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.
(
Salkowitz
)
- 2020-2021 | Winter
MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Wednesdays 01/06-03/10 | 6:00PM – 9:50PM PST | Online
Course Description
Rapid evolution of digital media and technology continues to disrupt the business of marketing, making it essential for professionals in the field to keep abreast of trends in a number of areas. This class focuses on the technologies shaping marketing, advertising, media, public relations and communications in the 2-4 year horizon and explores strategies of successful marketing organizations, both digital and traditional.
(
Partnow
)
- 2020-2021 | Spring
Track Neutral Elective | 2 Credits
Tuesdays 3/30 – 6/1, 5:30PM – 7:20PM PST (Note: instructor and class will determine meeting dates with project needs) | Online
Course Description:
A strong branded podcast can reach new audiences and strengthen engagement with existing customers. It can fill communication gaps and build organizational identity. But a podcast with no audience or without a clear editorial mission can be a drag on time and resources. Before you ever press ‘record’ it is vital to first understand the organization’s communication needs and target audience. In this practicum students will work in teams, supported by a faculty mentor, to create a plan for a branded podcast concept and format. Students will meet with key organizational stakeholders to understand communication needs and potential audience interest. The final deliverable will be a description of the show and segments, a detailed plan or recording of a pilot episode, and a content outline for season one.
About 503 Communication and Leadership Practicum
Communication and Leadership Practicum was designed as a complement to COMMLD 502, intended to help shape the beginning of the Communication Leadership journey. The course gives students an early opportunity to engage with and understand the uses of course concepts in contemporary professional practice by addressing the challenges of real-life organizations.
Each section of the Comm Lead Practicum focuses on a distinct professional skill or practice that is deemed essential across a variety of professional fields. Students can choose their section based on their interests and needs. Each section is matched with a client organization or group of client organizations who are interested in partnering with Communication Leadership students.
he span of a quarter, students analyze the issues faced by the client organization(s), collaborate and brainstorm collectively in small teams, and with the support of their faculty mentor create a deliverable for the client organization(s) that relates to the specific practice. Students may also create creative samples as part of the project. In doing so, students can develop and enhance skills, build foundations of practice, and produce work that they can include in their own professional portfolios.
Structure of Class
Class will convene online during the time indicated by section for a minimum of 5 classes led by a faculty mentor. This may occur every other week, or at different intervals that serve the needs of the project. On dates that the faculty mentor is not in attendance, students will have that time together to work with their teams.
During the times that faculty mentors are in attendance, students will report out on the current status of their projects, hear from experts about best practices, receive feedback, and provide feedback to one another. At the end of the quarter, students will present their project deliverables to the client organization, faculty, and their peers.
In addition to the final presentation, students will plan to meet with the client organizations mid-way through to report out on the current status of their projects and receive important feedback on their developing ideas and processes. Depending on client availability for these two meetings, time may need to be rescheduled from the regular class meeting time, with consideration of faculty mentor and student schedules.
(
Tang
)
- 2021-2022 | Autumn 2021
MCDM Track | 5 Credits
Saturdays 10/02, 10/16, 10/30, 11/13, 12/04, 9:00AM – 5:00PM PDT | CMU 126
Registration SLN: 23173
Course Description:
This course examines the fundamental components of communication through social media and the communication methods used by Influencers. We identify the strategies used by social media platforms to maximize their key metrics. And in parallel, we compare the strategies used by influencers to maximize their goals. With the knowledge of Influencer and Social Media Communication you’ll be able to identify areas of opportunity on social media platforms, emerging social trends, and create interesting campaigns.
