> Courses > 2024-2025

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 580A: Communicating the Future with Scenario Planning

(

Rasmus

)

- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Winter 2025

MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Thursdays 1/9 – 3/13, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 230
Registration SLN: 12723

Course Description

This course explores techniques for exploring possible futures and how to apply those futures to create business narratives. The class will work through a complete cycle of scenario planning. Learners will gather and document uncertainties related to the future of work with an emphasis on communications. The class will then build rich narratives that explore how the future may unfold under different social, technological, economic, environmental, and political circumstances. The course will also explore how to use scenarios to inform strategic choices and drive content development. Students will be expected to demonstrate their mastery of scenario planning through individual work and team presentations. Team presentations will focus on the future of work and its implications for communications. Individual stories will feature multimedia presentations that describe the learner living in one of the futures.

I went into Scenario Planning as a marketer and left as a strategic storyteller. Dan taught us to look into the future and fashion a whole story out of it, in scenarios and contexts I otherwise wouldn’t have imagined. It also trains you to think of the future beyond just a linear eventuality to help prepare for it in the best way possible. Personally, the application of what I learned was beyond a business context, and I can say this – it helped all of us look at everything in a more multi-dimensional manner.—Matthew Joseph, MCDM cohort ‘22 alumni

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COMMLD 570A: Stakeholder Mindset and Communication

(

Howard

)

- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Winter 2025

Track Neutral | 3 Credits
Wednesdays 1/8 – 3/12, 6:00pm – 8:20pm | DEN 259
Registration SLN: 12721

Course Description:

In August 2019, the Business Roundtable, a group of 181 CEOs from the largest corporations in the world, created, signed, and distributed  a formal document, “Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation.” This communication stated that this group was committed to leading their companies for the benefit of all stakeholders — shareholders, communities, employees, suppliers, and customers. 

In this course, we’ll examine this diverse set of stakeholders and take a closer look at how they interact with corporate leaders and each other internally and externally. What role will marketing communication professionals have in making companies’ messaging more stakeholder focused and inclusive going forward? 

From Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover to the mercurial work policies at Amazon, we’ll examine why companies which do not support stakeholder theory risk losing value. And why the ones that do gain it.

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COMMLD 562: Communication for Advocacy

(

Parikh

)

- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Winter 2025

MCCN Elective | Meets Law & Ethics Requirement | 5 Credits
Thursdays 1/9 – 3/13, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 242
Registration SLN: 12720

Course Description:

This course is focused on ”integrated advocacy,” which is a strategy of communicating one’s advocacy efforts through multiple channels – like the marriage equality movement, net neutrality efforts by Google, Facebook and Netflix, and the passage of the Affordable Care Act of 2010. You will develop part of an integrated advocacy campaign working for a client in this class. Real-life challenges and advocacy needs of our clients will allow us to use integrated advocacy model in an applied sense. We will build stories around goals and solutions. We will come up with advocacy tactics and create an advocacy campaign that will ignite change. This is a hands-on course. The course will help you develop immersive storytelling skills, and practice community organizing. You will learn persuasive communication and engagement methods, and how to pack a punch with a campaign aimed at making change. Guest speakers and mentors with experience spearheading campaigns will serve as guides throughout the quarter. The course will culminate with a short advocacy pitch session.

“Changing the world” gets a lot of lip service – this class actually teaches you how to do it! Sejal’s experience on successful advocacy campaigns like the $15 minimum wage provides a backdrop for instruction in tested strategies and techniques that can be deployed to move the needle at the community, social and policy level. Watching my fellow students’ presentations at the end of the quarter, I felt like we were all really well equipped to go out and have a positive impact like never before.  — Alex Stonehill, Associate Director, MCCN Cohort 19

Meets Law & Ethics requirement.

