Class Type: MCDM - Page 21 - Communication Leadership

Classes

Classes are designed to challenge your thinking and develop your professional skills. You’ll leave each class with a unique set of tools to approach new communications challenges.

Tailor your experience to your career goals by focusing on one of eight areas of specialization. Use the search widget below to sort classes by quarter, specialization, instructor and degree track for each quarter. Get a comprehensive view of the full academic year in our Course Guide.

View the University of Washington Academic Calendar for important dates, including quarter start and end dates, registration dates and deadlines, and campus holidays.

Registration numbers (SLNs) are located on the Time Schedule. Please read the Department’s statement on internet resource requirements for access to courses.

COMMLD 501: Leadership and Communities

(

Crofts

)

- 2020-2021 | Autumn

Track Neutral | Core Requirement | 2 Credits
Thursdays 10/1-12/10, 6:00pm – 7:50pm | Online

Course Description:

This foundational class considers leadership development through the two lenses of story and community. Sustained community engagement in the service of a more equitable and just world requires strong leadership models. Personal history and cultural context influence leadership styles, so using cross-sector profiles and guest speakers, we will carefully consider a range of leaders, their life stories, communication styles, and how they connect meaningfully to customers, colleagues, and constituents. Credit/No Credit only.

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COMMLD 580: Communicating Trust and Credibility for Emerging Technologies

(

Lohmann

)

- 2019-2020 | Summer

MCDM Elective | Meets Law & Ethics Core Requirement
Mondays, 6/22-8/3; Wednesdays 7/22, 7/29 | 6:00-9:50pm

Note: Classes meet Monday evenings June 22 to August 3, for a total of seven weeks. On weeks five and six, classes meet on both Monday and Wednesday evenings (July 20/22 and 27/29), for a normal summer quarter total of nine class sessions.

Course Description:

This course introduces students to the art of honestly advocating for emerging technologies that an organization has decided to adopt and deploy. It provides a foundation to ensure students understand how to effectively inform stakeholders that these new solutions are both useful, safe and align with values that prioritize the good of the community as a whole. Yet, there’s a fine line between storytelling and propaganda, especially when it comes to making the case around these powerful innovations. What are the ethics of effective advocacy?
How can propaganda be differentiated from honest storytelling? How do we most effectively champion appropriate technologies to our employees, customers, clients or constituents?

We will also examine questions about the platforms and technology themselves: What reference should we use to recognize that emerging technologies are serving as trustful conduits and not propagating misinformation or disinformation? What communications methods, platforms and amplifiers are being used to spread propaganda and fake news, and how does this impact democracy? By learning how to critically think about such questions, students will learn how to communicate clearly and ethically in favor of the use of nascent technology solutions that might impact an organization or community.

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COMMLD 512: User Research & UX Strategies

(

Levine

)

- 2019-2020 | Spring

MCDM Elective | Meets Research Methods Core Requirement
Tuesdays, 3/30-6/5 | 6:00 – 9:50pm | CMU 230

Course Description:

This course focuses on the design, implementation, and evaluation of user interfaces from a usability perspective. The aim of the class is to study the concepts, methods, and techniques of usability engineering, with a focus on the artifacts where user experience is essential. Historically, usability has covered aspects of efficiency, learnability, and ease of use. Today, a large number of other measures for success rely on elements such as playability, engagement, entertainment, immersion, and aesthetics.

The following concepts will be detailed with the expectation that by the end of the quarter, students will recognize the aspects of each of the following deliverables within Interface Design and User Research. At the completion of this course, students will have portfolio-ready, end-to-end work examples. The work examples are designed for students to demonstrate they can: understand basic principles of user interface design, implementation, and evaluation, design and conduct usability studies, select an appropriate evaluation method and articulating its advantages and disadvantages, establish useful test objectives, and prepare reports and presenting results.

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COMMLD 560: Individualized Research

(

Philipsen

)

- 2018-2019 | Summer

Track Neutral Elective | Meets Research Methods Core Requirement
Meetings to be arranged between enrolled students and instructor
(application and add code required)

Course Description:

This course is designed for students who want to explore an area and develop a research project of their own. Students work individually in this class with the instructor, Dr. Gerry Philipsen, to develop a negotiated plan of work, involving the reading of important scholarly works in the area of study and the development of an individual creative project designed to enhance the student’s intellectual and practical development. The topics to choose from with Dr. Gerry Philipsen as the instructor/advisor are: Communication that enhances effectiveness in workplace teams, personal negotiation strategies and conflict management in the workplace, and beyond, and cultural and intergroup communication.

