FROM THE CHAIR
Unstoppable and Uncontainable
Derek Johnson, Chair of the Department of Communication Arts, reflects on the unstoppable forces that will continue to push the department toward great successes.
Behind the Beat
Understanding the Technology of Sound and the Music Industry
As you inch closer to the classroom door, you can hear the distinct “bum bum be-dum, bum bum be-dum bum” from Rihanna’s “Disturbia” echoing through the hall. You round the corner to see the music video projected at the front of the room and students quietly bopping their heads along with the beat. Class is now in session for the new special topics course, “Music Video from MTV to TikTok.”
Spotlighting a New Era
An Equipment Overhaul 50 Years in the Making
The dull buzz of the same lighting equipment has permeated our second-floor studios for over 50 years. For the first time this fall, that buzz will fade as these old lights are phased out and students begin using brand-new LED lighting kits in their productions.
Tool or Teammate?
Discovering the Optimal Way to Use AI in the Brainstorming Process
Imagine it was your job to plan an event to let students get their first taste of UW–Madison. You might propose a cheese carving contest. Or maybe they get to make homemade ice cream and have their first scoop looking out at Lake Mendota. The process by which you might generate these ideas is the focus of a new Communication Arts research project. By isolating different conditions, this study is discovering the optimal way to use artificial intelligence (AI) during the brainstorming process.
Recap with Recent Grads
Comm Arts Grads Tell Us Where They’ve Landed Post-Graduation
Online portfolios have become vital tools for recent graduates as they launch their careers. With the help of the Digital Studies Certificate Advisor, Amy Schultz, students earning the certificate get to build a digital portfolio in a final capstone course. These websites display the materials they created throughout their coursework and give them the tool they need to kick start their careers. We reached out to four recent Communication Arts graduates to hear how this asset has been valuable to them and to see what they’ve been up to since graduating.
Social Media as Literature
To Meme or Not to Meme, That is the Question
For a long time, people assumed that reading great literature, like the works of Shakespeare, made people better, strengthened their character, and gave them culture. These days, however, few people find themselves engrossed in the monologues of Hamlet and are instead entrenched in a sub-thread on Reddit or the comments section of a viral TikTok video. Can social media make us better people in the same way it was once thought that reading Shakespeare could? Students in a new Communication Arts and Digital Studies course are working to find out.
Strengthening Our Alumni Relations
Opening New Doors for Connection
With over 14,000 living alumni who earned degrees in Communication Arts since our program was founded over 100 years ago, it has become a massive responsibility to maintain connections with our graduates. Our 2025-2029 Strategic Plan committed to strengthening the shared affinities among that ever-growing community. As part of that initiative, Jamie Prey joined our program as our Alumni Relations Officer this spring. In this role, Prey works to reconnect with these 14,000 alumni and learn about their excitement to support Communication Arts.
Vilas Voice Archive
Want to read more? Check out our archive of Vilas Voice newsletters to explore stories from the last few decades in Communication Arts.
Editorial Team
Department Chair
Derek Johnson
(PhD’ 09)
Donor Contact
Caroline Sullivan
UW Foundation
608-572-2002
caroline.sullivan@supportuw.org
Managing Editor
Lindsey Cardell
(BA’ 22)