COMMUNICATION STUDIES

MODULE ONE: GATHERING AND PROCESSING INFORMATION

GENERAL TOPICS
• RESEARCH
• NOTETAKING
• SUMMARY

MODULE ONE: GATHERING AND PROCESSING INFORMATION

SPECIFIC TOPICS WITHIN THE GENERAL TOPICS
 Methods of data collection or data collection methods
 Strengths and weaknesses of each method
 Contexts for choosing each method or tool or instrument
 Definition of terms; Primary and Secondary Sources, reliability, validity, authority, fact, opinion,
bias, data collection method vs data collection instrument, data vs information
 How and why there is a need for verification or authenticity
 What makes a piece or person authentic
 Writer’s main point or purpose
 Strategies and language techniques employed/used by the writer
 Types of writing: expository, descriptive, argumentative, narrative
 Study and summary skills
 Commenting on the reliability of information and evaluation of sources making mention to dates,
writer’s qualification/experience, where the information was first published etc.

 NB: BEGIN PREPARING FOR YOUR PORTFOLIO AT THIS POINT!!!!

 CHOOSE YOUR TOPIC

MODULE 2: LANGUAGE AND COMMUNITY

GENERAL TOPICS
• LANGUAGE
• CREOLE; DIALECT
• REGISTERS
• TECHNOLOGY

MODULE 2: LANGUAGE AND COMMUNITY

SPECIFIC TOPICS WITHIN THE GENERAL TOPICS
 Define and Differentiate between a language and language
 Describe the characteristics of language
 Purpose of language
 Functions or roles of language in society re Identity marker, political role, social, ethical and
psychological
 Define dialect
 Concept of Creole history in the West Indian context (influence of colonisers)
 Characteristics or features of Creole languages
 Differences between Creole and Standard English
 Challenges faced by Creole speakers to learn Std English
 Points on the Creole Continuum ( Define and explain Acrolect, Mesolect and Basilect)
 Registers re what are the factors responsible for a person’s choice of register, dialect?
 Attitudes to language and impact of these attitudes eg for regional integration, create sense of
marginalization and alienation
 Technological advances and its impact on communication re computer, internet, cell phones,
communication gadgets

MODULE 3: SPEAKING AND WRITING

GENERAL TOPICS
• COMMUNICATION
• COMMUNICATION CONTEXTS
• TYPES OF WRITING
• SPEECH
• COMMUNICATION AIDS

MODULE 3: SPEAKING AND WRITING

SPECIFIC TOPICS FROM THE GENERAL TOPICS
 Define and describe the process of communication
 Contexts of communication (intrapersonal, interpersonal, small group, mass communication etc)
 Forms of communication (verbal, non-verbal)
 Types of writing and speaking (narrative, descriptive, expository, persuasive, argumentative
  Audio Visuals
 Elements of speech

On completing your syllabus you should be able to give detailed information on the
following:
• Contexts of communication
• Register
• Dialect
• Creole Continuum
• Standard languages
• Interactive settings
• Lexicon
• Characteristics of language
• Features of Creole (any territory)
• Languages of the Caribbean today
• Dialectal Variations
• Attitudes to language re Creoles and Standard
• How these influence language in an interactive setting: audience, message,
purpose, occasion, gender and age
• Data and information, investigation and research
• Features of Verbal and non-verbal communication
• Facilitators and barriers to communication
• Speech and speech delivery
• Correlation between author/ speaker, context , text and reliability and validity
of sources
• Suitability of data collection methods
• Choosing your medium and channel
• Technology and its impact (positive/negative) on communication