(
Mottola
)
- 2021-2022 | Winter 2022
MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Wednesdays 1/5 – 3/9, 6:00PM – 9:50PM | CMU 232 | Hybrid
Registration SLN: 22026
Course Description:
This course is designed for students that will be utilizing their MCDM education and experience in the marketing arenas in businesses and organizations (including non-profits) or in leadership functions where an understanding of marketing is an important skill. The focus on the course will be on how to best utilize digital media vehicles along with more traditional forms of communications and advertising (and other marketing or Research and Development functions). Because of the ever changing nature of the advertising world with the advances and acceptances of digital media platforms, we will showcase industry “heavy hitters” from local marketing and advertising agencies to discuss the trends and issues the industry faces, using real life situations to explore alternatives and solutions. We will also explore how new media can be used with traditional channels of distribution (clicks and bricks), as well as in the R & D functions by encouraging and mining information from current and potential customers. Students that have not had a basic marketing class will be assigned pre-course supplemental readings and we will do a quick review at our first session so that everyone has a common understanding of the subject before we move into the more cutting edge concepts.
(
Mottola
)
- 2021-2022 | Summer 2022
MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Wednesdays, 6/22-8/17, 6:00PM – 9:50PM | Online
Registration SLN: 14393
Course Description
This course is designed for students that will be utilizing their Comm Lead education and experience in the marketing arenas in businesses and organizations (including non-profits) or in leadership functions where an understanding of marketing is an important skill. The focus on the course will be on how to best utilize digital media vehicles along with more traditional forms of communications and advertising (and other marketing or Research and Development functions). Because of the ever changing nature of the advertising world with the advances and acceptances of digital media platforms, we will showcase industry “heavy hitters” from local marketing and advertising agencies to discuss the trends and issues the industry faces, using real life situations to explore alternatives and solutions. We will also explore how new media can be used with traditional channels of distribution (clicks and bricks), as well as in the R & D functions by encouraging and mining information from current and potential customers. Students that have not had a basic marketing class will be assigned pre-course supplemental readings and we will do a quick review at our first session so that everyone has a common understanding of the subject before we move into the more cutting edge concepts.
(
Kubler
)
- 2021-2022 | Winter 2022
Track Neutral Elective | Meets Research Methods Requirement | 5 credits
Tuesdays 1/4 – 3/8, 6:00PM – 9:50PM PST | CMU 302 | Registration SLN: 22234 | In-Person
Course Description:
From selling the newest runway fashions to promoting donations to Greenpeace, successful online marketing campaigns and product launches often start with well planned qualitative research. This course offers a qualitative methodological perspective on how to conduct interviews and focus groups. This course explains the who, what, why and how of qualitative research with practical applications for those professionally interested in marketing, branding, and even user experience as well. Students will work throughout the quarter to design and implement their own qualitative research project.
(
Chang
)
- 2021-2022 | Spring 2022
Track Neutral | 2 Credits
Mondays 3/28-6/6, 6:00PM – 7:50PM | Online
Registration SLN: 21582
Course Description
In this practicum, students will design and deliver a strategic communications plan to a live client for review and adoption. The purpose of the communications plan is to bring a systematic solution leveraging all the current outreach tools used by the organization (social media platforms, website, community engagement) to be less ad hoc and more strategic. Students will conduct a communication needs assessment, map current outreach approaches and proactively identify and work through the process of understanding the needs of the client, who will provide real time feedback in addition to deciding what to adopt real-time.
The learning challenge: This practicum is for students who are ready to grow as leaders–leaders who recognize that wrestling with real-world problems calls for moving through ambiguity in design, planning and collaborating. Just like in real-world work contexts, this course will not include heavy text-based teaching or pre-designed road maps of ‘here is what to do every step of the way’. Instead, there will be steady and strong coaching and support from an instructor with a specialized expertise in navigating ambiguity and leading through influence. You may not be as comfortable as you thought in this course, and that will be a mark of success and growth. Every student will create a tangible skill-based experience to use in their career development, professional networking and portfolio. In other words, there will be a direct answer to the question of “tell me about a time when you developed a real-life communications product for a client.”
About 503 Communication and Leadership Practicum
Communication and Leadership Practicum courses give students an opportunity to engage with and understand the uses of course concepts in contemporary professional practice by addressing the challenges of real-life organizations.
