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Major

Social Communication

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  • Program requirements
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A complementary major is taken in addition to a student’s main program. There is no direct admission in a complementary program; the choice is made after admission and registration in a bachelor program.

Compulsory Courses (24 credits)


  • ISC1308 Introduction to New Media
  • ISC1310 Communication Research and Methodology
  • ISC2301 Communication and Organizations
  • ISC2306 Media and Ethics
  • ISC2307 Introduction to Communication
  • ISC2328 Communication Plan
  • ISC3300 Theories of Mediated Communication
  • ISC3305 Psycho Sociology of Mass Communications

Optional Courses (18 credits)

Six credits from:

  • ISC2313 Electronic Journalism
  • ISC2315 Sound and Radio Production
  • ISC2317 Video 1: The Basics
  • ISC2326 Print Media 1: Writing Principles

Six credits from:

  • ISC3309 Creating Media Programming
  • ISC3312 Photography: Semiology of Image
  • ISC3313 Video 3: Advanced Production
  • ISC3320 Internship 1
  • ISC3335 Document Writing
  • ISC3350 Contemporary Journalism Practices
  • ISC3354 Video 2: Documentary

Six credits from:

  • ISC4300 Argumentation and Persuasive Communication
  • ISC4302 Social Communications and Social Media
  • ISC4304 Media and Religious Traditions
  • ISC4305 Communications for Sustainable Development
  • ISC4306 Stakes analysis
  • ISC4314 Communication and Anthropology
  • ISC4320 Internship 2
  • ISC4330 Research or Directed Study

ISC 1308 - Introduction to New Media

Initiation to the techniques of communication and to the study of media. Trough basic exercises initiation to the laws of image from the perspective of the communication studies, to design and to photography. Audiovisual editing (image and sound), computer software and new technologies of communication.

ISC 1310 - Communication Research and Methodology

Basics of methodology in communication. Distinction between argumentation and empirical research. Distinction between qualitative and quantitative research.  Key principles of qualitative and quantitative work.

ISC 2301 - Communication and Organizations

Definition of an organization. Usual approaches to communication within the organizations: functionalist, strategic, critical, and cultural. The change management issue. Impact of technology.

ISC 2306 - Media and Ethics

Constitutive elements of ethical behavior. Basic ethical criteria in media communication. Rights in communication situations. Deontology codes in use in several institutions. Case analysis in media praxis: persuasion communication and fiction.

ISC 2307 - Introduction to Communication

Initiation to the language of communication. Main concepts. Most usual models in communication studies. Functions of communication. Communication scales from the personal interactions to mediated communication.

ISC 2313 - Electronic Journalism

Initiation to news gathering. Verification procedures. Initiation to writing for electronic media. Initiation to news presentation. Initiation to radio and TV interview.

ISC 2315 - Sound and Radio Production

Sound in communication. Qualities of sound. Sound recording techniques. Sound editing. Implementation to radio production. Introduction to program direction and production.

ISC 2317 - Video 1: The Basics

Introduction to the television lexicon. Imaging and its composition. Sound recording, lighting and editing. Basic exercises with the camera. Production of a short story. Prerequisite to the other video courses.

ISC 2326 - Print Media: Writing Principles

Rules in information writing. The course will clarify the links between the apprenticeship of press writing and press reading. The course will also present the press writing rules in a broader theoretical context. Basic techniques concerning news gathering, story processing and diffusion of information in written press. News, reportage and editorial. Lectures and praxis.

ISC 2328 - Communication Plan

Definition of campaign, objectives, target audience, channel, public environment, etc. Planning of strategic communications. Development of a communication plan; evaluation processes. Project management.

ISC 3300 - Theories of Mediated Communication

Theories on the nature and the psychological, social and cultural influence of mediated communication. Introduction to the understanding of "magic ball" theories, of selective influence, of social differentiation, of indirect influence, of social organization, of the social construction of reality, etc.

ISC 3305 - Psycho Sociology of Mass Communications

Main theories and concepts in social psychology useful for the understanding of following phenomena: communication, progression of the information and their effects. Classical concepts: attitudes, attribution, persuasion, cognitive dissonance. Mains concepts of contemporary social cognition theories: bias, heuristics.

ISC 3309 - Creating Media Programming

Television, radio and cross media genres. Stages of production: from the original project, to creating the show, to scriptwriting, to the multiplatform strategy.

ISC 3312 - Photography: Semiology of Image

Introduction to the language of images within the study of communications.  Expressive value of the image and communication. Cultural iconic codes. Semiology of the image. Image as a language in relation to discourse and the weight it carries in a media context.

ISC 3313 - Video 3: Advanced Production

Exploring different types of television production. Design: idea, script, storyboards, planning. Exercises: sets, staging, direction, advanced techniques for sound and image production.

 Prerequisite: ISC2317.

ISC 3320 - Internship I

Practical application of acquired knowledge. Activities monitored by a supervisor in a professional communication setting. Writing of practicum report. Graded S/NS.

ISC 3335 - Document Writing

Understanding several official communication genres, such as:  information; decision announcement; reports and memoirs. Summary reports, translating data into popular science, rewriting practices.

ISC 3350 - Contemporary Journalism Practices

Journalism in the Internet age. Traditional journalism and new intermediaries of information. Integration of new means of collecting, processing, selecting, prioritizing and broadcasting information.

Prerequisite: ISC2326

ISC 3354 - Video 2: Documentary

Historical survey of Canadian produced content and global trends. Learning the methodology of research, scripting, shooting and editing of a documentary. Production of a documentary video.

Prerequisite: ISC2317.

ISC 4300 - Argumentation and Persuasive Communication

Elements of the theory of argumentation. Concept of arguments in communication. Writing and public intervention exercises.

ISC 4302 - Social Communications and Social Media

Concept of social communication. Evolution of the Web and advent of social media. Types of social media and their main uses. Social media and current practices in communication.

ISC 4304 - Media and Religious Traditions

Historical clashes between the media and religious traditions. Culture, religious traditions and the media. Possible divergences and convergences. Religious traditions and new technologies.

ISC 4305 - Communications for Sustainable Development

Evolution of the concept of sustainable development and its different definitions. Role and responsibility of social communications in sustainable development. Communication strategies for implementation.

ISC 4306 - Stakes Analysis

Skill development in the analysis of social and socio-political situations. Several key concepts: situations, actors, problem framing, stakes, constraints. Identifying social and communication issues. Case analysis.

ISC 4314 - Communication and Anthropology

Notions of culture and socialization. Myths and rituals. Imagination and rationality. Social construction of meaning. Types of human being in media culture, types changed through modern experience of social communication. Institutionalized communication.

ISC 4320 - Internship II

Practical application of acquired knowledge. Activities monitored by a supervisor in a professional communication setting. Writing of practicum report. Graded S/NS.

ISC 4330 - Research or Directed Study

Individual or small group study on a topic corresponding to the needs or particular interests of students. Record of accomplishments. Possibility of recognizing a relevant professional activity in the communication or information sectors.





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