(06) UC/09-PhD,MA,BA(Hons),BA,GradDipArts,CertArts/3
UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY
Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha
Template 2: Qualification Change Template 2009
Proposal Description
Purpose
of the proposal
R
To change the name of the subject from Mass Communication to Media and Communication, affecting the
following qualifications: PhD, Master of Arts, Bachelor of Arts with Honours, Bachelor of Arts, Certificate in Arts
and Graduate Diploma in Arts and, consequently, the names of a number of courses. Changes to take effect
from 2010.
Justification
There are three main reasons for seeking to rename ourselves in this way.
1) academic justification
There is nothing natural in the term ‘mass communication’. Many other terms are widely used to describe
departments teaching similar content and ideas to ours. Otago University has a Department of Media, Film
and Communication. Auckland has a Department of Film, Television and Media Studies. Massey has a
Department of Communication, Journalism and Marketing. Overseas, there is still greater diversity.
Among these terms, mass communication is becoming less popular a term, largely for scholarly reasons. The
term arose originally out of concerns to understand the impact of mass media upon society, concerns which
were grounded in now outmoded understandings of society as an aggregated mass. The term also has
overtones of the mass society thesis, an idea which has been similarly so picked away so as to lose most of its
value.
The rise of interactive and personal media falls particularly weakly under this term. Many of us now teach and
research such phenomena as weblogs, email and games, which are in no way mass phenomena. Others
teach and research on media structures, which similarly are not well described by the mass label.
At the same time the term ‘media’ has grown in scholarly importance and in general usage, whether that talk is
about the media industries or personal media or media technologies. The idea of the mediation of
communication is a basic organising idea for much of what is studied in our field. The word media also usefully
distinguishes that field from other communication disciplines, particularly interpersonal and speech
communication, management communication and intercultural communication – this is why we’re not seeking
to call ourselves simply Communication Studies.
2) scholarly community
This dissatisfaction about the term mass communication has been echoed elsewhere for some time. One of
the major journals in the field changed its name from Critical Studies in Mass Communication to Critical
Studies in Media Communication in 2000. The mass communication stream at the major US conference in our
field, the International Communication Association, has steadily shrunk over the years as other complementary
streams have become popular. Indeed, both this and the other major academic association, the International
Association for Media and Communication Research, do not use the term in their titles. Peters and Simonson
(2004) note that the term has been under attack since the 1950s. In particular, the term is disliked in many of
the subfields to which members of this programme contribute most, where critical (i.e. Marxist) influences are
strong.
3) positioning and clarity
In the past, we have avoided the use of the word media in our title as it is connected with the field of Media
Studies from which we wished to differentiate ourselves. We believe this connotation is less likely and the
need to differentiate ourselves is less pronounced. In particular, Media Studies at school level in Aotearoa
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(06) UC/09-PhD,MA,BA(Hons),BA,GradDipArts,CertArts/3
New Zealand has moved away from studying texts, so that students coming to university are finding a closer fit
between what we do in Mass Communication and what they did in NCEA Media Studies.
Putting the word media into our title will also signal clearly that this programme is the pre-eminent place on
campus where the media are studied. Every course we teach concerns the media, which is not the case in any
other department or programme. Given that there are more than 40 programmes on the BA schedule, the
more clarity we give students about what they can expect, the better. This statement is not intended as a claim
to exclusivity – given the centrality of media in the contemporary world, we readily acknowledge the value in
studying media with another disciplinary or area studies emphasis – but a desire to reduce too much
duplication of content and reduce the risk of internal competition.
Reference
Peters, J.D Simonson, P. (2004) Introduction. Mass communication and American social thought. Edited by
J.D. Peters and P. Simonson. Lanham, MA: Rowman and Littlefield, pp.1-12.
Acceptability
The proposal has been discussed and endorsed by the School of Social and Political Sciences senior
management group which comprises the co-ordinators of programmes within the school. It is supported by the
HOS. It has also been endorsed by the Pro Vice Chancellor’s (Arts) Advisory Committee.
The document was sent for consultation to the following groups:
1) all head of schools and departments in the University of Canterbury
2) lecturers at the University of Canterbury with specific teaching and/or research interest in the media
3) University of Canterbury Students Association education officer
4) University of Canterbury Library.
All but one comment was highly supportive. As a result of comments from one academic, the section on
positioning above was rewritten to remove value judgements about Media Studies.
The UCSA response reported concerns from students about transition arrangements between the old and new
names. The programme supports students’ rights under General Regulation P to complete under the course
regulations they enrolled under, i.e. for students who are currently majoring in Mass Communication to opt to
graduate with that on their degree transcript and certificate. Current students would be advised of procedures
to follow to take advantage of that clause.
Goals of the programme
This has not changed from the original CUAP proposal.
Graduate profile
This has not changed from the original CUAP proposal. However, a restatement of these aims, produced in
2008, is available on request.
Outcome statement
This has not changed from the original CUAP proposal.
Programme overview
This has not changed from the original CUAP proposal.
Proposed new regulations and prescriptions (append to the Calendar Form at the end of Section A)
Proposed teaching/delivery methods
This has not changed from the original CUAP proposal.
Assessment procedures
This has not changed from the original CUAP proposal.
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Predicted student numbers/EFTS
The name change is likely to have no impact on numbers.
Resources
The name change is likely to have no impact on resources.
Plans for monitoring programme quality
The monitoring of quality (including Graduating Year Reviews, course and lecturer surveys, internal curriculum
reviews, oversight by School and Faculty teaching and learning committees) will continue as planned and will
not be affected by the name change.
UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY
Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha
Calendar Form
Degree Regulations
All references to the subject Mass Communication in the 2010 and subsequent University of Canterbury
Calendars will change to Media and Communication. These are (page numbers refer to 2009 Calendar):
p.234 (Schedule A to regulations for BA)
p.275 (Schedule B to regulations for BA)
p.303 (Certificate in Arts, list of subjects)
p.328 (BA with Honours regulations)
p.322 (Graduate Diploma in Arts, list of subjects)
pp.339, 369 (MA regulations)
p.449 (PhD regulations)
The following course names will also be changed, on pp.275-276 and pp.754-738, from:
COMS101 Introduction to Mass Communication to COMS101 Introduction to Media and Communication
COMS302 Mass Communication in an International Context to COMS302 International Communication
COMS303 Visual Media and Mass Communication to COMS303 Visual Media and Communication
COMS404 Political Economy of Mass Communication to COMS404 Political Economy of Communication
COMS790 Mass Communication PhD to COMS790 Media and Communication PhD
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