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.
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)
- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Spring 2025 | Summer 2025
Track Neutral | 1-5 Credits
Application Required
Course Description:
Independent Research projects are student-driven, with faculty serving in a loose advisory capacity. This option is for students with a clear project in mind who will only need minimal faculty support to accomplish their end goal. See complete details and application instructions on the Guide to Independent Research page.
(
Gordon
)
- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Spring 2025
MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Wednesdays 4/2 – 6/4, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 230
SLN: 21706
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
(
Marr
)
- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Spring 2025
Track Neutral | 5 Credits
Mondays 3/31 – 6/2, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 126
Application Required
Course Description
This advanced course explores the evolving challenges and opportunities in marketing management, equipping students with the tools and strategies to excel in today’s dynamic marketplace. Through a combination of case studies, group projects, and industry experts, students will delve into topics such as AI in marketing, customer insights, digital transformation, omni-channel strategies, and new revenue models. Designed for graduate-level students, Advanced Marketing emphasizes practical application of marketing strategy and execution.
By the end of this class, students will be able to:
• Analyze the challenges and opportunities marketing leaders face in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
• Apply advanced marketing strategies, including AI, personalization, and omni-channel integration, to real-world scenarios.
• Develop and present a comprehensive marketing plan, incorporating insights from customer data.
• Evaluate and implement customer-centric approaches to improve customer experience and drive business growth.
*Asynchronous work will be added to make up for Memorial Day.
**Since this class takes foundational concepts to the next level, students who register must have already taken any of the following courses:
COMMLD 520: Principles of Marketing
COMMLD 520: Strategic Communications
COMMLD 521: Digital Marketing
COMMLD 522: Future of Marketing
Or have equivalent Marketing experience.
Please fill out the form below to the best of your ability. If your form is approved, you will receive an add code to register for the course. (Note: applications will be time stamped, and qualified applicants will be added to remaining class spots on an equitable basis determined by time of application and remaining time in the program.)
The application will go live on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 at 6:30 AM here: https://forms.office.com/r/MZT7VgETXc
Here are the questions to the form to help you prepare before it goes live:
Full Name
UW Email
Have you taken or are currently taking any of the following courses:
COMMLD 520: Principles of Marketing (Meyer)
COMMLD 520: Strategic Communications (Keyes/Ramos)
COMMLD 521: Digital Marketing (Mottola)
COMMLD 522: Future of Marketing (Salkowitz)
(If you have not taken any prerequisite) You have stated that you have not taken the prerequisites for this course. You may still be qualified if you have previous experience. Please describe your marketing experience.
(
Hansen
)
- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Spring 2025
Track Neutral | Meets Research Methods Requirement | 5 Credits
Mondays 3/31 – 6/9, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 230
SLN: 12593
Course Description
Navigating online communities constitutes a large portion of what we experience as “the internet,” and yet understanding these communities is not always a straightforward or easy task. This course will explore the nature of online communities, different ways we can come to learn about them, and how we should think about handling the data we collect (and indeed, whether to collect it at all). Students will gain a basic social scientific foundation for thinking about communities and the affordances of computer mediated communication before surveying several established approaches to collecting and analyzing data produced by and about specific communities, including surveys, web scraping, and social listening/monitoring.
Throughout, we will consider the ethical implications and demands of our work as researchers and professionals, emphasizing such values as respect for persons, prevention of harm, and beneficence. Students will conclude the course by developing group research projects using one or more of the methods we’ve learned together to answer a clearly defined research question and presenting their findings within a professional context.
Meets Research Methods Requirement.
(
Baker
)
- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Spring 2025
MCDM Elective | Meets Law & Ethics Requirement | 5 Credits
Tuesdays 4/1 – 6/3, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 126
SLN: 12589
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 do not protect) data and databases.
Meets Law & Ethics Requirement.
