Social, Cultural, & Media Studies
The following interdisciplinary courses are offered by the Social, Cultural, and Media Studies department. Each course draws on research and theory from two or more of the following disciplines: anthropology, Latin American studies, media and communication studies, and sociology.
To assist student in planning their programs, the disciplinary focus is noted as follows:
ANTH — Anthropology
LAS — Latin American studies
MACS — Media and Communication Studies
SOC — Sociology
For example, a course with a disciplinary focus of SOC, ANTH may be counted as either sociology or anthropology credit, but not both.
Additional courses in anthropology, Latin American studies, media and communication studies, and sociology are located under those discipline names in this calendar.

SCMS 2253 credits
Urban Life
Prerequisite(s): ANTH 102 or SOC 101
This course examines some of the diverse meanings of urban life and culture, as well as the impacts of cities and urbanism within human social life. An introductory survey, it focuses particularly on the origins and processes of urbanization, on social differentiation within cities, and on the potential meanings of the urban landscape. Readings are centred on the diverse ethnography of urban locations, and discussions will aim to extend these readings to a critical understanding of local, regional, national, and transnational urbanism. Disciplinary focus: ANTH/SOC.

SCMS 2553 credits
Introduction to Social Research
Prerequisite(s): One of ANTH 102, SOC 101, or MACS 110
This course provides a critical introduction to sociological and social anthropological research techniques, data analysis, and questions of methodology. Among the topics considered will be the research cycle, research design, developing and measuring concepts, sampling, methods of data collection, and elementary data analysis. Considerable importance will be given to an exploration of interpretive frameworks that guide research projects, as well as questions of ethical research.

SCMS 2703 credits
Dynamics of Racism in Canada
Prerequisite(s): One of SOC 101, ANTH 102, MACS 130, or LAS 200.
Disciplinary focus: Anth, MACS, Soc
This course is a critical introduction to the area of race and ethnic relations within the Canadian context. In particular racism, inequality, and the social construction of racial and ethnic categories and identities will be examined. The student will develop an awareness of competing conceptual definitions and theoretical interpretations of racism, examine controversies about the extent and meaning of racism in Canada, and investigate how the process of racialization occurs within institutions such as education, the media, and the criminal justice system. Course material will draw upon a variety of historical and contemporary sources, cases and examples, particularly those relevant to the Fraser Valley.
Note: Associate of Arts (MACS) students should speak with the Arts Advice Centre before taking this course for MACS credit.

SCMS 2XX99 credits
SCMS Lower Level

SCMS 3104 credits
Special Topics: Regional Studies of Latin America
(formerly ANTH 310, SOC 310, LAS 310)
Prerequisite(s): 45 credits, to include at least six credits of anthropology, sociology, and/or LAS. (One or more of SOC 250, ANTH 220, or LAS 102, 110, 200, or 201 recommended
Disciplinary focus: Anth, Soc, LAS
Using sociological and anthropological approaches, this course is designed to provide you with insights into the society and culture of a specific nation or region within Latin America. In doing so we shall move effortlessly and with intellectual grace from the heady heights of macro-analysis and theoretical sociology to the details of micro-analysis and ethnography, and back again. The course will increase our awareness of the diversity of the Latin American experience -- an experience that is becoming increasingly important and which also offers many insights into our own society.
Note: The region of study is denoted with a letter designation (e.g., SCMS 310a). Students may take SCMS 310 twice for credit as long as the letter designation differs, but may not take it more than twice.
Students who have previously taken ANTH 310, LAS 310, or SOC 310 should contact the department before registering for any section of SCMS 310, to ensure they are not repeating a course for which they already have credit.

SCMS 3254 credits
Culture and Theory of the City
Prerequisite(s): ANTH 102 or SOC 101, and SCMS 225, in addition to 45 university-level credits; or permission of instructor.
In this seminar course, we examine the application of ethnographic theory and techniques to the city, with a special emphasis on the theoretical approaches anthropologists, sociologists, and others have taken to cities and urban life. Our explorations in reading and discussion will draw attention to cities as sites of power and magnetism as well as of social differentiation and disempowerment. A special focus of the course will be on the urban ethnography of Canadian communities in order to permit a consideration of urban theory amid local and regional contexts, and particularly concerning the influences of colonialism, migration, ethnicity, and globalization on Canadian urban milieux. Disciplinary focus: ANTH/SOC.

