Communication Studies 4000 level courses
18 elective credits
Note: Students may not exceed 42 credits at the 1000 or 9100 level in their degree program.

MAJOR IN COMMUNICATION STUDIES (42 CREDITS)

COST 1116E	Introduction to Mass Media
COST 1117E	Introduction to Communication Theory and Semiotics
COST 2446E	The Dynamics of Interpersonal Communication I
COST 2447E	The Dynamics of Interpersonal Communication II
COST 2506E	Information Technology I: Theory
COST 2507E	Representations of Technology
COST 2526E	News Culture
COST 2606E	The Decorated Body as Communication
COST 3006E	Technology and the Individual Experience
COST 3007E	Technology and the Social Experience
COST 3127E	Communication Research
COST 4506E	New Media Policy
COST 4507E	Mass Media and Democracy

3 credits from the COST pool of elective courses
78 elective credits *
– must include 6 credits in the Social Sciences and/or 6 credits in the Sciences if not part of the minor or second major
* Students must complete a minimum of a minor (24 credits) or a second major (42 credits) from a different discipline from among their elective credits.
Note: Students may not exceed 42 credits at the 1000 or 9100 level in their degree program.

MINOR IN COMMUNICATION STUDIES (24 CREDITS)

COST 1116E	Introduction to Mass Media
COST 1117E	Introduction to Communication Theory and Semiotics

18 additional credits in Communication Studies (courses with a COST only code) of which at least 6 credits must be at the 3000 or 4000 level 

MINOR IN SPORTS COMMUNICATION FOR STUDENTS IN COMMUNICATION STUDIES (24 CREDITS)*

SPAD 1016E	Introduction to Sports Administration I
SPAD 1017E	Introduction to Sports Administration II
COST 2526E	News Culture
COMM 1206E	Business Communication
SPAD 2036E	Sport Marketing
SPAD 3046E	Sport, Media and Communication
COST 3606E	Sports Communication and Culture
SPAD 4106E	Social Media in Sport

*Students may not use COST 3606 and/or 2526 towards both their Minor in Sports Communication as well as COST pool elective credits. 

Chair

Full-Time Faculty

Part-Time Faculty

Please note that courses listed are subject to change and may not be offered every term.

COST 1116: Introduction to Mass Media
This course serves as an introduction to the various sectors within the Canadian mass media, including film, television, radio, telecommunications, the Internet, print media, advertising and music. Issues explored will include those of ownership, regulation and policy, and the relationship that exists between Canadian mass media and their powerful American counterparts.

COST 1117: Introduction to Communication Theory and Semiotics
This course serves as an introduction to communication theory. Subjects introduced will include the transition from oral to electronic communication, mythology, ideology, semiotics, hegemony and resistance. Students will learn to be active readers of text and be introduced to many of the principal theories and thinkers within the field.

COST 2446: Interpersonal Communication I
This course examines those communication skills and theories that help improve interpersonal relationships such as friendship, marriage, family life, and in the workplace. The course will also examine current issues such as communicating in a multi-cultural society, communicating in cyberspace, resolving conflict, and dealing with loss. The course will focus on the meaning and reality “of conversation” as the basis for all human relationships.

COST 2447: Interpersonal Communication II
This course examines those communication skills and theories that help improve interpersonal relationships such as friendship, marriage, family life, and in the workplace. The course will also examine current issues such as communicating in a multi-cultural society, communicating in cyberspace, resolving conflict, and dealing with loss. The course will focus on the meaning and reality “of conversation” as the basis for all human relationships.

COST 2506: Information Technology I: Theory
This course provides background in Information Technology development, theory and terminology. There will be a special focus on the relation of the technology to the information, teaching and learning process. This is largely a concepts course, introducing applications software, storage, information systems, and social and cultural issues.

COST 2507: Representations of Technology
This course examines the cultural representations of technology provided in the media and in various popular cultural artifacts.  Informed by cultural studies and semiotics theory, representations examined will be fictional and non-fictional and will be located in a variety of media, including news accounts as well as technological visions of society within film, television and computer media simulations to list a few.

COST 2526: News Culture
This course offers an introduction to the topics in contemporary journalism studies, including a critical exploration of the history, structure and operation of the news media in Canada with an emphasis on the social, political and technological developments in print, broadcast and electronic news.

COST 2606: The Decorated Body as Communication
This course explores the ways in which human beings around the word, past and present, decorate their bodies. There is no known culture in which people do not paint, pierce, tattoo, reshape, or simply adorn their bodies. Whether with permanent marks like tattoos or scars, or temporary decorations like makeup, clothing, and hairstyles, body art is a way of signaling an individual’s place in society, marking a special moment, celebrating a transition in life or simply following a fashion. It can also be considered as a language or form of communication. What messages do these practices carry? How have they been used to identify us as individuals or as members of a group? How have ideas about people considered beautiful changed over time?

