COMMS 100 : Communication, Technology and Culture

Arts

2024 Semester One (1243) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Explores the past, present and future of communication media. Examines communication media within their social context, and provides a particular focus on the interplay between technology and culture. Key concepts in the study of communication are introduced and various communication media are studied via specific case studies, with particular emphasis placed on new digital platforms including social and mobile media as well as older forms such as television and cinema.

Course Overview

Media and communication are big business, and digital media are especially consuming presences in our daily lives. But to what extent do they shape our beliefs, behaviours and politics? Do we live in a more informed and transparent society thanks to the proliferation of digital media, or do we live in a polarized and divided culture as a result? When our everyday lives are digitally recorded and saved, do we enjoy new forms of free expression, are we subjected to new forms of governance and control, or is it some combination of the two? 

We will explore the past, present and future of media and communication. In particular, this course highlights the radical changes brought about by the development and diffusion of datafied society though new media technologies. We will explore these developments with regards to their interconnection to race, class, and gender as well as Indigeneity in the Pacific context. The course explores the impact these changes have had upon media and communication industries, the content they produce and the audiences and users they serve. We will consider approaches to media texts as well as cultural and technological contexts (including smart technology, A.I., big data and algorithmic cultures). We will look at information (including social media and news) as well as popular media in order to make sense of media and communication technology in the context of politics and culture.

The course is designed for anyone with an interest in media and communication, regardless of whether you have previously studied these subjects. Key concepts are introduced via case studies, placing special emphasis on a range of current controversies.

Course Requirements

No pre-requisites or restrictions

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: People and Place
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Bachelor of Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Distinguish key approaches and theories of Communication across technologies, cultures, institutions, languages, and more (Capability 1, 3 and 4)
  2. Articulate roles communication plays in society, including relationships between communication and power (Capability 3, 4 and 8)
  3. Identify various ways texts and technologies may be both tools of scholarship and objects of analysis (Capability 3, 4 and 5)
  4. Develop fundamental skills for academic success in Communication and employability (Capability 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8)
  5. Identify issues of special interest in the Communication field to inspire your degree pathway (Capability 3, 4 and 6)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Coursework 60% Individual Coursework
Final Exam 40% Individual Examination
Students are required to sit the final exam. 

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 2 hours of lectures and a 1-hour tutorial every week, with the other ~7 hours devoted to reading, preparation and working on assignments. 

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience or Online

This course is offered in two delivery modes:

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled activities including tutorials to receive credit for components of the course.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities may also be available online as recordings, interactive activities, etc. Tutorials are in-person only and will not be recorded. Regular attendance at tutorials is necessary to succeed in the course. 

The course may include live online events including group discussions. 
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Online

Some course materials are delivered online and students are required to access and engage with these online resources.
The course may include live online events including lectures and group discussions.
This course runs to the University semester/quarter timetable and all the associated completion dates and deadlines will apply.

This course will not be accessible to students studying remotely outside NZ in 2024.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

This course received strong student satisfaction ratings in 2023. While some students expressed appreciation for the blend of in-person and online learning experiences, some expressed a preference for additional in-person lectures. As such, we have adapted the schedule to incorporate a higher weighting of in-person classes. (The overall study time requirements for succeeding in this course have not changed.)

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Parenting and being a student at the same time can be difficult. Breast-feeding babies are always welcome in class, and although we cannot regularly accommodate other children, you are welcome to bring a child to class if there are last-minute unforeseeable disruptions to childcare (e.g., the normal caregiver falls ill without adequate time to find someone else). 

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Published on 02/11/2023 12:18 p.m.