Each section of the Comm Lead Practicum focuses on a distinct professional skill or practice that is deemed essential across a variety of professional fields. Students can choose their section based on their interests and needs. Each section is matched with a client organization or group of client organizations who are interested in partnering with Communication Leadership students.
In the span of a quarter, students analyze the issues faced by the client organization(s), collaborate and brainstorm collectively in small teams, and with the support of their faculty mentor create a deliverable for the client organization(s) that relates to the specific practice. Students may also create creative samples as part of the project. In doing so, students can develop and enhance skills, build foundations of practice, and produce work that they can include in their own professional portfolios.
(
Chang
)
- 2022-2023 | Spring 2023
Track Neutral | 2 Credits
Wednesdays 3/29 – 5/31 6:00PM – 7:50PM PST | Online
SLN: 12549
Course Description
One of the most urgent issues facing our society today is the growing impact of misinformation. In an effort to better plan for, engage with and proactively mitigate the negative impact of misinformation, stakeholders are increasingly using social listening research tools to have effective mitigation approaches in place.
In this practicum, students will navigate this uncharted area by using a social listening research tool called Pulsar to map and identify critical trends and topics most relevant to creating effective misinformation mitigation approaches. Students will then draft a framework of practical approaches for client consideration and incorporation into organizational policy. By the end of this practicum, students will have gained competencies in the area of social listening/research, strengthened leadership skills and consulting engagement.
The learning challenge: This practicum is for students who are ready to grow as leaders–leaders who recognize that wrestling with real-world problems calls for moving through ambiguity. Just like in real-world work contexts, this course will not include heavy text-based teaching or pre-designed road maps of ‘here is what to do every step of the way’. Instead, there will be steady and strong coaching and support from an instructor with a specialized expertise in navigating ambiguity and leading through influence. You can expect to be uncomfortable most of the time in this practicum, and that will be a mark of success and growth. Every student will create a tangible skill-based experience to use in their career development, professional networking and portfolio. In other words, there will be a direct answer to the question of “tell me about a time when you developed a communications strategy for a client.”
Credit/No Credit only.
About 503 Communication and Leadership Practicum
Communication and Leadership Practicum courses give you the opportunity to engage in contemporary professional practice by addressing the challenges of real-life organizations. Each section is matched with a client organization or group of client organizations, and focuses on a distinct professional skill or practice that is deemed essential across a variety of professional fields. Students can choose their section based on their interests and needs.
Designed to mirror a professional setting, our Practicum offer you the opportunity to work at a higher level and with greater responsibility than what you might encounter in an internship or in entry-level work. In the span of a quarter, you will enhance highly-desirable professional skills, produce work that you can include in your own professional portfolios, and most importantly, leave with a story–your story – of what you did in this project to create value for your client.
(
Weaver
)
- 2023-2024 | Spring 2024
Track Neutral | 2 Credits
Mondays 3/25 – 5/20, 6:00pm – 7:50pm | Online
Registration SLN: 12549
Course Description
In this new practicum focusing on UX copywriting for mobile, we’ll explore the world of organizing, writing, and storytelling for small screens and universal audiences. Over the past two years, students have researched and tested new content and architecture for Comm Lead and it’s time to make it live!
Working in teams, we’ll revise and revitalize different sections of the site. We’ll design page tables and templates for copywriters, write and edit pages following rules in accessibility and UX copywriting for mobile, update style and brand guidelines, and use a collaborative workflow where we help each other edit and proofread final copy.
This practicum is for those with experience writing, editing or translating, who want to build more experience writing website copy and generate writing samples their portfolios. There is no visual or UX design element to this class.
About Communication and Leadership Practicum:
Communication and Leadership Practicum courses give you the opportunity to engage in contemporary professional practice by addressing the challenges of real-life organizations. Each section is matched with a client organization or group of client organizations, and focuses on a distinct professional skill or practice that is deemed essential across a variety of professional fields. Students can choose their section based on their interests and needs.