Submit your application for this class here: https://forms.gle/Ft4nsCc2c2AMXwVMA.

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COMMLD 560: Individualized Research

(

Philipsen

)

- 2019-2020 | Spring

Track Neutral Elective | Meets Research Methods Core Requirement
Meetings to be arranged between enrolled students and instructor
(application and add code required)

Course Description:

Submit your application for this class here: https://forms.gle/Ft4nsCc2c2AMXwVMA.

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COMMLD 535: Foundations of Audio Storytelling

(

Partnow

)

- 2019-2020 | Summer

Track Neutral Elective
Thursdays, 6/25-8/20 | 6:00-9:50pm

Course Description:

Whether gathered around a radio in a living room or walking plugged in with headphones, the medium of audio storytelling has always offered the opportunity to build mindset-shifting community around content. This course traces the evolution of audio storytelling from radio to podcasting that links to communities for various purposes: to educate, to entertain, and to inspire action — and the new golden age of podcasting that we find ourselves in means that audio storytelling has the potential for broad reach and powerful impact. Consideration is given to the core characteristics of strong storytelling, observed through an auditory filter. Class materials are twinned with a selection of cross-sector guest speakers who bring their own craft perspective. Students will experiment with designing their own short audio pieces.

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COMMLD 536: Intensive Video Storytelling: Conceptualizing, Shooting, and Editing

(

Keller

)

- 2019-2020 | Summer

Track Neutral Elective | 3 Credits
Wednesday-Sunday, 8/5-8/9 | 9:00am-5:00pm

Course Description:

Producing a video is a multi-step effort, with thoughtful decision-making involved throughout the process. How do the choices you make in the creation and delivery of your story affect the reception of your message? This course explores how engaging online video relies on effective storytelling. This skills-based course is designed to familiarize you with video tools associated with storytelling: specifically, how to develop, shoot, and edit video.

Storytelling has been part of the human experience since the formation of language. Today, the technology that surrounds the “tell” of a story (the modes and channels of communication) directly shapes a viewer’s experience. This course focuses on the practical decisions you make as you craft a narrative.

Given the compressed five-day timeline of this course, we will emphasize skills development. Because this class will be taught virtually you will practice these skills using devices you currently have available. This can be as simple as a phone or as advanced as a DSLR. The skills you will be demonstrating (including pre-production, videography, and video editing) are not dependent on the technology on hand.

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COMMLD 541: Crisis Communication

(

Schwartz

)

- 2019-2020 | Summer

Track Neutral Elective | Meets Law and Ethics Core Requirement
Tuesdays, 6/23-8/18 | 5:00-8:50pm*
*Please note non-standard meeting time due to instructor teaching from Eastern Time Zone

Course Description:

The 24-hour news cycle, social media, and online reporting fundamentally changed how institutional leaders, executives, celebrities, politicians, and organizations address crises big and small; internal and external; local, national, and international. Effectively managing a crisis means not just employing PR strategies, but developing a comprehensive communications plan that disseminates actionable content and engages all stakeholders with equal focus across multiple and diverse networks. This course will address how the tools of communication influence crisis communication strategies. In addition, it will identify the key issues that must be addressed during an organizational crisis (real or imagined) from a communications perspective. It will examine implementation strategies to engage traditional and social media; digital networks; federal, state and local lawmakers; external and internal stakeholders; and consumers or constituents. As important, it will deconstruct and reinforce the personal ethics and behavior required by professionals in a crisis situation. This class uses current events, interactive discussions, real-time exercises, and engaging guest lectures to provide practical insight about effective techniques and lessons learned.

Student Testimonial:

“This course is one of my favorites and Melissa is infectious. The variety of crisis cases that we looked at, presented each week and the readings that were required to be read were mind boggling. Not only did the course teach how to handle crisis, but also taught how to improve presentation skills, public speaking skills and more than anything, how to prevent crisis especially on social media when you have the option of preventing. Overall an amazing program and I have already recommended it to a lot of my classmates who started in Fall.”