Kraig Baker’s humorous and comprehensive lecturing style, complete with the latest trend examples, helped me demystify the law and make it less of a “black box.” I gained a framework to assess and manage legal, ethical, and structural risks, tools to determine if I had a legal issue and insights on whether I needed a lawyer and how to communicate these legal issues effectively.—Aster Li, MCDM alum cohort ‘22 alumni
(
Howard
)
- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Spring 2025
Track Neutral | 5 Credits
Tuesdays 4/1 – 6/3, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | DEN 258
SLN: 12579
Course Description:
This course will take a close up look at corporate brand values in marketing communications today. Brand values should be timeless and unchanging, but in a constantly fluctuating business environment, is this goal even possible? While high volume video advertising and A/B testing is exploding, paradoxically, messaging of corporate brand values is oftentimes minimized. Marketing today is composed of ever-changing algorithms, transactional communications, and confusing narratives. Should creativity play a bigger role in storytelling in today’s marketplace? Do customers even know what the companies they make purchases from actually stand for values-wise? Does it matter? How can companies still connect emotionally with consumers? Students will ideate a marketing film for a company or nonprofit of their choice. All the while, they’ll be considering deeply how emotion, story, and marketing message function in a project that resonates with the consumer while also reinforcing an organization’s belief system.
(
Bradshaw
)
- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Spring 2025
MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Wednesdays 4/2 – 6/4, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 126
SLN: 21712
Course Description
Conversational AI has significantly reshaped human interactions, impacting how we connect, purchase, work, learn, and live our lives in the 21st century. This course delves into Conversational AI, exploring its intricate relationship with communication and media theory. Students will delve into the intricate interplay between human interaction and AI, including the foundational groundwork required for constructing dialogues, and explore generative AI’s potential and limitations. By immersing ourselves in critical questions such as the necessity of bots and avatars, and their roles in mimicking human discourse, we embark on a journey to uncover the underlying motives.
We will focus on real-world case studies from business and education, enabling us to paint a holistic portrait of the vast Conversational AI landscape. In your final project, your team will present a prototype for a conversational AI solution for an existing company or new product.
Professor Bradshaw’s Content Design for Conversational AI class came at the perfect time in my career. The hands-on experience enabled me to transform our agency’s workflow with custom GPTs and other bleeding-edge AI tools, sparking rich discussions with my mentor about AI’s potential in our industry. When she later co-founded an AI-focused agency, the strategic understanding and technical confidence I gained in this class, combined with our years of trusted professional collaboration, made me the natural choice for Director of Content Strategy. The course’s practical approach continues to shape how we help clients create more personalized, engaging content experiences at scale.— Jakob Picciotto, MCDM Student
(
Crofts
)
- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Spring 2025
Track Neutral | 2 Credits
Wednesdays 4/2 – 6/4, 6:00pm – 7:50pm | Online
SLN: 12594
Course Description:
While there are many skills that contribute to being an effective leader at any level of any organization, you would be hard-pressed to find a list that didn’t include listening up at the top. Across the field of professional communication, teams collaborate to design things every day—from a strategic communications plan to a new app. Participatory design centers the voices of end-users in the design process, with a goal to create products or services that thereby better meet the priorities of the user by listening carefully to their insights, observations, and feedback. (Other terms for participatory design include cooperative design, co-design, or community design.) One could argue that strong leadership and strong participatory design share a common feature when it comes to listening: both your colleagues and your clients thrive when you actively listen and learn from them.
This class takes an applied approach to listening skill development by inviting students to become keen observers of their listening habits, as well as active participants in strengthening this crucial skill set. We will explore listening as it relates to participatory design, from UX research to community development, and from listening across differences on diverse teams to advocacy movements.
Throughout the quarter, we were able to learn about various listening styles and how we can apply them in our personal and professional lives. To this day, I still reference the material and course reading that we learned and reviewed in class.–AK Sterling, MCCN cohort ‘19 alumni
(
Russell
)
- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Spring 2025
Track Neutral | Meets Law & Ethics Requirement | 5 Credits
Tuesdays 4/1 – 6/3, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 242
SLN: 12591
Course Description:
The climate crisis and other environmental problems are not strictly scientific issues, they are also design and communication issues. This course teaches students to look at the environment from the perspectives of communication (for example, which topics are resonant with audiences, whose views get amplified and whose get shut down, which ideas are backed by money and which are people-powered) and design (for example, our public space, our stuff, how we get around, what we wear and the structures we live in.) These perspectives can empower us–no matter our profession, background or political affiliation–to see and respond to the climate and other environmental crises in more creative and impactful ways.
This course is co-taught by Adrienne Russell and Dominic Muren
Meets Law and Ethics Requirement.
