Professional Communications
Overview
The following courses are designed for professionals already in the workplace and focus on improving oral and/or written skills. They are college-level credit English courses specific to the Faculty of Continuing Education and Training.
For Academic-stream courses, please refer to English Skills - College Level Courses.
Due to COVID-19, all Part-time Studies courses are being offered online until further notice, in one of the following two formats: online virtual classroom and online self-directed. Click Availability below to see current offerings.
Courses
affiliation the Journalism Program or permission of the coordinator
Students explore the role of a journalist in society. They enhance their knowledge of Canadian history and politics, world events and economics to better understand and report on current issues that include Indigenous peoples, gender bias, environmental, diversity and health concerns. Students analyze the importance of context in journalism. Current events are discussed and explored with a view to understanding how they should be covered with a critically minded and fully informed approach.
JRN 110
JRN 114
Students develop reporting skills with a focus on the courts, Indigenous issues and equality. They examine key legal and ethical issues facing Canadian journalists. The focus is practical and explains what a journalist needs to know to avoid legal problems (e.g. defamation). Students are taught what strategies should be adopted in dealing with ethical dilemmas associated with traditional and social media. They will also further refine their research and interviewing skills.
JRN 114
Students advance their skills in radio news and podcasting. They examine how to effectively use their voices to engage their audience. Students conduct interviews and gather natural sound on-location to create original content. They practice advanced writing and audio editing techniques and explore how background sound, sound-ups and interview clips can make stories more compelling. Students use these skills in their live newscasts on S@Y Radio and apply peer critiquing techniques to develop themselves and others. Students will learn to identify what makes for good audio story subjects and sources, and how to pitch their ideas to an outlet.
JRN 114
Students build on the writing skills they developed in semester one of The Writing Workshop - Mechanics. Students learn to develop stories and write for multiple formats including TV, radio, digital (online, mobile / social media). Students write with focus, length, story construction and tone in mind while writing for news, sports, entertainment or commentary for TV, radio and digital content.
In this course students work together in an integrated news environment, preparing stories for multiple platforms. They line up, research and produce TV and radio newscasts and provide digital content (online and social media). By rotating through the different roles and responsibilities, students develop the teamwork and leadership skills needed in an integrated newsroom. They produce and present original content and further develop their on-camera and editorial skills. Various critiquing techniques are used to improve self and others.
Students advance their skills in storytelling for all platforms, including social media, the web, radio and television. They utilize focused storytelling techniques, building on the skills they have acquired in previous semesters and learning how to dig deeper and tell more developed stories for all mediums.
Affiliation in the Journalism Program
Students develop their storytelling skills with the production of documentary, feature and long-form content. They are taught how to work in a documentary unit. Focusing on one special topic, they collaborate on television and podcasts/radio documentaries that are posted on a fully developed multimedia website. Students use research, data visualization and digital research packs from JRN370 to fully investigate and present the issue.
Students learn techniques and ethical practices for online research. They explore a variety of resources available to journalists, such as FOI, Freedom of Information, requests. This course is taught in conjunction with JRN314 - Long Form and Feature Reporting.
All journalists investigate. Phone calls, in-person interviews, and digital research are the everyday stuff of storytelling. But as British media theorist Hugo de Burgh put it "It is often said that journalism is the first rough draft of history; by contrast, investigative journalism provides the first rough draft of legislation." This course examines the tools used by a watchdog press as it attempts to hold institutions, business, government and the powerful accountable, mainly for crime, fraud, exploitation, discrimination and other abuses.
Students will build on news gathering techniques to conduct in-depth investigations into issues of social relevance. Advanced journalistic tools to locate, analyze/interview and incorporate difficult-to-find facts and people are studied. Fact-checking, legal and ethical verification, and multimedia story structuring for investigative journalism are explored.
This intensive, 7-week course is a multifaceted opportunity to hone on-camera performance and interviewing skills. Students will examine the key areas of stress in their performance, from the psychological to script quality and connection to content and audience. After auditions, students will design a bespoke program for addressing individual performance challenges. Many aspects of the process - voice, delivery, physicality, story selection, script personalization, working with interactive on-air content, interviewing, handling guests and specialized reporting - will be addressed.
In this course students develop advanced skills in a sports and entertainment format. They work together to produce timely content for TV and social media by rotating through various roles. Emphasis is placed on performance, original writing and content production. Students learn how to write and perform advanced highlight packs, voice overs with direct joins to sound-ups and round-table discussions with anchor / reporter debriefs. They learn advanced adlibbing and entry level play-by-play skills. This is a portfolio development course.
affiliation in the Journalism Program
Students develop their own demo website using Wordpress. They decide which reports, live hits and in-studio work best highlight their skills. Students learn how to write a strong resume and cover letter specific to industry needs. They experience mock job interviews to prepare for the market. Students explore the opportunities in the freelance market and how to create their own career path.
Intermediate level ESL speaker
This intermediate level Accent Reduction course is designed for students who may have difficulty communicating clearly and effectively in spoken English. The course helps students with accent reduction through the identification of specific pronunciation problems. In this level, students learn correct pronunciation of English vowel and consonant sounds, as well as spelling patterns through the use of an English dictionary.
Advanced level ESL speaker
This advanced level Accent Reduction course is designed for students who are fluent in English but wish to acquire a more standardized North American speech pattern. The second level of Access Reduction emphasizes the development of sound production, rhythm, stress and intonation patterns in "real life" communicative contexts.
