Department: Communication

Code Name Description
COMM1 Introduction to Communication Our world is being transformed by media technologies that change how we interact with one another and perceived the world around us. These changes are all rooted in communication practices, and their consequences touch on almost all aspects of life....
COMM100S Introduction to Digital Labor Digital technologies have had a profound influence on our economy, the ways we communicate, and the ways in which we work. This course will provide a lens through which to understand digital labor and digital work today. We will explore the ideologic...
COMM101S History of YouTube Since its launch in 2005, YouTube has become the second most visited website in the world, with more than 1 billion monthly users. It has influenced the worlds of entertainment, politics, and business alike. It has launched the careers of A-list cele...
COMM103S Digital Media and Personalization The rise of personalization technologies has disrupted domains ranging from political campaigns to fashion, with reverberating societal consequences. People who use digital media platforms leave behind a data trail that can be used to peer into their...
COMM104W Reporting, Writing, and Understanding the News Techniques of news reporting and writing. The value and role of news in democratic societies. Gateway class to journalism. Prerequisite for all COMM 177/277 classes. Limited enrollment. Preference to COMM majors.
COMM105S Dynamics of Social Media This course provides an introduction to understanding media and its role in human behavior and society. The course will begin by discussing the factors that inform and shape the communication process. We will examine the interpersonal and psychologic...
COMM106 Communication Research Methods (Graduate students register for COMM 206. COMM 106 is offered for 5 units, COMM 206 is offered for 4 units.) Conceptual and practical concerns underlying commonly used quantitative approaches, including experimental, survey, content analysis, and fie...
COMM108 Media Processes and Effects (Graduate students register for COMM 208. COMM 108 is offered for 5 units, COMM 208 is offered for 4 units.) The process of communication theory construction including a survey of social science paradigms and major theories of communication. Recommen...
COMM110S Intro to Virtual Reality and Avatars Virtual Reality (VR) has been the next big thing for a few decades, but it is finally becoming mainstream - we think. In this class, I provide an introduction to VR through multiple lenses: historical, technological, psychological, and social. We wil...
COMM111S Digital Media and Social Networks Our social interactions and relationships are important. Who we communicate with, how we communicate, and the quantity and quality of our social relationships all have an impact on our psychological well-being. Today, many of our interactions and rel...
COMM116 Journalism Law (Graduate students register for 216. COMM 116 is offered for 5 units; COMM 216 is offered for 4 units.) Laws and regulation impacting journalists. Topics include libel, privacy, news gathering, protection sources, fair trial and free press, theories...
COMM118S Into the Metaverse: Designing the Future of Virtual Worlds What will the future look like? One idea that is recently gaining attention is the Metaverse, a computer-generated simulation of a world in which people can meet and interact. In this course, students will critically evaluate the current landscape of...
COMM11SC Deliberative Democracy in Theory and Practice: Deliberating the Issues that Divide Us and Beyond American democracy is increasingly polarized and dysfunctional. Levels of public trust in the Congress and politicians are at virtually all-time lows, and so is the ability of members of different parties to work together in Washington, D.C., and in...
COMM120W The Rise of Digital Culture (Graduate students register for 220. COMM 120W is offered for 5 units, COMM 220 is offered for 4 units.From Snapchat to artificial intelligence, digital systems are reshaping our jobs, our democracies, our love lives, and even what it means to be hum...
COMM124 Truth, Trust, and Tech (Graduate students enroll in COMM 224. COMM 124 is offered for 5 units, COMM 224 is offered for 4 units.) NOTE: offered only at Stanford in New York winter quarter 2022-23. Deception is one of the most significant and pervasive social phenomena of ou...
COMM125 Perspectives on American Journalism An examination of American journalism, focusing on how news is produced, distributed, and financially supported. Emphasis on current media controversies and puzzles, and on designing innovations in discovering and telling stories. (Graduate students...
COMM128 Back to the Future: Media, Art, and Politics in the 1980s (COMM 128 is offered for 5 units, COMM 228 is offered for 4 units. COMM 328 is offered for 3-5 units.)This seminar covers the intersection of politics, media and art in the U.S. from the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 to the fall of the Berlin Wall i...