Designed to mirror a professional setting, our Practicum offer you the opportunity to work at a higher level and with greater responsibility than what you might encounter in an internship or in entry-level work. In the span of a quarter, you will enhance highly-desirable professional skills, produce work that you can include in your own professional portfolios, and most importantly, leave with a story–your story – of what you did in this project to create value for your client.
Credit/No Credit Only
(
Bradshaw
)
- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Spring 2025
Track Neutral | 2 Credits
Thursdays 4/3 – 6/5, 6:00pm – 7:50pm | CMU 126
Application Required
Course Description:
In the COMMLD 504 Capstone class for MCCL students, you will refine and finalize your near complete capstone project, develop professional presentation skills, and hone your professional narrative prior to graduation. This course will help you learn how to target your audience, effectively support your ideas, and select and organize materials to prepare for a presentation or portfolio using multimedia tools. Students will think, reflect, respond, and provide/receive feedback throughout the course. Your interactions will be a learning experience as you engage with each other’s work, diverse perspectives, and presentation styles.
Note: Registration for this class is add-code only after submission of an application.
More about the 504 Capstone
The Communication and Leadership Capstone project is the culmination of your MCCL journey in the Communication Leadership Program. Before graduation, students work to complete a project that responds to professional communities’ needs, using communication and leadership tools.
Capstones are a chance to demonstrate your learning and build your portfolio through an in-depth, independent project done under the guidance of faculty and staff advisors. It’s also a chance to impact the world and help address the needs of real-life organizations.
Completing your capstone and the accompanying credits is a multi-quarter process, usually done during the student’s second year in the program. Projects can be research-based, work done in a class, for a client organization, or even for your current job.
Credit/No Credit Only.
(
Salkowitz
)
- 2016-2017 | Autumn 2016
MCDM Elective
Tuesdays, 10/4/16-12/13/16 (No Class 11/8), 6:00-9:50pm | CMU 302
Course Description:
Rapid evolution of digital media and technology continues to disrupt the business of marketing, making it essential for professionals in the field to keep abreast of trends in a number of areas. This class focuses on the technologies shaping marketing, advertising, media, public relations and communications in the 2-4 year horizon and explores strategies of successful marketing organizations, both digital and traditional. We will examine the impact of social media, mobility, big data, new content and rich media distribution technologies, multi-platform storytelling, apps, and other digital innovation on audience engagement. We will study how consumers and audience expectations are changing, and how marketers must shift their models to accommodate new realities and expectations. Finally, we will look at changes to the structures and processes that marketing organizations – corporate, agency or otherwise – can adopt to become resilient in the face of rapid change. This class assumes a general familiarity with the practices of digital marketing and digital technologies. It is recommended for marketing, advertising and commercial communications professionals interested in developments at the cutting edge of the field. We will offer a survey of techniques and practices, including case studies, readings from contemporary practitioners and thought leaders, and expert guest speakers.
Student Testimonial:
“The first day of class, Rob Salkowitz tells you that there is no crystal ball to predict the future of marketing. However, it really does feel like we were able to divine the future. Based around a technique called scenario planning, as a class and as groups, we looked at the future of technology (from 3D printing to Internet of Things), content/content creation, and a whole host of other things as they would relate to marketing in the future and to make predictions. It was a great class for thinking about trends and their influences and ways that marketers can stay ahead of the curve based on the knowledge that we have in-hand today.”