ESL932 or equivalent, or permission from coordinator.
In this course, students develop proficient editing skills that enable them to identify grammatical weaknesses in their own writing. Through a focus on error analysis and guided practice, students will learn to become independent self-editors and be able to apply the strategies acquired beyond the duration of this course.
Completion of ESL934 or EWP100 assessment at entry level for COM101 or permission of English coordinator
Students learn the rules of English grammar in a comprehensive, easy-to-follow manner. The course begins with a review of sentence parts, followed by an in-depth explanation of sentence structure, and culminates in a practical review of stylistic conventions in business and professional writing.
ESL934 (or equivalent) or permission of the coordinator
Effective and practical writing skills are important for successful communication in business. Students learn how to compose business correspondence including emails, memos, letters and reports with a focus on routine and persuasive messages. A review of basic grammar is also included.
ESL934 (or equivalent) or permission of the coordinator
Designed to meet the needs of business people who want to improve their written and verbal communication abilities, this course provides practical skills in writing core business documents and presenting information in a variety of settings.
ESL079 (or equivalent) or permission of the coordinator
Verbal communication comes with a personal responsibility. Essentially, effective communicators have the responsibility of making messages clear and understandable, so they can build and maintain relationships with customers and colleagues. This course introduces the primary aspects of successful verbal communication in a business context. Students develop and implement an action plan for continuously improving their own verbal skills, gaining practical knowledge about business communications that can be applied in real-world scenarios.
Improv is a non-traditional way for business professionals to refine their interpersonal skills. The ability to communicate effectively, think on your feet and work well with a team can determine success in business. This course focuses on the skills needed to be highly effective in organizations through confidence building improvisational techniques. It is designed to encourage risk taking and to accept failures by building on the ideas of others in a collaborative creative problem solving effort. Participants learn how to better handle stressful situations, overcome shyness, handle awkward moments and communicate more powerfully.
ESL934 (or equivalent) or permission of the coordinator
This course teaches important skills for effective written and oral communications of technical information. It distinguishes between academic and technical (job-related) writing and guides the students through proven steps to enhance the effectiveness of their various written technical communications. The course also provides a practical approach for planning and structuring technical oral presentations. Students get to use this approach and to practise these techniques.
Effective immediately course codes in the Professional communication category will changed to PRC. The courses are the same.
Credit for Prior Learning
Prior Learning Assessment
Earn college credits for what you already know!
Prior Learning Assessment is a method of assessing and recognizing learning that is equal to
college level learning, but has been gained outside a traditional classroom (through work
experience, volunteering, outside study, etc.). If you can prove that the knowledge you have gained
meets the outcomes of a Seneca course, then credit will be awarded.
How does the PLA process work?
Prior Learning is demonstrated through a "challenge" process. The process measures learning
through a variety of methods which may include tests, portfolio assessment, interviews,
demonstrations, essays, and work samples. The method used will be determined in consultation with a
Program Coordinator.
For more information and to determine if you are eligible for PLA, please call the Program
Coordinator.
The process may take from 6 to 8 weeks.
Note: Not all courses can be challenged. For more information go to PLA website or contact your Program Coordinator.
Transfer Credit
Many students who enter Seneca College will have earned academic credits in post-secondary educational institutions which they may be able to apply toward completion of a Seneca College program.
Requests for Transfer Credit must be for a specific course and must be accompanied by an official transcript and course outline. A minimum grade of "C" (60 percent) is generally required for a course to be considered for Transfer Credit.
Download a Transfer Credit Request form. An official copy of your transcript and applicable detailed course outlines should be attached and submitted. Please note it may take 4 to 6 weeks for a Transfer Credit decision.
More Information
Please visit the Office of the Registrar.
Learning Modes
In-class:
The course will be taught in a traditional classroom instructional mode. A variety of methods will be used to aid the student in acquiring the required knowledge to meet the outcome of this course.
Online:
The course will be delivered via the internet. This involves the use of the online materials and/or a text, possible group discussions and consultation with your instructor via email. Students will be responsible for completing all online activities and participating in group discussion and working through textbook questions, as required.
Hybrid:
Delivery is mixed, blending face-to-face instructions and facilitating out of classroom experiences and/or online instructions.
Correspondence:
Correspondence is a self-paced method of learning, supported with email access to an instructor. As a student, you have up to twenty weeks to complete each course, giving you an additional six weeks over the classroom format. Courses typically start the first week of the month. Faculty are available to assist you by fax or email. You can discuss a plan of study with your faculty contact to ensure an appropriate assignment and test schedule. In some cases this may be included in your study guide.
Please note: Spring/Summer 2020 exams will be conducted online. Facilitators will provide further details.
Program Contacts
Jennifer Stemerdink
Program Assistant (ESP courses only)
Jennifer.Stemerdink@senecacollege.ca
416-491-5050 ext.22507
Marianne Tang
Program Assistant (PRC courses only)
Marianne.Tang@senecacollege.ca
416-491-5050 ext.22685
Sara Potkonjak
Academic Program Manager (ESP courses only)
Sara.Potkonjak@senecacollege.ca
416-491-5050 ext.22682
Melanie Rubens
Program Coordinator (PRC courses only)
Melanie.Rubens@senecacollege.ca
416-491-5050 ext.22589
For more information about these courses, fill out the following form.