COMM130D Dark Patterns This class provides students with an introduction to dark patterns, what they are and how to find/classify them, and challenges students to propose technological and design solutions, legal interventions, and opportunities for civil society participa...
COMM135W Deliberative Democracy and its Critics This course examines the theory and practice of deliberative democracy and engages both in a dialogue with critics. Can a democracy which emphasizes people thinking and talking together on the basis of good information be made practical in the modern...
COMM137W The Dialogue of Democracy All forms of democracy require some kind of communication so people can be aware of issues and make decisions. This course looks at competing visions of what democracy should be and different notions of the role of dialogue in a democracy. Is it just...
COMM138 Deliberative Democracy Practicum: Applying Deliberative Polling In this course, students will work directly on a real-world deliberative democracy project using the method of Deliberative Polling. Students in this course will work in partnership with the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford, a research c...
COMM140X Solving Social Problems with Data Introduces students to the interdisciplinary intersection of data science and the social sciences through an in-depth examination of contemporary social problems. Provides a foundational skill set for solving social problems with data including quant...
COMM142W Media Economics Uses economics to examine the generation and consumption of information in communication markets. Covers concepts that play a large role in information economics, including public goods, economies of scale, product differentiation, and externalities....
COMM143W Communication Policy and Regulation Focuses on the development, implementation, and evaluation of policies affecting communication markets. Policy issues include universal service, digital divide, Internet regulation, intellectual property, privacy, television violence, content diversi...
COMM145 Personality and Digital Media Personality describes people's characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. This course will introduce students to the ways personality is expressed in digital devices (e.g., computers, smartphones) and platforms (e.g., social networks...
COMM151 The First Amendment: Freedom of Speech and Press (Graduate students enroll in 251. COMM 151 is offered for 5 units, COMM 251 is offered for 4 units.) The First Amendment: Freedom of Speech and Press (Law 7084): Introduction to the constitutional protections for freedom of speech, press, and express...
COMM153B Free Speech, Democracy and the Internet Crosslisted with LAW 7082. This course will cover contemporary issues in regulation of the Internet. Topics will include disinformation, polarization, privacy, competition, transparency, advertising, security, and algorithmic ranking. Guest speaker...
COMM154 The Politics of Algorithms (Graduate students enroll in 254. COMM 154 is offered for 5 units, COMM 254 is offered for 4 units.) Algorithms have become central actors in today's digital world. In areas as diverse as social media, journalism, education, healthcare, and policing,...
COMM158 Censorship and Propaganda (Graduate students enroll in COMM 258. COMM 158 is offered for 5 units, COMM 258 is offered for 4 units.) While the internet and other digital technologies have amplified the voice of ordinary citizens, the power of governments and other large organi...
COMM159A Politics 2022: America at a Crossroads We are living in extraordinary times. The historic convergence of social, economic, and public health challenges has profoundly impacted the lives of millions of Americans. In the midst of great uncertainty, the 2022 U.S. midterm elections will be am...
COMM162 Campaigns, Voting, Media, and Elections (Graduate students enroll in COMM 262. COMM 162 is offered for 5 units, COMM 262 is offered for 4 units.) This course examines the theory and practice of American campaigns and elections. First, we will attempt to explain the behavior of the key play...
COMM164 The Psychology of Communication About Politics in America Focus is on how politicians and government learn what Americans want and how the public's preferences shape government action; how surveys measure beliefs, preferences, and experiences; how poll results are criticized and interpreted; how conflict be...
COMM164S The Psychology of Communication About Politics in America Focus is on how politicians and government learn what Americans want and how the public's preferences shape government action; how surveys measure beliefs, preferences, and experiences; how poll results are criticized and interpreted; how conflict be...
COMM166 Virtual People (Graduate students register for COMM 266. COMM 166 is offered for 5 units, COMM 266 is offered for 4 units.) The concept of virtual people or digital human representations; methods of constructing and using virtual people; methodological approaches t...
COMM172 Media Psychology (Graduate students register for COMM 272. COMM 172 is offered for 5 units, COMM 272 is offered for 4 units.) The literature related to psychological processing and the effects of media. Topics: unconscious processing; picture perception; attention an...