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COMMLD 546 A/B: Professional Long-Form Writing

(

Crofts

)

- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Winter 2025

Track Neutral | Meets Professional Writing Requirement (3 or 5 credit) or Research Methods Requirement (5 Credit) | 3 or 5 Credits | CMU 126
Sundays 1/12, 1/26, 2/9, 9:00am – 5:00pm | 3-credit section 546A | Registration SLN: 12717
Sundays 1/12, 1/26, 2/9, 2/23, 3/9, 9:00am – 5:00pm | 5-credit section 546B | Registration SLN: 12718

Please note: 546A is 3 credits, and 546B is 5 credits. These courses will run concurrently. Students registered for 546A (3 credits) will attend the first three dates, and students registered for 546B (5 credits) will attend all five dates.

Course Description:

Have you ever read an in-depth piece online that so moved you or shifted your thinking that you immediately sent it on to a friend or colleague? The “long-form” medium offers the writer ample space for synthesis, critique, and personal stories to capture the imagination, change the conversation, and inspire action. With a broad selection of writers, leaders, and cultural commentators as curricular guides, this course invites each student to hone their long-form professional writing skills (>1000 words) and deepen their understanding of the current professional communication long-form landscape.

With scaffolded steps to refine their writing voice and scope, this course serves both students with writing experience, as well as those keen to develop this foundational skill. All students are invited to submit their final piece for inclusion in the Spring 2025 volume of the online journal Mind Shift. In addition, we will consider the evolution of platforms, from colonial-era pamphlets to today’s crowded community of digital newsletters.

Anita teaches invaluable research and writing skills that pushed me to become a more curious thinker. She encourages her students to dive into multifaceted research on your choice of subject and produce a polished long-form piece. As a brand marketing professional, I’ve applied what I learned in Anita’s class by practicing clear written communication and empathetic collaboration. —Amanda Chou, MCCN cohort ‘22 alumni 

3-credit class Meets Professional Writing Requirement.

5-credit class meets either Research Methods or Professional Writing requirement. Class cannot be used to meet both requirements.

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COMMLD 543: Leadership Approaches to Equity Initiatives in Organizations

(

Ross

)

- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Winter 2025

MCCN Elective | Meets Law & Ethics Requirement | 5 Credits
Wednesdays 1/8 – 3/12, 6:00pm – 8:50pm | DEN 258

Registration SLN: 12716

Course Description:

In this leadership development course students grow intra-personally in order to more effectively communicate and collaborate to change organizational systems and cultural norms toward greater equity, justice, diversity, access, belonging, and inclusion.

The course is designed to meet students where they are and coach for growth in self-awareness, communication skills, and comprehension of equity concepts. Students learn interactively together in order to explore interconnections among dimensions of our intersectional identities and experiences of power, and to expand our collective understanding of how organizations, and the people within them, function within larger societal systems of power.

Dual tracks of learning structure the quarter: shared equity related content learning and independent individually-bespoke topical inquiry. Students transform their understanding of their identities and agency, gain confidence for communicating about often-taboo topics, experience iterative reflection as a social justice practice, and expand their comprehension of the distinct roles of individuals, groups, organizations, and societal structures in making genuine system change.

Sarah’s course was intentional and thought-provoking and provided me with the tools to assess and navigate current and future workplace dynamics. I am now able to critically question and analyze organizational health.–AK Sterling, MCCN cohort ‘19 alumni

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COMMLD 541B: Crisis Communication

(

Hennessey

)

- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Winter 2025

Track Neutral | Meets Law & Ethics Requirement | 5 Credits
Wednesdays 1/8 – 3/12, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 302
Registration SLN: 12715

Course Description

Crisis communications is about much more than “spin.”  Crises will happen – in government, in the corporate sector, in nonprofits and political campaigns.  What will differentiate you as a communicator is your ability to plan for it, navigate it in real time, and learn something from it.  There is opportunity in crisis.  A crisis forces us to look inside ourselves, at our policies, at our practices, and at how we do our business.

Of course, crisis communications has always been tough; social media and the advent of generative AI have just made it tougher.  We will navigate the latest cultural challenges, from “cancel culture” to messaging in our polarized society.  In this course, we will look at before the crisis (including planning), how we respond during the crisis (this includes the critical crisis communications plan) and after (this is where we cover actions one must take afterwards, including how to repair the damage done).  The class is designed to look at crises in various sectors and will include participation from professionals in the field.

