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The Advanced Certificate in Communication provides students with skills in applied communications. Students develop competence in areas such as professional writing, public relations theory and practice, management communications, marketing writing, and visual communication. Completion of the program will provide students with a valuable skill-set, applicable to every potential career. The certificate will be of interest to students who are looking to complement their previous post-secondary experience by focusing on an applied, career-related field.
The certificate features flexible completion of required courses, allowing students to complete the requirements as part-time and/or evening study. In addition, students can apply six credits of first-year Communications or English earned in previous post-secondary study toward the Advanced Certificate in Communication.
Successful completion of 60 credits of post-secondary study from Arts, Science, or Business or an Engineering Technology diploma.
The Advanced Certificate in Communication will be granted upon the successful completion of 18 credits, including six credits of first-year CMNS or ENGL, and 12 additional credits of CMNS, of which at least nine credits must come from courses numbered 300 or higher. Students may apply six credits of first-year CMNS or ENGL earned in previous post-secondary study toward the Advanced Certificate.
CMNS 100-3-3Introduction to CommunicationsThis course provides students with an introduction to communications theory. Surveying historical and contemporary theories, the course will offer a critical examination of the ways people communicate with each other via print and/or new media, orally, interpersonally, and visually. Students will analyse meaning-making in a range of mediated contexts, including advertising, television, film, popular culture, and the Internet. (3,0,0)
CMNS 110-3-3Introduction to Mass CommunicationThis course examines the history, structure, institutions, and processes of the print, audio, visual, and digital sectors of the mass media. Central to our examination is the interrelation between mass media, technology, culture, and power. Students will explore issues related to regulation, freedom of expression, globalization, and commodification of meaning. (3,0,0)
CMNS 112-3-3Business Communication Iformerly ENGL 112, PCOM 112This course is for Business Administration students who, in developing business writing and editing skills, must consider their audience and purpose and then adjust their style accordingly to produce high-quality documents. Students will learn efficient writing techniques, to produce summaries, letters, memos, job-search documents, and a report. Students will also develop their speaking skills. Students with credit for ENGL 112 or PCOM 112 cannot complete CMNS 112 for further credit. CGA, CMA credit (3,0,0)
Prerequisites:
Also offered by Distance Education
CMNS 113-3-3Technical Communication for Information Technologyformerly PCOM 113This course develops technical writing and speaking skills. Students will apply elements of style, awareness of audience, and clarity of purpose to summaries, memos, letters, employment applications, instructions, and technical manuals. They will learn to plan, draft, and edit efficiently, and will develop the confidence and skills required for speaking in job-related situations. Students with credit for ENGL 112, PCOM 112, CMNS 112 or PCOM 113 cannot complete CMNS 113 for further credit. (3,0,0)
CMNS 120-3-3Introduction to Journalism StudiesThis course examines the history of journalism, the evolution of the role of the journalist in society, and the interrelationship between the practice of journalism and the broader social, cultural, political, and economic structures of society. Students will explore issues concerning the decline of the public sphere, and claims for its reinvention through participatory digital means. They will also learn, and begin to practice, a range of journalistic writing styles. Students will leave the class armed with the critical tools necessary to engage in discussions regarding the history, present condition and future of journalism. (3,0,0)
CMNS 122-3-3Business Communication IIformerly ENGL 122, PCOM 122Business Administration students will apply the skills learned in CMNS 112 to the forms and strategies of proposals, progress reports, research reports, and case analyses. Students will conduct research, apply standard methods of documentation, produce professional-quality reports, and design and deliver oral presentations using current presentation software. Students with credit for ENGL 122 or PCOM 122 cannot complete CMNS 122 for further credit. CGA, CMA credit (3,0,0)
CMNS 123-3-3Analysis and Reporting for Information Technologyformerly PCOM 123In this course students further develop their individual writing and speaking skills and apply research techniques and documentation standards to produce case analyses, proposals, progress and technical reports, and oral presentations. Students will also work in groups to develop collaborative writing and project management skills. Students with credit for ENGL 130 or PCOM 123 cannot complete CMNS 123 for further credit. (3,0,0)
CMNS 132-3-4Technical Communication I for Engineering Technologyformerly ENGL 132, PCOM 132This course develops technical writing and speaking skills. Students will write summaries, memos, letters, employment applications, instructions, and technical manuals. They will apply elements of style, awareness of audience and clarity of purpose to produce high quality work. They will learn to plan, draft, and edit efficiently. Students will also develop confidence and skills required for speaking in job-related situations. Students with credit for ENGL 132 or PCOM 132 cannot complete CMNS 132 for further credit. (2,2,0)