SCMS 3344 credits
Cultural Policy
(formerly MACS 334, SOC 334)
Prerequisite(s): 45 credits, to include at least six credits of sociology and/or MACS
Disciplinary focus: MACS, Soc
This course examines public policy in Canada as it pertains to culture. It explores government involvement in areas such as the arts, radio and television broadcasting, multiculturalism, and pornography.

SCMS 3554 credits
Quantitative Methods
(formerly SOC 355)
Prerequisite(s): MATH 104 or MATH 106, and SCMS 255
Disciplinary focus: Anth, Soc
An examination of measurement issues within sociological and anthropological research, focusing on the logical and conceptual construction and interpretation of tables, and an examination of the issues and abuses of statistics. Students will blend classroom knowledge of statistics with "real life" analysis of sociological data (including the use of computer software) to develop practical research skills. The course focuses on the application, rather than the mathematics, of statistics.

SCMS 3564 credits
Qualitative Research Methods
(formerly SOC 356)
Prerequisite(s): 45 credits, to include SOC 101 and SCMS 255
Disciplinary focus: Anth, Soc
This course examines methods used in the collection and analysis of sociological data including interviews, participant observations, ethnographic research, archival research, feminist methodologies, and research ethics.

SCMS 3634 credits
Processes of Development and Underdevelopment: Latin America
(formerly ANTH 363, SOC 363, LAS 318)
Prerequisite(s): 45 credits, to include SOC 101 and at least three additional credits sociology, anthropology, or LAS. (SOC 250, ANTH 220, and/or LAS 200 recommended)
Disciplinary focus: Anth, LAS, Soc
An examination of sociological and anthropological theories of development and underdevelopment as applied to the Third World. Topics include the nature and consequences of world system linkages, colonialism and decolonization, patterns of social and cultural change in selected societies and regions. Particular attention will be placed on the political economy for Latin America.

SCMS 3874 credits
Canadian Native Peoples
(formerly ANTH 387, SOC 387)
Prerequisite(s): 45 credits, to include ANTH 102 and at least three additional credits of Anthropology and/or Sociology
Disciplinary focus: Anth, Soc
This course looks at selected studies of cultural patterns and contemporary issues of Aboriginal peoples of Canada (including First Nations, Inuit, and Metis).

SCMS 3884 credits
Minority Indigenous Peoples of the World
Prerequisite(s): 45 credits, to include ANTH 102 and at least three additional credits of anthropology and/or sociology
Disciplinary focus: Anth, LAS, Soc
This course will examine the social and cultural experiences of indigenous peoples within various modern industrial nation-states and relations of these peoples with majority societies and other indigenous groups throughout the world.

SCMS 4404 credits
Selected Topics in the Sociology of Religion
(formerly SOC 440)
Prerequisite(s): 60 credits, to include at least nine credits of sociology and/or religious studies
Disciplinary focus: Soc
An advanced course in the sociology of religion. Topics will change from semester to semester. The course is usually offered conjointly with the courses in other specialty areas (e.g., LAS, Women's Studies, etc.).

SCMS 440A4 credits
Religion in Latin America
(formerly SOC 440A, LAS 440)
Prerequisite(s): 60 credits, to include at least nine credits of sociology, LAS and/or religious studies. (HIST 261, 262, 459 can be considered LAS courses) (ANTH 130 can be considered religious studies)
Disciplinary focus: LAS, Soc
Most people know of Latin America as the crucible for recent developments in Catholicism like liberation theology. However, religion has long played a central role in shaping Latin American societies just as it has been shaped by them. This course will explore the connections between religion and society in the Latin American context. The emphasis of the course will shift from semester to semester, but it will normally focus on some combination of the following: pre-Columbian religions, Catholicism and conquest, syncretism, liberation theology, religion and revolution, evangelism, the survival of indigenous religions, and other related topics.