This course is a good match if you are:
• Passionate about the environment and social change;
• Interested in understanding the challenges and opportunities faced by environmental groups, journalists and scientists;
• Curious about how design can be applied for environmental impact
(
Tausch
)
- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Spring 2025
MCCN Elective | Meets Law & Ethics OR Research Methods Requirement | 5 Credits
Thursdays 4/3 – 5/29*, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 302
SLN: 12588
Course Description
All organizations — private, public and nonprofit — inevitably encounter legal and ethical challenges when building and engaging with their communities and networks. Leaders must be able to identify, anticipate, and problem solve how to legally and ethically create, grow, and maintain organizations. This course examines the legal and ethical realities of leadership through a cross-sector approach, particularly by utilizing racial equity and anti-oppression frameworks and grounding in behavioral ethics (decision-making and heuristics). We will survey a wide array of case studies, many with a social justice backdrop, in which law and ethics may overlap, conflict, or contain gaps. We will engage in simulations and consider real-world scenarios to maximize understanding of the impact of law and ethics on organizational communications to clients, customers and constituencies. Throughout the course, you are encouraged to bring in legal and ethical issues from your professional experiences to enrich discussion of course topics. No prior experience in law is required.
Meets Law & Ethics Requirement OR Research Methods Requirement
Note: This course will end on 5/29 instead of 6/5 for Screen Summit. Asynchronous work will be included to make up for that session.
There’s a reason that final projects from this course consistently are nominated for the Comm Lead Department of Communication Research Award (one of B. Tausch’s students won in 2023), and it has all to do with the superb design of the course and how students are motivated by B.’s committed and thoughtful instruction to produce award-winning work. Legal studies can feel like another language, but not in this class: B. makes great use of real world scenarios to bring law and ethics alive in a professional communication context. — Anita Verna Crofts, Comm Lead Artist in Residence
(
Partnow
)
- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Spring 2025
Track Neutral | 5 Credits
Tuesdays 4/1 – 6/3, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 302
SLN: 12584
Course Description
The podcasting industry has surged in recent years, with podcasts also becoming an increasingly important part of marketing and communication campaigns. Since it is the only medium that audiences can consume while engaged in a multitude of other activities, audio storytelling has a unique advantage to inform, entertain and call to action.
This course will teach you how to use audio to tell a powerful story. You will learn how to create your own short sound-rich, nonfiction audio story driven by characters and scenes. You will move through the process of research, reporting, interviewing, writing, editing, and mixing an audio story, as well as pitching a story for radio or podcast. By the end of the class you will have a working knowledge of the basics of audio storytelling and production. You will feel more confident about how to support visual storytelling with audio, as well as how to work with a larger production team on audio projects.
This course is a good match for students who:
• Are seeking an individualized, project-based course
• Want foundational storytelling and editing skills that can translate into any medium
• Would like to learn how audio can elevate and transform storytelling
This class greatly elevated my ability to concisely tell stories!—Jacob Christensen, Foundations of Video and Advanced Video Practicum Instructor, and MCDM cohort ‘15 alumni
(
Salkowitz
)
- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Spring 2025
MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Saturdays 4/5, 4/19, 5/3, 5/17, 5/31, 9:00am – 5:00pm | CMU 126
SLN: 12583
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 is one of our long-running classes taught by Rob Salkowitz, who is a bit of a legend among our alumni who cite this class as one of their all-time favorites. Students sometimes overlook this class because it has “comics” in the title and think it can’t possibly relate to their career aspirations. Take advantage of this misperception and sign up for this class! –Gretchen Ludwig, Associate Director
(
Cioffi
)
- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Spring 2025
MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Saturdays 4/12, 4/26, 5/10, 5/24, 6/7, 9:00am – 5:00pm | Multiple Locations, listed in description
SLN: 12582
Course Description
Emerging models of interactive and immersive storytelling are disrupting how we reach and engage with audiences. In this course we will examine the unique ways that media and user-generated content can tell one cohesive story across platforms in a distributed way; and how this is a pivotal part of the current and future Web 3.0 ecosystem. We will focus our design thinking on audience engagement, UX, built worlds for interactive experiences, and the role of AI as a tool, an assistant, and a platform– students will learn about best-practice uses of VR/AR, branch narratives, game development and integration of traditional video in mobile UX. 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 decisions, develop and use of immersive storytelling processes. Previous media production, web development or game design is not necessary, though a willingness to learn and play with the underlying technologies is a must.