CMNS 133-3-3Technical Writing and Communications IThis course develops technical writing and speaking skills. Students will write a range of documents, including summaries, memos, letters, employment applications, instructions, and technical manuals. They will learn to consider their audience and their reason for communicating and to adapt their style to reach that audience and achieve their purpose. They will also learn to plan, draft, and edit efficiently. Students with credit for CMNS 132 cannot take this course for further credit. (3,0,0)
CMNS 142-3-4Technical Communication II for Engineering Technologyformerly ENGL 142, PCOM 142Students will further develop their writing skills and apply research techniques to produce informal and formal reports, proposals, and case analyses. Oral reports will reflect their research reports. Besides improving individual writing and speaking skills, students will work in groups to develop collaborative writing and project management skills. Students will use current presentation software to prepare oral presentations that reflect industrial situations. Students with credit for ENGL 142 or PCOM 142 cannot complete CMNS 142 for further credit. (2,2,0)
CMNS 143-3-3Technical Writing and Communications IIThis course further develops technical writing and speaking skills. Students will apply research techniques to produce informal and formal reports, proposals, and case analyses. They will also work in groups to develop collaborative writing and project management skills and will prepare oral presentations that reflect industrial situations. Students with credit for CMNS 142 or 144 cannot take this course for further credit. (3,0,0)
CMNS 144-3-3Technical Writing and Communications for Mechanical EngineeringDesigned for students in the Mechanical Engineering program, this course further develops technical writing and speaking skills. Students will apply research techniques to produce informal and formal reports, proposals, and case analyses. They will also work in groups to develop collaborative writing and project management skills and will prepare oral presentations that reflect industrial situations. Students with credit for CMNS 142 or 143 cannot take this course for further credit. (3,0,0)
Corequisites:
CMNS 152-3-3Writing in Health and Human Servicesformerly PCOM 152This course applies theoretical understanding to the practical skills needed by the successful writer working in health and human services. Students learn when, why, and how to inform, analyze, and persuade. The principles of clear, persuasive writing are applied to genres common in the helping professions. This course can only be used for credit in the Human Service Work and Therapist Assistant diploma programs. (3,0,0)
ENGL 100-3-3University WritingThis course is for students who have demonstrated secondary-school-level competence in the reading and essay writing skills required by most university disciplines. Reading and writing assignments will concentrate on non-fictional prose, and will emphasize the processes of reading, analysis, reasoning, documentation and the stages of the writing process. Students with credit for ENGL 199 may not take ENGL 100 for further credit. (3,0,0)
ENGL 116-3-3Introduction to Creative Writing IAn introduction to composition in the genres of poetry, short fiction and the one-act play. Students experiment in each of these genres. By the end of the course, students will have a working knowledge of modern aesthetics, and a fairly objective appreciation of their own "voice" in the context of those aesthetics. (3,0,0)
ENGL 126-3-3Introduction to Creative Writing IIAn extension of ENGL 116, this course is designed to pursue composition in the genres of poetry, fiction and drama by examining the aesthetics of contemporary work in these genres. Students will be encouraged to choose a genre for a substantial semester project. The examination of recent experiments in literature, and discussion of student projects as they develop will be the focus of the course. At course completion, students will have a working knowledge of contemporary aesthetics, and a fairly advanced appreciation of their own "voice" in the context of those aesthetics. (3,0,0)
ENGL 150-3-3Critical Writing and Reading: Poetry and DramaThis course is for students who have demonstrated secondary-school-level competence in the reading and essay writing skills required by most university disciplines. Reading and writing assignments will concentrate on poetry and drama, and will emphasize the processes of reading, analysis, reasoning, documentation and the stages of the writing process. (3,0,0)
ENGL 151-3-3Critical Writing and Reading: Short Fiction and the NovelThis course is for students who have demonstrated secondary-school-level competence in the reading and essay writing skills required by most university disciplines. Reading and writing assignments will concentrate on short fiction and the novel, and will emphasize the processes of reading, analysis, reasoning, documentation and the stages of the writing process. (3,0,0)
ENGL 153-3-3Critical Writing and Reading: NarrativeThis course is for students who have demonstrated secondary-school-level competence in the reading and essay writing skills required by most university disciplines. Reading and writing assignments will concentrate on a variety of narrative forms including anecdotes, autobiography, biography, diaries, films, histories, myths, narrative poems, novels and songs, and will emphasize the processes of reading, analysis, reasoning, documentation and the stages of the writing process. (3,0,0)
CMNS 200-3-3Communications in the EverydayThis course focuses on the relationship between language and our everyday experience of the world. In particular, language as a symbolic system of meaning and its influence on our thinking, our beliefs, our desires, our emotions, and our relationships will be examined. The function of language in relation to power, discourse communities, and the formation of identity will be studied. (3,0,0)