COST 3006: Technology and the Individual Experience
This course offers an introduction to and a critique of issues from and within the relationship between individuals and modern technology. This examination will be made from the perspective of Western culture, assessing an individual’s identity in relation to mass communication, bio-technologies, human rights, and the future.

COST 3007: Technology and the Social Experience
This course offers and introduction to and a critique of the social milieu of modern Western culture from both an historical and contemporary perspective. Issues such as the growth of cities and work places, the significance of money and markets, violence, and the exploration of inner and outer space will be examined.

COST 3127: Communication Research
This course introduces students to research in Communication Studies. A focus on qualitative research methodology informs the course and the specific tools and methods available to the researcher are discussed in this context.

COST 3206: Media and Popular Culture
This course examines from various perspectives the mediated practices of everyday life in popular cultural texts. The course evaluates popular texts in a Western context through an exploration of genres including film, television, music, gaming, merchandise, and advertising, in addition to social networking.

COST 3606: Sports, Communication and Culture
This course examines sports and communication, including the production, coverage, and spectatorship of the professional sports industry. The sports-communication relationship is analyzed from various theoretical perspectives. Issues such as the use of social media, reporting of race and gender, and the spectacle of sport-related scandals are also addressed.

COST 4506: New Media Policy
This course will provide students with a critical look at the evolving debates and issues surrounding media and communication policy, in the Canadian, North American and international arenas. The specific focus of the course will be on new media policy, and as such, will cover issues of copyright and intellectual property, privacy, digital divide, and internet governance. These issues will be discussed in the context of media policy from a historical and cultural perspective.

COST 4507: Mass Media and Democracy
This course will examine mass media and democracy through a political communication lens. Beyond the basic issues and theories in political communication that will be covered in this course, topics such as the decline of social capital, the rise of the permanent campaign, values and trends within journalism and popular culture, the political strategies employed by political leaders and the effects of media coverage on political and electoral processes will be discussed in this class.

COST 4526: Current Issues in Communication Studies
This course explores current issues in Communication Studies. Issues such as the role of the media for democracy, foreign ownership, censorship, freedom of the press, and media bias are explored. PREREQ: 18 credits in COST or permission of the department.

COST 4527: Media Spectacle
This course examines media spectacle from a postmodern and poststructuralist theoretical perspective with an emphasis on the North American and European context. Beyond interrogating the origin, role, and purpose of media spectacle, the course also considers the way that spectacle intersects with phenomena such as war, religion, politics, and sports. Students will be asked to critically analyze the ethical and political implications of media spectacles.

COST 4595: Thesis in Communication Studies*
This course provides students with the opportunity to engage in focused research in an area of communications studies for which appropriate faculty supervision is available. This course is intended to activate students’ critical thinking skills and the ability to design and complete a research project culminating in a thesis outlining their findings. Students will learn how to develop a research question, to look for critical and relevant academic sources, to design a research project, collect and analyze data, and to present the results in a professional written manner.  *PREREQ: COST 3127: Communication Research plus 18 COST credits.

Communication Studies’ Pool of Electives
The Communication Studies Pool of Electives is a selected and condensed group of courses that cover media and culture issues more broadly within the Communication Studies program as well as across the disciplines.  Click here for the complete list of COST pool of elective courses.

 

Huntington University Communication Society (HUCS)

HUCS Mission Statement
The Huntington University Communication Society (HUCS) joins students, alumni, faculty and community partners through social events and student opportunities. Through the ongoing support of Huntington University’s department of Communication Studies, HUCS is building a community of collaboration through engaging dialogue, public events, student showcase, community outreach, industry partnership and more.

Supporting students who are studying in the department of Communications is central to our mission. The Huntington University Communication Society works to engage student participation and strengthen partnerships with local industry and community members while providing Communication Studies students with professional and practical opportunities.

HUCS’s proposed annual activities are described as follows:

• Engage students by providing social opportunities in the area of communication studies in order to expand the current curricula and student learning and networking in the area;
• Connect students, faculty and alumni with industry and community in order to engage in making student projects, public projects;
• Work with community partners and affiliated groups in order to advance professional and practical student and graduate opportunities locally and beyond;
• Host workshops, seminars and/or public events for Communication Studies students, alumni and faculty designed to empower students to gain experience and networking opportunities with industry partners and community stakeholders;
• Support the students in the Department of Communication Studies and the wider university community with fundraising and other support services.