Meets Law and Ethics Requirement.

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COMMLD 540B: Human-Centered, AI Augmented Internal Comms

(

Abplanalp

)

- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Winter 2025

Track Neutral | 5 Credits
Tuesdays 1/7 – 3/11, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 126
Registration SLN: 12714

Course Description:

This course explores the intersection of internal/ organizational communications and artificial intelligence (AI) with an emphasis on human-centricity and organizational culture. Topics will focus on organizational brand, leadership and voice; automation tools and techniques; pitfalls of artificial intelligence; and considerations for diversity, equity, and inclusion, anti-racism, and accessibility.

Students will examine the impact of AI on internal communications practices and strategies within organizations, including integration of AI technologies in communication development and its implications for leadership and decision-making. Students will also develop strength as human-centered, AI-augmented internal communicators, enhancing workflows and sharpening editorial acumen and critical thinking. Each week, students will engage in case study discussions to analyze real-world scenarios and explore the application of AI in different aspects of internal communications.

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COMMLD 538: Storytelling and Communication for Mission-Driven Organizations

(

Melograna

)

- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Winter 2025

MCCN Elective | Meets Law & Ethics Requirement | 5 Credits
Thursdays 1/9 – 3/13, 1:00pm – 5:00pm | Online
Registration SLN: 12713

Course Description

Nonprofits, NGOs, campaigns and social enterprises are driven by their desire to make the world a better place. As their storytellers, our job is to make sure their messages reach the right audiences and recruit those audiences to the cause. Keeping in mind that mission-driven organizations will often work on complex issues involving vulnerable populations, our job is to pursue this work within an ethical framework that centers the concerns and desires of the people whom our clients serve. Upon completing the course, students will be able to work with mission-driven organizations as their primary storytellers.

Jordan brings a passion for storytelling for positive change that is infectious. And that enthusiasm is grounded in vast experience that makes him a valuable guide through the complicated ethics of storytelling, with a breadth of practical resources to support powerful, community-based, media production that mission-driven organizations are in need of. Given how deeply he engages with and inspires students, it’s no wonder many of them have gone on to be his professional collaborators.  — Alex Stonehill, Associate Director, MCCN Cohort 19

Meets Law & Ethics Requirement.

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COMMLD 537: Principles of Storytelling for Social Impact

(

Kessler

)

- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Winter 2025

Track Neutral | 5 Credits
Saturdays In Person 1/11, Online 1/25, 2/8, 2/22, In Person 3/8, 9:00am – 5:00pm | CMU 126
Registration SLN: 12712

Course Description:

Storytelling for Social Impact 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.

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COMMLD 531: Foundations of Video Storytelling

(

Christensen

)

- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Winter 2025

MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Tuesdays 1/7 – 3/11, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 302
Registration SLN: 12711

Course Description

Approximately 183 hours of content is uploaded to YouTube every minute. Video isn’t the future of marketing, the revolution is already here and how brands leverage that storytelling capability sets them apart from the competition.

Whether you want to create video content as a full time job or you want to have the skill set in your back pocket as you navigate your communications career, this class will provide a strong foundation for maximizing video content in your marketing endeavors.

We will go over basics of how to use cameras but we will also talk about why content is successful and how we can best emulate those formulas. You are expected to exercise the craft of content creation while at the same time critically evaluating and deconstructing content you see in the marketplace.

This class is a good match for students who:

• want to work in marketing and a foundational knowledge of how compelling video content is created;

• want to specialize in video content creation long term;

• are prepared for a time-consuming and rigorous learning experience.