(
Marr
)
- 2016-2017 | Winter
MCDM Elective
Thursdays Jan 12th – March 16th, 6:00-9:50pm | CMU 126
Course Description:
This course is designed for students that will be utilizing their MCDM education and experience in the marketing arenas in businesses and organizations (including non-profits) or in leadership functions where an understanding of marketing is an important skill. The focus on the course will be on how to best utilize digital media vehicles along with more traditional forms of communications and advertising (and other marketing or Research and Development functions). Because of the ever changing nature of the advertising world with the advances and acceptances of digital media platforms, we will showcase industry “heavy hitters” from local marketing and advertising agencies to discuss the trends and issues the industry faces, using real life situations to explore alternatives and solutions. We will also explore how new media can be used with traditional channels of distribution (clicks and bricks), as well as in the R & D functions by encouraging and mining information from current and potential customers. Students that have not had a basic marketing class will be assigned pre-course supplemental readings and we will do a quick review at our first session so that everyone has a common understanding of the subject before we move into the more cutting edge concepts.
Student Testimonial:
“Marketing and Branding is one of the most useful and fun classes that I have taken within the Communication Leadership program. This course offers updated and relevant information regarding the exponential growth of marketing in the digital sphere. This class builds upon the basics of branding and marketing skills and gives you new skills to take to other courses and/or to your career. You will also discuss the importance of branding and the role that it plays in company evolution as well as with a start up business. The homework involved in this class is engaging and useful to every lecture. The instructor has made sure to include guest speakers from all walks of the industry. From their insight, the class content becomes more real, impactful, and valuable to your education. I highly recommend this class to any member of the Communication Leadership program.”
(
Salkowitz
)
- 2016-2017 | Spring
MCDM Elective
Saturdays, April 8, 22, May 6, 20, and June 3, 9-5pm | CMU 126
Course Description:
Understanding how to use words and pictures in combination to tell stories is a core competency for communicators in the digital era. This class 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, videogames 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. We will look at the anatomy of the medium in all its forms; study how comics are used in entertainment, literary, documentary, journalistic, educational, training and business communications contexts; examine the challenges of bringing comic-based subject matter to other media; explore the business issues associated with the explosion of comics in the wider culture; and create an original digital transmedia project incorporating the visual language of comics.
Student Testimonial:
“For the uninitiated in transmedia, it’s a crash course in visual storytelling and pop culture. For those familiar with transmedia, it offers a series of case studies in what you can do right or wrong in transmedia campaigns. The class definitely emphasizes comics, so while it’s not necessary to have an extensive knowledge of that format, it’s definitely for someone who’s curious about them. I was surprised to learn that a degree of visual abstraction can actually enhance storytelling. Rather than using a more precise visual format, such as photography or accurate illustrations of reality, using caricatures lets a person’s imagination fill in the gaps. I also found the study of the more formal aspects of comics to be very interesting. The all-day Saturday sessions went surprisingly fast. Rob does a great job of mixing up the class between discussion, lecture, guests, and video. Still, it’s not for the faint of heart, so if you’re going to take the class, plan on committing your Saturdays. You don’t want to miss a class.”
(
Baker
)
- 2017-2018 | Autumn 2017
MCDM Elective, Meets Law & Ethics Core Requirement
Tuesdays, 10/3-12/5, 6:00-9:50pm | CMU 302
Course Description:
“Big Data”, “The Internet of Things”, “Behavioral Advertising”, “Analytics” — all buzzwords capturing the explosion of data and the promise of what we can do with data. Collecting, using, organizing, and sharing data and information also evokes legal issues and individual and collective uncertainty over who owns this data, what rights does one own, how does the data usage implicate privacy issues, how is and how should data use be regulated by the government, by private entities, for advertising, etc. This course will explore the legal issues associated with data usage, data collection, sharing of user information, and licensing. This course will pay particular attention to privacy laws in the United States, how the FTC and other regulators are approaching advertisers’ use of personal information, how organizations attempt to keep data secure, and how intellectual property rights protect (and don’t protect) data and databases. This course is designed both as a stand-alone course to satisfy the law and policy requirement of the program and as a companion to the law and policy course offered in the Spring, which focuses more on free expression and intellectual property issues around content.