4/12, 5/10, 6/7 will be at The Cloud Room: 1421 11th Ave Ste 400, Seattle WA 98122
4/26, 5/24 will be at CMU 230
(
Christensen
)
- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Spring 2025
MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Saturdays 4/5, 4/19, 5/3, 5/17, 5/31, 9:00am – 5:00pm | Collective Chemistry
Application Required
Course Description
The world of video production is a mysterious and ambiguous place consisting of freelancers, business owners, and in-house roles. In this course students will learn how to add structure to their client interactions, how to ensure that they’re delivering content that fits their client’s needs, and how to navigate studio-based filming environments. Class will consist of qualitative analysis of how to approach storytelling problems as well as hands-on experiences with advanced camera gear in a professional setting. Students will collaborate in teams throughout the quarter to create one short video for a real-world client.
This course is a good match for students who:
• Have taken the Foundations of Video Storytelling course OR have a very strong understanding of how to create video content
• Are open to a simulated real world experience which includes working in groups
• Are prepared for a time consuming and rigorous learning experience
Students must prove their proficiency in video production to register for this course by meeting the minimum qualifications:
1. Proficient experience in editing video on the following platforms: Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, and/or DaVinci Resolve.
2. Experience in shooting video with either DSLRs or Video Cinema Cameras.
Please fill the form below to the best of your ability. You may be reached out with further clarifications. If your form is approved, you will receive an add code to register for the course. (Note: applications will be time stamped, and qualified applicants will be added to remaining class spots on an equitable basis determined by time of application and remaining time in the program.
The application will go live on Tuesday, February 18, 2025 at 6:30 AM and can be found here: https://forms.office.com/r/d3qPW7CJzg
Here are the questions on the form to help you prepare before it goes live:
Full Name
UW Email
Have you taken (or are currently taking) COMMLD 531: Foundations of Video Storytelling or COMMLD 536: Intensive Video Storytelling?
If you have not taken the Foundations of Video Storytelling course, do you have other comparable experience? We do not cover basics of how to use gear or software in this class, we focus largely on client relations and storytelling principles so you need to have a solid foundation of video creation methods in order to succeed. Please provide examples of your work if applicable.
(
Mcghee
)
- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Spring 2025
MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Wednesdays 4/2 – 6/4, 6:00pm – 9:50pm | CMU 302
SLN: 12580
Course Description:
This course teaches students to assemble visual evidence in service of a narrative story. It reflects the new reality that information graphics, maps, and data visualizations are no longer a supplement to text stories created by dedicated service desks, but are free-standing items produced by cross-disciplinary journalists with skills in data reporting and visual presentation.
This course leads students through the process of reporting, analyzing, and presenting a data-driven infographic feature story. Students will explore the gamut of influential and impactful visual stories: an explainer on Covid-19 transmission (the Washington Post’s most popular story of all time); articles exploring California wildfires and street protests in Hong Kong; and stories exploring larger historical and cultural themes like the rise of Confederate statues and such cultural questions as: why are women’s pants pockets so small and K-pop bands so big?
(
Tang
)
- Current Quarter | 2024-2025 | Spring 2025
MCDM Elective | 5 Credits
Saturdays 4/5, 4/19, 5/3, 5/17, 5/31, 9:00am – 5:00pm | Online
SLN: 12578
Course Description
Communication on digital platforms and networks will be the forever norm of our society and human experience. In this course, we will learn, practice and investigate the fundamental principles of communication through social media. We’ll identify strategies used by social media platforms to maximize their key metrics and apply them to business metrics that brands and organizations use to fulfill their objectives and goals. At the end of this course, you’ll be able to identify areas of opportunity on social media platforms to create interesting campaigns, analyze emerging social trends to stay ahead of the curve, and use the tools and best practices of the world’s most powerful brands to engage audiences.
This course is a good match for students who:
• Have a keen interest in social media
• Want to learn about effective social media strategies
• Are using social media for their professional work and personal branding
commlead@uw.edu
206.543.6745
4101 E Stevens Way NE, Seattle, WA
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University of Washington
Department of Communication