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COMMLD 521: Digital Media Branding and Marketing

(

Mottola

)

- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Winter 2025

MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Wednesdays 1/8 – 3/12, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | Online
Registration SLN: 12710

Course Description

This course is designed for students who will be utilizing their education and experience in the marketing career tracks or in leadership functions where an understanding of marketing is critical. The focus of the course will be on how to build a brand online or extend a legacy brand digitally by applying marketing fundamentals and examining how the most interesting and dynamic brands operate today. We will simulate brand management and building campaigns for real-world brands and explore how they reach target customers to meet objectives and participate in online culture. While online platforms have offered us many more opportunities and “shiny objects” to reach and communicate with customers, the fundamental marketing skills and theories don’t change much or quickly. Learning to be strategic about how to apply these fundamentals will allow students to remain flexible and relevant.

This class is a good match for students who:

• want to learn to create a portfolio-level brand plan

• want to build expansive, omni-channel marketing strategies and tactics for brand building

• want to develop a CMO view of brand management and building marketing capabilities

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COMMLD 520B: Qualitative Research for Social Media Marketing

(

Wang

)

- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Winter 2025

MCDM Elective | Meets Research Methods Requirement | 5 Credits
Tuesdays 1/7 – 3/11, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 230
Registration SLN: 12709

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.

Meets Research Methods Requirement.

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COMMLD 581A: Communications in the Age of AI

(

Schiller

)

- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Winter 2025

Track Neutral | 3 Credits
Sundays 1/12, 1/26, 2/9, 9:00am – 5:00pm | CMU 302
Registration SLN: 22146

Course Description

This class will teach frameworks for thinking about AI’s impact on communications work across enterprise organizations, and practical applications for integrating it into daily work. Students will learn how to use AI strategically – to increase agility and accelerate work – while protecting key objectives of clarity, authenticity, security, and employee engagement.

Note: This class assumes you have a basic understanding of the kinds of communications that typically occur in a professional organization. If you are totally new to corporate communications and have never worked in a communications environment, you can expect a steep learning curve.

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COMMLD 515: Advanced User Design

(

Levine

)

- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Winter 2025

MCDM Elective | Meets Research Methods Requirement | 5 Credits
Wednesdays 1/8 – 3/12, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 104
Registration SLN: 12707

Course Description

In this class, students will work in small groups to design and prototype innovative user-centered solutions to real-world problems and develop an application. Students will develop their projects from a user experience (UX) design perspective and produce a strong piece for their portfolio.

The course emulates real-life aspects of UX design teams, including in-depth experience with user research, usability testing and iterating on the product with real-life users. By the end of the course, students will construct a map of a product’s full customer journey, develop personas with use cases, design a working prototype, and build a proposal with requirements for the concept.

Prerequisite: COMMLD 511, 512, or 517.

Meets Research Methods Requirement.

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COMMLD 512: User Research and UX Strategies

(

Porter

)

- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Winter 2025

MCDM Elective | Meets Research Methods Requirement | 5 Credits
Thursdays 1/9 – 3/13, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | Online
Registration SLN: 12706

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 above 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 articulate its advantages and disadvantages, establish useful test objectives, and prepare reports and presenting results.

Meets Research Methods Requirement.

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COMMLD 510C: User Interface and Visual Design

(

Gordon

)

- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Winter 2025

MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Mondays 1/6 – 3/17, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | DEN 113
Registration SLN: 12704

Course Description

Design encompasses a variety of interconnected concepts. User Interface Design (UI ) is concerned with how navigational components are organized  within a system interface to ensure the layout is intuitive and helps users achieve their goals. Visual Design emphasizes aesthetics and the strategic use of communication elements, such as images, colors, fonts, and other graphic components, to create visually appealing layouts that achieve a business purpose.

Some of the topics we’ll cover are research, mood board creation, testing, user flows, Figma essentials, component libraries, general layout and design, wireframing, prototyping, microcopy, and more. At the end of this course, students will know how to create impactful UI designs and have knowledge of the tools to bring designs to fruition.

This class is a good match for students who:

• want the fundamentals of human perception and cognition that inform effective interaction design;

• want to understand how UI and Visual Design complement each other;

• want to learn the essential steps, tools and knowledge that inform effective UI & Visual Design workflows

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University of Washington

Department of Communication

© Copyright 2022 Department of Communication. University of Washington