Student Testimonial:
“This course was a fascinating overview of a quickly changing field. We touched on a variety of ethical and legal issues surrounding emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and big data. The course is exciting and engaging because many of these areas are so new that laws haven’t even been written, and it provided a great framework to view these topics through a legal lens. Although we charted lots of unfamiliar territory, Kraig Baker is an outstanding lecturer and makes the topics approachable and even fun. You don’t have to have a law background to glean interesting and useful information from this course, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in how nascent digital fields will be shaped by the law, and vice versa.”
(
Marr
)
- 2017-2018 | Winter
MCDM Elective
Thursdays, Jan 4th-March 8th, 6:00-9:50pm | CMU 126
Course Description:
This course is designed for students that will be utilizing their MCDM education and experience in the marketing arenas in businesses and organizations (including non-profits) or in leadership functions where an understanding of marketing is an important skill. The focus on the course will be on how to best utilize digital media vehicles along with more traditional forms of communications and advertising (and other marketing or Research and Development functions). Because of the ever changing nature of the advertising world with the advances and acceptances of digital media platforms, we will showcase industry “heavy hitters” from local marketing and advertising agencies to discuss the trends and issues the industry faces, using real life situations to explore alternatives and solutions. We will also explore how new media can be used with traditional channels of distribution (clicks and bricks), as well as in the R & D functions by encouraging and mining information from current and potential customers. Students that have not had a basic marketing class will be assigned pre-course supplemental readings and we will do a quick review at our first session so that everyone has a common understanding of the subject before we move into the more cutting edge concepts.
Student Testimonial:
“Marketing and Branding is one of the most useful and fun classes that I have taken within the Communication Leadership program. This course offers updated and relevant information regarding the exponential growth of marketing in the digital sphere. This class builds upon the basics of branding and marketing skills and gives you new skills to take to other courses and/or to your career. You will also discuss the importance of branding and the role that it plays in company evolution as well as with a start up business. The homework involved in this class is engaging and useful to every lecture. The instructor has made sure to include guest speakers from all walks of the industry. From their insight, the class content becomes more real, impactful, and valuable to your education. I highly recommend this class to any member of the Communication Leadership program.”
(
Macklin
)
- 2017-2018 | Spring
MCDM Elective
Tuesdays, March 27th-May 29th, 6-9:50pm | CMU 318E
Registration SLN: 12407
Course Description:
Emerging models of interactive and immersive (full & any screen, scrolling and responsive) storytelling are disrupting the ways we can reach and engage with our constituents. This course in Studio Production will have a deep concentration on the production aspects and development tools necessary to create Snow Fall-like immersive 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 web deveopment tools and platforms (HTML 5 & jQuery). This will be a project-based course through which students will acquire the strategy and skills to make informed designs about the 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.
Student Testimonial:
“This class blends multimedia storytelling and places it into a digital context. We used different mediums (video, text, photos, maps, and more,) to tell a story. Not only do we get to tell a story, but we also are guided in the technical aspects of video, photography, and web design. There are more practical skills actually used in this class than I can count on my fingers and toes! I really learned the importance of setting a scene. My previous degree is in filmmaking, and it seems like in longer-format storytelling (films, novels, etc) you can take more time building the landscape of a story. However, in digital storytelling, it is essential to get your visual ‘lede’ line – Having a map, photo, or video to set the scene of your story is essential to get your point across succinctly and clearly. Brevity is the soul of wit (and the internet). I really enjoyed that the class had both structure and freedom. We had a well defined storytelling goal to achieve for the class, but Scott opened up the way we told it to as many ways as we wanted to. This gave everyone the ability to choose which digital platforms to use and to perfect. While we all had to create a website, (with certain grade requirements – one video, photos, etc), it was up to us which web platform we used, and how much detail we put into individual aspects of the story. For instance, if a student wanted to really focus on good film, they could do that while selecting an easier web platform to plug their video into. Or, if a student wanted to really focus on building a detailed website, they could do that and be able to add shorter videos. The flexibility to work on your own strengths and interest in storytelling was really great.”
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University of Washington
Department of Communication