Information and Communication Studies
General Information
The University of New Brunswick at Saint John offers a Bachelor of Arts in Information and Communication Studies (ICS), a Double Major in ICS, and a Minor in ICS. The ICS program seeks to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the social, political, economic and cultural impact of information and communication technologies and practices. As an interdisciplinary Arts program based in the tradition of the social sciences and humanities, the ICS approach combines theoretical, historical, empirical, and practical study, with an emphasis on emerging media of communication and information gathering and distribution. Course offerings are grouped into three primary areas: Media and Culture; Technology and Communication Practices; and Information Gathering, Governance and Policy. These areas of concentration, combined with the interdisciplinary organization of the program, provide students with broad exposure to a variety of perspectives in information and communication studies.
UNB Saint John also offers a Bachelor of Information Sciences (BISc). This program is interdisciplinary, with core courses in Business Administration, Economics, Computer Science, Mathematics and Statistics. The focus of the degree is on the collection, analysis and management of information encountered in other academic disciplines as well as in business, industry, government and other areas. Additional detail and program requirements can be found in this section of the Calendar under Bachelor of Information Sciences.
Major
Students are eligible to declare an ICS Major during the session in which they will complete 20 term-courses towards a Bachelor of Arts degree. To graduate with a Major in ICS, students must complete 15 term-courses (6 lower level/9 upper level) comprised of the following courses:
Lower Level: 6 term-courses
ICS 1001 History of Communication
ICS 1002 Foundations of Information and Communication Studies
ICS 2001 Transformations in Media
SOCI 2251 Film and Society
ICS 2102 Media Living: Audio-visual and New Media in Everyday Life
AND
One term-course selected from the following:
ICS 2101 Popular Music, Culture and Communication
ICS 2103 Understanding Comics and Manga
Upper Level: 9 term-courses
ICS 3001 Theories of Information and Communication
ICS 3003 Electronic Research or an upper-level research methods course approved by the ICS co-ordinator
AND
1 term-course selected from the following:
SOCI 4503 Research Seminar in Popular Culture, OR
ICS 4001 Research Seminar in ICS, OR
ICS 4101 Advanced Topics in ICS
AND
2 term-courses at the- 3000/4000 level in ICS from the “ICS-eligible” list
4 term-courses of 3000/4000 electives from the “ICS-eligible” list [See Notes 1 & 2]
No grade lower than a C in an ICS course or an ICS eligible elective will count for credit towards a Majors degree in ICS.
Notes:
- The list of current ICS-eligible courses is updated annually, and is posted each spring on the ICS website: //www.unb.ca/saintjohn/arts/depts/socialsciences/ics/. Students seeking credit for courses not on this list must have written approval from the ICS Coordinator prior to enrolling in the course.
- ICS students are responsible for ensuring they have completed appropriate pre-requisites for their ICS-eligible electives.
Double Major
Students are eligible to declare an ICS Double Major during the session in which they will complete 20 term-courses towards a Bachelor of Arts degree. To graduate with a Double Major in ICS, students must complete 12 term-courses (5 lower level/7 upper level) comprised of the following courses:
Lower Level: 5 term-courses
ICS 1002 Foundations of Information and Communication Studies
ICS 2001 Transformations in Media
SOCI 2251 Film and Society
ICS 2102 Media Living: Audio-visual and New Media in Everyday Life
AND
One term-course selected from the following:
ICS 2101 Popular Music, Culture and Communication
ICS 2103 Understanding Comics and Manga
Upper Level: 7 term-courses
ICS 3001 Theories of Information and Communication
ICS 3003 Electronic Research or an upper-level research methods course approved by the ICS co-ordinator
AND
1 term-course selected from the following:
SOCI 4503 Research Seminar in Popular Culture, OR
ICS 4001 Research Seminar in ICS; OR
ICS 4101 Advanced Topics in ICS
AND
4 term-courses of 3000/4000 electives from the “ICS-eligible” list [See Notes 1 & 2]
No grade lower than a C in an ICS course or an ICS eligible elective will count for credit towards a Majors degree in ICS.
Notes:
- The list of current ICS-eligible courses is updated annually, and is posted each spring on the ICS website: http://www.unbsj.ca/arts/ICS. Students seeking credit for courses not on this list must have written approval from the ICS Coordinator prior to enrolling in the course.
- ICS students are responsible for ensuring they have completed appropriate pre-requisites for their ICS-eligible electives.
NOTE: Upper division courses count for credit in ONE major field only (e.g., SOCS 4503 credit assigned to an ICS Double Major will not be counted for credit towards a Sociology Major or Double Major, or vice-versa)
Minor
Students are eligible to declare an ICS Minor during the session in which they will complete 20 term-courses towards a Bachelor of Arts degree. To graduate with a Minor in ICS, students must complete 8 term-courses (5 lower level/3 upper level) comprised of the following courses:
Lower Level: 5 term-courses
ICS 1002 Foundations of Information and Communication Studies
ICS 2001 Transformations in Media
SOCI 2251 Film and Society
ICS 2102 Media Living: Audio-visual and New Media in Everyday Life
AND
One term-course selected from the following:
ICS 2101 Popular Music, Culture and Communication
ICS 2103 Understanding Comics and Manga
Upper Level: 3 term-courses
ICS 3001 Theories of Information and Communication
ICS 3003 Electronic Research or an upper-level research methods course approved by the ICS co-ordinator
AND
1 term-course of a 3000/4000 elective from the “ICS-eligible” list [See Notes 1 & 2]
No grade lower than a C in an ICS course or an ICS eligible elective will count for credit towards a Minor in ICS.
Notes:
- The list of current ICS-eligible courses is updated annually, and is posted each spring on the ICS website: http://www.unbsj.ca/arts/ICS. Students seeking credit for courses not on this list must have written approval from the ICS Coordinator prior to enrolling in the course.
- ICS students are responsible for ensuring they have completed appropriate pre-requisites for their ICS-eligible electives.