Click HERE to view HUC’s first edition of the newsletter!!

Where are they now?
Our students and graduates have found a wide variety of post-grad employment opportunities in organizations such as:

• Professional sport organizations, ex. The Blue Jays Foundation
• Television broadcasting, ex. CTV North
• Radio broadcasting, ex. Hot 93.5 and KICKX 91.7
• Print news, ex. The Sudbury Star and Sudbury Living Magazine
• Public Sector, ex. Health Sciences North, Sudbury District Health Unit, Corporation of the City of Greater Sudbury, and the Chamber of Commerce
• Corporate Communications, ex. Hydro One, Subway Canada Head Office, and Red Bull Canada
• Educational Sector, ex. Liaison Services with Laurentian University

Furthermore, many graduates have gone on to graduate school pursuits. For example: Masters of Arts in Communication Studies and Masters of Business Administration

Alumni Quotes
“I loved the COST program at HU because of the small class sizes; it enabled me to build close relationships with professors and other peers in my classes. I also enjoyed having the opportunity to write a thesis on a topic of my choosing, connecting the communication theories we learned in class to something I was passionate about.”

— Shonna Spicer (Toronto Blue Jays – Jays Care Foundation)

“I highly recommend the Communication Studies program due to the knowledge and skills I have acquired throughout my time here. I will take everything that I have come to learn in this program and apply it to my everyday life by becoming a successful contributor to this fast-paced society!”

— Sarah McCormack (Greater Sudbury Hydro)

These commonly asked questions provide a brief overview for students who have an interest in the Communication Studies program at Huntington University.

What is the study of Communications?
Communication Studies is a dynamic multidisciplinary program exploring a wide range of interests in contemporary global and popular culture, including speech, journalism, radio and television, advertising and public relations, digital culture, film and cinema, visual communications and more.

What can a degree in Communication Studies offer me?
As an undergraduate degree, Communication Studies is one of the most practical for preparation for a number of career paths. Graduates of Communication Studies will have earned the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue graduate studies or to work as communications professionals. Upon completion of our program, students can find employment opportunities as media editors, speech writers, journalists, public relations practitioners, communications officers, marketing coordinators, media consultants, public speaking professionals, staff writers, political campaign coordinators and much more.

What is the length of this program?
The Communication Studies program at Huntington University is a four-year program leading to a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Where are classes held?
All of the core courses in Communication Studies are conveniently offered at Huntington University, a federated university that is affiliated with Laurentian University. Students who live outside of the Greater Sudbury area could benefit from living in our residence, which is located in the same building. For more information about our residence, please click here.

What are the class sizes?
Most core courses in years two to four have enrollments of approximately 25 to 50 students. Certain first year and elective courses, at Huntington University and throughout the Laurentian University campus can carry enrollments of up to 150 students. Several of these courses offer limited enrollment based on a high volume of student interest.

What is the program and class environment like?
The department of Communication Studies prides itself on its personable and collaborative approach to both teaching and learning. Our faculty truly enjoys teaching and being in the classroom is a passion. Much of the learning in our courses comes from participation in class discussion, exercises and activities, and the use of various media culture for illustrative purposes. The overall learning environment is contingent on students’ active engagement.

Is financial assistance available for undergraduate students?
At Huntington University students can benefit from a number of bursaries that are offered on the basis of need and merit. Application forms become available in late fall. For more information on financial assistance, please visit the Student Awards webpage.

I’m coming from the 3-year Public Relations Program at Cambrian College. Do my credits transfer?
Yes, upon obtaining your college diploma with a 2.8 minimum GPA, you will need to take 42 credits from a list of required courses.

I’m coming from the 2-year Journalism or Advertising program at Cambrian College. Do my credits transfer?
Yes, upon obtaining your college diploma with a 2.8 minimum GPA, you will need to take 60 credits from a list of required courses.

I’m coming from the 3-year Graphic Design program at Cambrian College. Do my credits transfer?
Yes, upon obtaining your college diploma with a 2.8 minimum GPA, you will need to take 42 credits from a list of required courses.

How can I strengthen career opportunities in the field of Communications?
One of the best ways to strengthen your CV is to continually build and develop a media or a writing portfolio containing your best academic and professional work. Volunteer work, internships and participation at co-curricular events are the best way to maximize your employment prospects.

Who should I contact for more details about the program, the courses and the many opportunities available?
The best person to get in touch with is Kristeen McKee, the Chair of the department of Communication Studies. Professor Kristeen McKee can be contacted by phone at: 705 673 4126 ext. 217, by e-mail at [email protected].