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COMMLD 530: Visual Storytelling: Graphic Storytelling as Communication Platform

(

Salkowitz

)

- 2018-2019 | Spring

MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Saturdays, 4/6. 4/27, 5/4, 5/18, 6/1 | 9:00am-4:50pm | CMU 126

Course Description:

This course will provide you with a solid understanding of the medium of sequential art and visual narrative (aka “comics”) and the practical ability to incorporate visual storytelling into traditional, digital, and transmedia projects in a variety of entertainment, business, education, social and journalistic scenarios. Why comics? Comics and sequential art have gone from the margins of popular culture to the center of a multi-billion dollar global industry and a respected art-form. Many of the most popular movies, television, video games and transmedia projects are adapted from comics and/or depend heavily on storytelling styles that originated with this unique medium. Issues of digital distribution, adaptation and audience engagement that arise in today’s “comics culture” affect the future of publishing, technology, social media and gaming. Beyond the world of entertainment, the principles of visual narrative are becoming fundamental to all manner of storytelling projects, global initiatives and creative enterprises. This class will explore the history and potential of comics as a storytelling medium in the digital age in both a media studies and business dimension, incorporating both theory and practice.

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COMMLD 530: Storytelling for Emergent Platforms

(

Macklin

)

- 2018-2019 | Spring

MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Tuesdays, 4/2-6/4 | 6:00-9:50pm | CMU 302

Course Description:

Emerging models of interactive and immersive (any screen, responsive, virtual & augmented reality) storytelling are disrupting the ways we can reach and engage with our constituents. This course in Emerging Platforms will have a deep concentration on the production aspects and development tools necessary to create immersive (VR / AR) experiences and Snow Fall like web stories. We will be coupling a critical look at these emerging models while working through the technical aspects of story creation and the implementation of media production tools and platforms. This will be a project-based course through which students will acquire the strategy and skills to make informed design, development and use of immersive storytelling processes. Previous multimedia production and web development is not necessary, though a willingness to learn and play with the underlying technologies is a must.

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COMMLD 502: Narratives and Networks in Digital Media

(

Yasin

)

- 2018-2019 | Spring

Track Neutral | 5 Credits
Thursdays, 4/4-6/6 | 6:00-9:50pm | PCAR 291

Course Description:

This foundational course examines how organizations across all sectors successfully craft their story and message it internally and externally. The course looks at various theories and case studies of organizational storytelling and communication, which provide important context for how organizations map their values, identities and image to the story they convey to employees and the broader public. The course also asks students to apply these theories, create solutions and draft a plan concerning an actual organizational challenge for class clients that they are matched with in the class. In working with real clients, the class hopes to facilitate the pursuit of professional networks for students whilst also building strategic thinking and planning skills, which will be reflected in students’ in-class group projects. In addition to the group projects, students also write professionally oriented articles aimed at developing their leadership in the communication fields.

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COMMLD 550: Ethical Questions of Big Data

(

Lohmann

)

- 2019-2020 | Winter

MCDM Elective | Meets Law & Ethics Requirement
Wednesdays 1/8-3/11 | 6:00pm-9:50pm | CMU 242

Course Description:

This course provides an overview on the new regulations and conversations around secure data, intellectual property, and the challenge of data privacy. It also examines the benefits of some uses of anonymous big data for research and health innovation and cures.

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COMMLD 514: Product Content Strategy

(

Schwieterman

)

- 2019-2020 | Winter

MCDM Elective | Meets Research Methods Requirement
Wednesdays, 1/8 – 3/18 | 6:00 – 9:50pm | CMU 232
*Will not meet 2/5, last class session 3/18

Course Description:

The goal of this course is to provide a strong foundational knowledge of product content strategy as a function within a user experience design team. Skill areas include responsive content strategy, inclusive design, content auditing, performance auditing and more. Specific focus is also given to understanding the perspectives of partner roles, building skills around collaborating and communicating with each role type. You should walk away ready to join a real team and get to work. You will also gain real work examples by working with brands from around the region.

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COMMLD 580: Communication for Emerging Technologies

(

Bellinger

)

- 2019-2020 | Winter

MCDM Elective | Meets Research Methods Requirement
Thursdays, 1/9-3/12 | 6:00-9:50pm | CMU 242

Course Description:

This course is about dealing with the uncertainty of emerging technologies. While the course will not, unfortunately, provide students with a crystal ball capable of predicting all future impacts of a new technology, we will develop a set of questions and conceptual tools that will enable students to critically assess technologies in early periods of development and adoption, and we will explore strategies that students can use to help their organizations better plan for and adapt to technological change. Part of this will involve critically examining the narratives used to explain new technologies and their development: We will examine the theoretical assumptions underlying accounts of technological change, the limitations and liabilities of different theoretical perspectives, and the ways that these assumptions become integrated into expert commentary on new technologies. We will also, as a class, collaboratively develop a “toolbox” of key questions to ask about emerging technologies, precisely to aid in identifying the aspects of technological change that can be overlooked. And finally, we will review practical models for organizational strategy in the face of uncertain technological developments.