CMNS 230-3-3Communication and CultureThis course focuses on the major approaches to studying and understanding communication. It will explore the diverse cultural, historical, and intellectual contexts from which various theoretical currents have emerged. This course will enable students to critically question and understand how meaning is created in both mainstream and marginalized communities. (3,0,0)
CMNS 240-3-3The Culture of TelevisionThis course examines the medium of Television as a cultural icon, a significant reflector and determinant of cultural moods and ideas, and as the dominant communications medium of the twentieth century and beyond. Emphasis will be placed on interrogating televisual programming and advertising, and charting Television's rise to media ascendancy. (3,0,0)
CMNS 250-3-3Cultural Industries in CanadaThis course introduces students to the Canadian media and cultural industries. It explores the history, structure, economics, and regulatory policies of Canada's mass media sectors. Topics include: the role and definition of culture; public versus private control of culture; cultural industries and national (and regional) identity; the right of creators of cultural products versus distributors; and Canadian cultural industries and products globally. (3,0,0)
CMNS 260-3-3Topics in CommunicationsThis course is an examination of selected topics in Communications. Topics may include: popular music and society, film studies, visual communication, language and gender, and language and culture. Consult with the department for current offerings. With different topics this course may be taken more than once. (3,0,0)
CMNS 270-3-3New MediaThis course offers a socio-historical examination of the technology of new media, surveying critical theories to understand the relationship between Information Technology (IT) and materialism, consumerism, and cultural identity at multiple levels of social engagement. The role of IT in the evolution of communication practices in contemporary life will be examined. (3,0,0)
CMNS 280-3-3Applied CommunicationThis course focuses on the theory and practice necessary to producing professional, client-based documents such as analytical research reports, public relations resources, or marketing materials. Students will work through the production process typical of the given project: developing proposals, planning the project, completing theoretical and empirical research, developing a conceptual framework, organizing materials, designing visuals, and managing production. (3,0,0)
CMNS 295-3Directed Studies in CommunicationsStudents will undertake a supervised project in Communications. Students will produce a project proposal, a progress report, and a final written report.
CMNS 300-3-3Rhetoric and PersuasionAdvanced written communication requires the knowledge and skills to write specialized texts aimed towards equally specialized readers. Such writing requires the ability to discursively adapt to the values and practices of that readership. This course will provide students a theoretical framework with which to analyze, understand, and manage the relationship between writers and readers. (3,0,0)
CMNS 310-3-3Contemporary Visual CultureThis course examines how a range of visual texts mediate contemporary North American experience. Emphasis will be given to close-reading and interpretation of such visual texts as film (documentary and mainstream cinema), print and electronic advertising, the Internet and blogs (new media), print media, and television. The course examines the relationship between political ideology and visual images in contemporary culture. (3,0,0)
CMNS 320-3-3Creative CommunicationWriting clear, effective copy is crucial to implementing a marketing plan and building a unique brand identity. Delivered in a workshop style, this course will look at writing copy for both print and non-print media. The class will focus on producing specific marketing deliverables, such as brochures, press releases, advertisements and emerging hybridized deliverables like the advertorial. (3,0,0)
CMNS 330-3-3Public RelationsThis course explains key definitions, contexts, actors, and theories of public relations, as well as the stereotypes, environmental challenges, and ethical dilemmas surrounding the profession. Students will examine the nature and the purpose of public relations activity within social, political, organizational, and commercial contexts and will develop the critical and practical skills required to plan, design, and write public relations materials. (3,0,0)
CMNS 340-3-3Media in ActionThis course explores the possibilities of participatory democracy in a digital age, examining progressive media theorists/practitioners and emerging online resources: grassroots sites dedicated to social justice, community, activism, and politics. Students will (re)discover radical media, including posters, pirate radio, podcasts, graffiti, video art, culture jamming, citizen journalism, and hacktivism, and develop the applied skills necessary to creating media and building community. (3,0,0)
CMNS 390-3-3Advanced Communication Issuesformerly PCOM 390This course focuses on strategies, theories and practices that foster an open and productive communication climate. The course develops communication skills required by successful leaders and managers who work in collaborative, ethically challenging environments. Students will participate in hands-on activities and case studies that reinforce open, collaborative and productive communication. Students are advised that transfer credit is not guaranteed for 300- and 400-level courses among BC post-secondary institutions. (3,0,0)
CMNS 495-3Directed Studies in CommunicationsStudents will undertake a supervised project in Communications. In addition to the completion of the portfolio project itself, students will produce a project proposal, a progress report, and a final written report. Students will also deliver an oral presentation on their project to a public forum.