Concordia Course Web Sites

COMS 600/01 (Fall 2025): COMMUNICATION THEORY

This course is meant to critically examine a broad range of theories of communication that attempt to define media and their social role. But we are examining these theories together in an unprecedented moment: the revolution in the streets against genocide, war, totalitarianism, the end of reconciliation and the demands for reparations by Indigenous communities, the precipitous challenges of radical climate crisis, new virulent forms of transphobia and gender policing, political instability and new totalitarianisms around the world. What does it mean, then, to do media studies in our times?

   What does it mean also to do this work by taking up the challenges of #CommunicationsSoWhite—a poignant critique of the field of Media & Communication Studies for its historical narratives and canonical selections that preclude consideration of questions of race and ethnicity, or their intersections with gender, and sexuality? What might it mean to centre the work of BIPOC scholars, to hear from a multitude of voices and perspectives, and we think together about the social role of media and the practices of media-making? How do we think media beyond media, to think the relevance of media forms in unexpected places and forms?

   These are necessary and formidable challenges. We will be attempting to address head on shifts in how the classroom is constituted, how we create communities, how we think in inclusive ways, how we centre marginalized voices, and how we do engaged scholarship. And we jump into this exercise without guarantees, with the potential for confusion, technical glitches, and more. But we do it conscious also of the urgency of doing this work, and doing it together, in this time.

   What we need? Grace, patience, solidarity, curiosity, flexibility. All of these will help get us through this potent space of learning together. What I lay out here is a plan for action. We will readjust, recalibrate, rethink it together as we go along. We will ask what’s working and what’s not, what we can give time to and what is impossible, where our conversations are generative and where they are stilted, and we will work out how to proceed together, in a spirit of being together in this endeavour.

Accessibility

This class will make use of several formats: Moodle texts and exercises, forum posts, (potentially) Zoom discussions, links to videos and/or sound recordings, and texts. These formats all have their own affordances and exclusions. If you wish to discuss academic accommodations, questions of accessibility, technical lacunae or anything else, please get in touch with me. If something arises during the semester to change your accessibility options, please also reach out. I welcome the opportunity to work with you to make the course accessible and enriching.

In this studio-based course, students examine environmental and sustainable practices in relation to dance. Attention is given to how dance can be used as a tool to communicate environmental issues to diverse audiences and to interrogate the impact of dance practices on the environment, dancers’ bodies, and communities. Students study the work of choreographers who practice social, decolonized, and environmental sustainability and examine ways to apply these approaches to their own creative practices.

DART 280/AA (Winter 2025): INVESTIGATIONS/TYPOG. DESIGN

: OUTLINE IN PROGRESS :

Investigations in Typographic Design 
instructor: pata macedo [pata.macedo@concordia.ca]
office hours by appointment

MONDAYS 5:45pm to 9:45pm
studio EV 7.765 SGW
computer lab EV 5.815 SGW

MAKE-UP class on April 14th

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This studio course focuses on typographic design and explores the functional and expressive aspects of typography. Process-based assignments emphasize the principles of typography, information hierarchy, multiple-page content, and text-image relationships. 

Prerequisite: DART 221; DART 291, 292 previously or concurrently; or written permission of the Department.

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Grading

Students will be evaluated on their conceptual skills (creativity and problem solving), technical execution (precision and accuracy), presentation (oral communication, written communication, neatness and organization), crafts/wo/manship, class participation, commitment, timeliness, enthusiasm, initiative and follow-through.

          Distribution

15%   Participation, Engagement and Exercises

10%   Typographical Journal Weekly Entries 

10+30% Typeface(s) Presentation + Collaborative Type Design Project

35%   Typographic Experimental Book Project

All major projects must be completed to pass this course.

Late projects will be lowered by a full grade for each week the project is late (i.e. A- to B- or C to D) .

All the artwork submitted (written content, illustrations, photography, shapes, patterns, etc.) must be original artwork created by you.

Final Grade

The final grade will be based on the University grade point equivalents as listed in the Concordia Undergraduate Calendar, Section 16.3.3.

A | Outstanding/Excellent

The work is an outstanding interpretation of the assignment, demonstrating critical thinking, careful attention to detail and planning. Excellent in both content and form, it is well crafted, insightful, and surprising in its originality.

B | Very Good

The work demonstrates a strong interpretation of the assignment’s requirements in concept, content and form. It would benefit from a more original approach, and/or formal refinements.

C | Satisfactory

The work demonstrates a sufficient interpretation, fulfilling the assignment’s basic requirements. However, some aspects of the development and outcome are missing or lack completion.

D | Marginal Pass

The work demonstrates a minimal interpretation of the assignment.

F | Fail

The work does not fulfill the assignment’s requirements.

Winter 2025 Calendar Important Dates

https://www.concordia.ca/students/undergraduate/undergraduate-academic-dates.html#winter2025

Department Standard for: Class Participation, Attendance and Punctuality 

While the structure of individual classes may vary between instructors, courses, and weeks according to the types of activities involved, the Department recommends that for 4-hour classes, students and their instructors have 20-30 minutes of break time, and for 3-hour classes, they have 10-20 minutes of break time. 

Class Participation 

In-class participation is considered an important and significant part of each course. Attendance is taken, and students are responsible for being present at all classes. Up to 30% of the final grade for any course can be given for attendance and class participation, at the discretion of the instructor. 

Attendance 

As a standard departmental policy, a maximum of two absences per term is tolerated, after which an official medical note or other valid reason must be provided. Justification must be given in writing to the instructor. Three unjustified absences per course will result in a failed grade. It is incumbent on the instructor to warn a student, via email, if that student is not meeting course expectations. Notification in writing will be sent by the instructor to the student after two missed classes to notify the student they are at risk of failing.

In all cases, students are responsible for any coursework due during periods of absenteeism, including the Drop/Add period.

Department Standard for Punctuality 

Students missing fifteen minutes or more (through late arrival or leaving while class is in session) will be considered a partial absence, at the discretion of the instructor. Students are encouraged to take notes, however the use of mobile devices (tablets, phones, and laptops) and social media is disallowed during lectures, presentations, and critiques.

Socio-Cultural Environmental Research and Practice II: This studio course further develops soft surface design and applications through specific sustainable projects and community initiatives. Students work in collaboration with different stakeholders in the research, conceptualization, construction, and analysis stages of project design.