SCMS 4604 credits
Issues in the Information Society
Prerequisite(s): 45 credits, to include at least nine credits of SOC and/or MACS, or permission of instructor
Disciplinary focus: MACS, Soc
This course explores the social, political, and cultural dimensions of information technology and what has come to be known as the "information society". Students will examine technology in relationship to a variety of social issues such as the changing nature of: work, individual identity formation, social roles, democracy, privacy, and community.

SCMS 4634 credits
Special Topics in Development Studies
(formerly ANTH 463, SOC 463)
Prerequisite(s): 60 credits, to include at least nine credits of sociology and/or anthropology. (ANTH 220, SCMS 363 and SOC 250 recommended)
Disciplinary focus: Anth, LAS, Soc
An examination of processes of social and cultural change in selected Third World societies. Topics will change from semester to semester, but may include liberation movements and colonialism, the comparative study of post-revolutionary societies; the persistence, transformation, and disappearance of contemporary peasantries; and directed change programs.
Note: this course uses a letter designation to denote the specific topic (e.g., SCMS 463a). Students may take SCMS 463 twice for credit as long as the letter designation differs, but may not take it more than twice.
Students who have previously taken ANTH 463 or SOC 463 should contact the department before registering for any section of SCMS 463, to ensure they are not repeating a course for which they already have credit.

SCMS 4684 credits
Environment and Society
(formerly ANTH 468, SOC 468)
Prerequisite(s): 60 credits, to include ANTH 102 and at least six additional credits of sociology and/or anthropology
Disciplinary focus: Anth, Soc
This course examines anthropological and sociological approaches to ecological and environmental issues. Topics include relationships between forms of social organization and resource use, studies of resource use conflicts, and the ways in which different cultures view the environment.

SCMS 4704 credits
Race and Racism: Selected Topics
(formerly ANTH 470, SOC 470)
Prerequisite(s): 60 credits, to include at least nine credits of sociology and/or anthropology
Disciplinary focus: Anth, Soc
Questions of race and ethnicity arise frequently in the context of popular discussions of social problems, national identity, and even national unity. They are equally important in academic discussions about modern societies around the world. This course explores selected topics related to race, racism, and ethnicity from sociological and anthropological perspectives. Topics covered may include ethnic conflict, immigration and immigration policy, multiculturalism, racism, the development of immigrant identities and communities, charter groups/dominant cultures, indigenous and migrant subordination, the meaning of exile, etc. Students should consult the department to determine the content for a particular semester.

SCMS 470A4 credits
Latin American Immigrants and Immigration
(formerly ANTH 470A, LAS 470, SOC 470)
Prerequisite(s): 60 credits, to include at least nine credits of sociology, anthropology and/or LAS (LAS 110 and/or HIST 261 recommended)
Disciplinary focus: Anth, LAS, Soc
Immigration has been a crucial element in the formation of Latin American society and culture. It as shaped the identity and community among Latin Americans abroad and has had reciprocal effects on the immigrants' societies of origin. This course explores various aspects of Latino immigration from several perspectives. Topics covered may include: the push/pull factors causing immigration, immigration policy, the development of immigrant identities, the meaning of exile, and the formation of immigrant communities and their relationship to the dominant culture of Canadian society. The course will be of interest to students in Latin American studies and other who will work with Latino communities in Canada.

SCMS 4922 credits
Directed Studies in Social, Cultural, and Media Studies
Prerequisite(s): 45 credits, to include six credits of area of specialization (ANTH, SOC, LAS, MACS). Permission to enter requires written consent of both the faculty member supervising the student and the department head
Corequisite(s): None
Disciplinary focus: Dependent on topic selected.
Designed for upper-level students who wish to examine in greater depth a particular problem/issue in anthropology, sociology, Latin American studies, or media and communication studies.

Last extracted: April 13, 2009 09:45:10 PM