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COMMLD 517: The Psychology of User Experience

(

Evans

)

- 2019-2020 | Winter

MCDM Elective | Meets Research Methods Requirement
Tuesdays, 1/7-3/10 | 6:00-9:50pm | CMU 232

Course Description:

Designers, product marketers, and entrepreneurs will learn the psychological constrictions of attention, perception, memory, disposition, motivation, and social influence that determine whether or not customers will be receptive to their digital innovations. This will give their innovations an edge on what are increasingly competitive platforms such as apps, bots, in-car apps, augmented reality content). Students will learn…

The psychological processes determining users’ perception of, engagement with, and recommendation of digital innovations
Examples of interfaces before and after simple psychological alignments that vastly enhanced their effectiveness
How to identify, apply theory, and develop consulting or research recommendations based on psychological theory
Application to their own business interests. A deeper understanding of common digital interfaces such as conversion funnels, display advertisements, and mobile notifications.
A broader understanding of the human context of digital ventures, and the ethical differences between alignment and meeting needs vs. exploitation and unsustainable design approaches

Student Testimonial:

“This course explores the fascinating relationship between UX design and human psychology. In his lessons, Professor David Evans describes the psychological constraints of attention, perception, memory, disposition, motivation, and social influence, and uses real-world examples to provide a deeper understanding of their role in user design. Students are assigned weekly assignments where they apply one of the psychological processes to an example of their choice. Additionally, this class includes an in-depth ethics discussion centered on human behavioral traits and whether UX designers meet user needs or exploit them. As a final deliverable, students write an ethics paper based on the discussions. As a whole, Aligning UX Design with User Psychology is beneficial beyond the classroom because David’s enjoyable teaching style ingrains the lessons in his students. At the very least, this class will draw awareness to your own behavioral traits and help identify when they are manipulated.”

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COMMLD 537: Principles of Storytelling for Organizations, Business, and Movements

(

Kessler

)

- 2019-2020 | Winter

Track Neutral Elective
Saturdays, 1/11, 1/25, 2/8, 2/22, 3/7, 9:00am-5:00pm | CMU 126

Course Description:

Thinking Story is a foundational class that focuses on the art and craft of nonfiction storytelling to communicate ideas and emotion, build relationships and community, promote change and inspire action. The class reflects the need in all sectors for superb storytelling. The class explores, investigates and discusses the elements of narrative — what makes a story a story – and looks at examples of nonfiction storytelling across media (text, sound, still image, moving image and multimedia combinations). This platform-agnostic, birds-eye view of story is about learning how to reframe/ reconceptualize “information” and “report” as story, how to locate the small story that illuminates the larger issue, and what it takes to produce such work. At its heart, the class is about learning how to conceptualize issues, topics, brands, and ideas as narratives. Students will learn to “think story,” to pinpoint, pitch and gather material for the production of original, compelling and persuasive content.

Student Testimonial:

“Storytelling is THE foundational skill every student must have a deep understanding of in order to succeed in the Comm. Lead program. Take this course if you want to learn how to craft a captivating story, if you want to be challenged, and if you want to improve as a writer, researcher, and interviewer. Thinking Story shows students how much thought is required to create an entertaining, purposeful, and persuasive story. The assigned reading, viewing, and listening materials are a combination of interesting examples of storytelling and long form nonfiction, intended to introduce students to the idea that humans are “wired for story.” Each assignment builds on the next, leading up to the final deliverable, a storyboard of the narrative you researched and developed all quarter. Professor Kessler asks her students to choose topics that are important and of interest to them. The work you will produce in Thinking Story feels more like a passion project rather than tasks you must complete. I recommend this class for all students in the program!”

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COMMLD 501: Leadership and Communities

COMMLD 580: Communicating Trust and Credibility for Emerging Technologies

COMMLD 512: User Research & UX Strategies

COMMLD 560: Individualized Research

COMMLD 560: Individualized Research

COMMLD 535: Foundations of Audio Storytelling

COMMLD 536: Intensive Video Storytelling: Conceptualizing, Shooting, and Editing

COMMLD 541: Crisis Communication

COMMLD 530: Visual Storytelling: Graphic Storytelling as Communication Platform

COMMLD 530: Storytelling for Emergent Platforms

COMMLD 502: Narratives and Networks in Digital Media

COMMLD 550: Ethical Questions of Big Data

COMMLD 514: Product Content Strategy

COMMLD 580: Communication for Emerging Technologies

COMMLD 517: The Psychology of User Experience

COMMLD 537: Principles of Storytelling for Organizations, Business, and Movements

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