Department of Communication Arts
University of Wisconsin-Madison

Summer Term

Photo by Bryce Richter /UW-Madison.

Communication Arts Department Summer 2023 Course Preview

The Communication Arts Department has a great selection of summer courses planned for you. Please see Course Search & Enroll and the Academic Guide for additional course information on January 11, 2023.

Offered Online, Asynchronously

Com Arts 300: Film Comedy
Explore the comedy genre. Examine theories of humor in relation to comic amusement in film. Learn tools for critical appreciation and analysis.

    • Open to students with sophomore standing or higher
    • Intermediate level, humanities breadth, 3 credits

Com Arts 371: Communication and Conflict Resolution
Study the complexities of conflict. Learn communication strategies for managing and resolving conflict in interpersonal, organizational, intercultural, and global contexts.

    • Open to students with sophomore standing or higher
    • Intermediate level, social science breadth, 3 credits

Com Arts 605: Digital Studies Capstone
Digital Studies certificate students synthesize the material they have learned throughout the program and explore professional and personal growth opportunities.

    • Open to Digital Studies Certificate seniors who have completed their DS coursework. Contact Amy Schultz for consent.
    • Advanced level, 1 credit

Offered Online, Synchronously

Com Arts 466: Writing for TV and Film
Develop your screenwriting skills. Learn the elements of a successful dramatic screenplay. Explore story concept, dramatic structure, character development, dialogue, and visual storytelling.

    • Open to students who have completed COM ARTS 355
    • Advanced level, 3 credits

Offered Online, Asynchronously

Com Arts 100: Introduction to Speech Composition
Develop your speech writing and presentation skills.

    • Open to students who have not received credit for Com Arts 105 or 181
    • Communication A course
    • Elementary level, 3 credits

Offered Online, Asynchronously

Com Arts 200: Introduction to Digital Communication
Explore the power and limits of digital communication. Learn skills and techniques for communicating your message in a range of social media including video, photos, and micro-blogging. Consider who can speak and who gets heard.

    • Open to all undergraduates
    • Elementary level, humanities or social science breadth, 3 credits

Com Arts 313: Indiewood: Indie in Hollywood
If you have watched a movie directed by Quentin Tarantino or produced by A24, then you’ve spent time with an “Indiewood” movie. This course is dedicated to the exploration of the “Indiewood” label–a label used to describe movies whose production and style blend tendencies of independent cinema with those of the mainstream film industry. Exploring films from the early 90s up through the age of streaming, the course will entail the analysis of the storytelling and style of notable Indiewood films (such as Pulp Fiction and Moonlight), along with a historical exploration of the companies and careers that made such films possible. In addition to analyzing films’ narratives, styles and production contexts, the course will delve into important film industry institutions like the Sundance Film Festival and the Academy Awards to explore how Indiewood films were marketed, exhibited, and celebrated.

    • Open to students with sophomore standing or higher
    • Intermediate level, humanities breadth course, 3 credits

Com Arts 345: Online Communication and Personal Relationships
Explore how communication technologies like email, mobile phones, and online dating affect personal relationships.

    • Open to students with sophomore standing or higher
    • Intermediate level, social science breadth, 3 credits

Offered as a Hybrid Course (online lecture modules and in-person labs)

Com Arts 355: Introduction to Media Production
Theory and practice of media production and screenwriting.

    • Open to students with sophomore standing or higher or COM ARTS 155
    • Intermediate level, 4 credits
    • In-person labs and online lectures

Offered In-Person

Com Arts 468: Producing for Internet TV and Video
Producing Internet television and video (which encompasses a wide range of media content, from expensive Netflix and Amazon shows to low-budget YouTube channels). With its focus on “producing” and the role of the producer, combines the hands-on production work of writing, shooting, and editing videos with an emphasis on entrepreneurship and the innovation of sustainable business models.

    • Open to students who have completed COM ARTS 155 or 355
    • Advanced level, 3 credits

Offered Online, Asynchronously

Com Arts 373: Intercultural Communication and Rhetoric
Explore how rhetoric and communication function between and across cultures. Examine how culture, history, and power constitute our cultural identities, our modes of communication, and how we engage with others.

    • Open to students with sophomore standing or higher
    • Intermediate level, humanities or social science breadth, 3 credits

Com Arts 614 or 615: Field Experience in Communication
Reflect on your internship experience. Acquire skills related to your future job search.

    • Open to Com Arts majors. See instructions for arranging credit.
    • Advanced level, 1 credit

Offered Online, Asynchronously

Com Arts 313: Summer Blockbusters
Description forthcoming.

    • Open to students with sophomore standing or higher
    • Intermediate level, humanities breadth course, 3 credits

Com Arts 316: Gender and Communication
Explore theories, concepts, and analytics for understanding how gender impacts how we create and interpret messages. Learn strategies for managing gendered differences in our interpersonal, professional, and social lives.

    • Open to students with sophomore standing or higher
    • Intermediate level, humanities breadth, 3 credits