Welcome to CMNS 110! Whether you are a student from another faculty taking this course as an elective, or plan to join the School of Communication, this class will serve as a fascinating and eye-opening overview on media concepts and critical studies. The purpose of having a tutorial is to debate, discuss and evaluate both the topics we are reading about and our wider views of society and communication. I both hope and expect that you will attend tutorials with the purpose of bringing your views, discussion topics and unique perceptions of the concepts to your peers.
Sonja Weaver – Hon. BA in Communication and Philosophy, McMaster University.
Currently working on MA in Communication at SFU in identity construction in information societies.
Office Hour: Mondays from 11:30-12:20 in SUR 5302
Email Address: snw1@sfu.ca
The purpose of the tutorial is to enhance and explore what you are learning in class and through your readings, so make sure to ask any and all questions concerning the course that you can think of. Each week, we will be concentrating primarily on the previous week’s readings, particularly the themes discussed in class. As mentioned in your class syllabus, part of each tutorial will be devoted to student briefings of the material (see below). I will also provide key themes and insights into the assigned readings (and any other topics that we find interesting).
5% of your final grade will be generated from tutorial participation, in addition to the 10% for your briefing. This does not refer just to attendance, but particularly the quality of your discussion in class.
Have a look at the syllabus; the weekly briefings are outlined comprehensively there. Basically, you are to prepare a five minute walk-through and corresponding handout on the particular reading that you have signed up for; the idea is to explain the key concepts to the rest of us. You should speak about the topic for approximately five minutes or so, to be followed by about five more minutes of class discussion led by you. In order to make it easier on yourself, you may want to prepare questions or prompts ahead of time (instead of just asking people to comment – that will be like pulling teeth, believe me!), or even a short activity to do with the topic. You will be graded on your ability to concisely and accurately portray the material, demonstrating how you have made connections and enhanced your own understanding of the topic. You will also be evaluated on your ability to generate meaningful questions and/or class discussion of the theme.
In our meetings leading up to the due date for the two written assignments, we will go over specific requirements and discuss topic ideas. Make sure to use Roman’s framing questions, theme suggestions and paper structure breakdown as a guideline for how to direct your research and writing; we will also discuss this in tutorials. I will be available to talk with you and go over your drafts and reasoning for assignment grades at my weekly office hour (if you plan on coming to an office hour to discuss an assignment, please email me your draft at least a day in advance so I can have time to look at it), as well as answering any brief questions you have via email. Above all, I want you to get the most out of this tutorial and course and will help you as much as I am able to. Just a side note – I’ve had a lot of experience with detecting copied/plagiarized work, so please save us both the hassle (and potential failing grade!) and submit only your own original work. All assignments are due on the date indicated on the syllabus unless you make alternate arrangements with me well in advance.
If you require a bit more guidance, the following resources may be helpful:
SFU Surrey Learning Commons: http://learningcommons.sfu.ca/surrey/
-provides workshops, groups and one on one academic support
-check out website for calendar of events, such as “Library Skills – Find Journal Articles Fast!”
SFU Burnaby Learning Commons: http://learningcommons.sfu.ca/
Health and Counseling Centre: http://www.sfu.ca/hccc/06personal/intro.htm
-offers a variety of services, from personal counseling to support workshops
-available on all three campuses; ranges from weekly info sessions to one on one research support
No comments:
Post a Comment