Summer Term

Photo by Bryce Richter /UW-Madison.

Communication Arts Department Summer 2024 Courses

The Communication Arts Department has a great selection of summer courses planned for you. The summer course schedule is posted to Course Search & Enroll. Please see the Academic Guide for additional course information.

Offered Online, Asynchronously

Com Arts 313: Horror Films

Why do people pay money to be scared out of their wits?  It seems a paradox to get pleasure from fear.  Yet thousands of horror fans do it each time they go to the movies.  This course offers a history of horror films from the early sound period (Vampyr, Frankenstein) through today’s buzziest franchise and art horror releases (Scream VI, Skinamarink). The horror film has been one of the most lucrative and durable genres throughout the history of global cinema.  Its popularity can be traced to the way it elicits viewers’ most primal emotions and explores themes of Otherness related to issues of gender, ethnicity, race, and class.

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

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
    • Ethnic studies, intermediate level, humanities or 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.

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 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: Crime Films Today
Explore the evolving genre of American crime cinema. Through a diverse selection of films, we will consider cinematic criminality in all forms, from the most powerful gangsters to the lowliest gamblers and even the real life criminals that have inspired stories on screen, to get to the root of the Crime genre’s enduring appeal, its stylistic and tonal versatility, and its possibilities as a vehicle for larger social commentary on issues such as race, class, gender, and American identity.

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

Com Arts 377: Social Media & Wellbeing
One of the most widely debated and consequential issues of our time is how social media use is implicated in users’ well-being. Opinions on the topic abound, typically skewed towards the negative. As rates of depression, anxiety, and loneliness have sky-rocketed in recent years, especially among young people, many have pointed the finger at social media use. Are these worries well-founded? Or are they exaggerated, given that people keep using social media, in larger numbers than ever? How can social media use be leveraged to maximize wellbeing and minimize harm?

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

Com Arts 465: Editing and Post-Production for Video and Film
Gain a thorough understanding of narrative editing techniques, color correction, audio post-production, and the requisite software.

    • Open to students who have completed COM ARTS 355
    • Advanced level, 4 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

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 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
The massive success of Jaws and Star Wars ushered in the era of the summer blockbuster. Join us as we survey the history of the summer blockbuster and the many ways this type of cinema reflects changes in Hollywood’s release schedules, business strategies, and target demographics. We’ll examine the stars, directors, and producers who specialize in the making of “popcorn” movies that maintain a broad popular appeal. We’ll also look closely at the films themselves.

    • 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