COMM176 Advanced Digital Journalism Production (Graduate students register for 276. COMM 176 is offered for 5 units, COMM 276 is offered for 4 units.) In-depth reporting and production using audio, images and video. Focus on an in-depth journalism project with appropriate uses of digital media: a...
COMM177B Big Local Journalism: a project-based class (COMM 177B is offered for 5 units, COMM 277B is offered for 4 units.) This class will tackle data-driven journalism, in collaboration with other academic and journalistic partners. The class is centered around one or more projects rooted in local dat...
COMM177C Environmental Journalism Practical, collaborative, hands-on exploration of environmental journalism as an agent of change within society. Students learn how to identify and execute engaging stories about environmental science, policy, and justice with an emphasis on elevatin...
COMM177D Specialized Writing and Reporting: Narrative Journalism (Graduate students register for COMM 277D. COMM 177D is offered for 5 units, COMM 277D is offered for 4 units.) How to report, write, edit, and read long-form narrative nonfiction, whether for magazines, news sites or online venues. Tools and templat...
COMM177E Specialized Writing and Reporting: Telling True Stories (COMM 177E is offered for 5 units, COMM 277E is offered for 4 units.) Whether covering news, culture or sports, journalism feature writers combine factual reporting with vivid storytelling in a variety of forms -- from profiles to essays to narrative...
COMM177I Investigative Watchdog Reporting Graduate students register for COMM 277I. COMM 177I is offered for 5 units, COMM 277I is offered for 4 units.) Learn how to apply an investigative and data mindset to journalism, from understanding how to background an individual or entity using onli...
COMM177P Programming in Journalism This course introduces general purpose programming skills commonly used in the news. Students will gain basic proficiency in the Unix shell and Python programming while practicing skills such as web scraping, acquiring data from public APIs, cleaning...
COMM177SW Specialized Writing and Reporting: Sports Journalism (Graduate students register for COMM 277S. COMM 177SW is offered for 5 units, COMM 177S is offered for 4 units.) Workshop. An examination of American sports writing from the 1920's Golden Age of Sports to present. Students become practitioners of the...
COMM177T Building News Applications (Graduate students register for 277T. COMM 177T is offered for 5 units, COMM 277T is offered for 4 units.) This course introduces students to the process of building interactive web applications and visualizations for the news. Students will study ex...
COMM177Y Specialized Writing and Reporting: Foreign Correspondence (Graduate students register for COMM 277Y. COMM 177Y is offered for 5 units, COMM 277Y is offered for 4 units.) Study how being a foreign correspondent has evolved and blend new communication tools with clear narrative to tell stories from abroad in...
COMM180 Ethics, Public Policy, and Technological Change Examination of recent developments in computing technology and platforms through the lenses of philosophy, public policy, social science, and engineering.  Course is organized around five main units: algorithmic decision-making and bias; data privacy...
COMM181 Computers, Ethics, and Public Policy Ethical and social issues related to the development and use of computer technology. Ethical theory, and social, political, and legal considerations. Scenarios in problem areas: privacy, reliability and risks of complex systems, and responsibility of...
COMM184 Race and Media (Graduate students register for 284. COMM 184 is offered for 5 units, COMM 284 is offered for 4 units.) This course explores the co-construction of media practices and racial identity in the US. We will ask how media have shaped how we think about ra...
COMM186W Media, Technology, and the Body (Graduate and coterm students must register for COMM 286. COMM 186W is only for undergraduates and is offered for 5 units, COMM 286 is offered for 4 units.) This course considers major themes in the cultural analysis of the body in relation to media...
COMM195 Honors Thesis Qualifies students to conduct communication research. Student must apply for department honors thesis program during Spring Quarter of junior year.
COMM199 Individual Work For students with high academic standing. May be repeated for credit.
COMM1B Media, Culture, and Society The institutions and practices of mass media, including television, film, radio, and digital media, and their role in shaping culture and social life. The media's shifting relationships to politics, commerce, and identity.
COMM206 Communication Research Methods (Graduate students register for COMM 206. COMM 106 is offered for 5 units, COMM 206 is offered for 4 units.) Conceptual and practical concerns underlying commonly used quantitative approaches, including experimental, survey, content analysis, and fie...
COMM208 Media Processes and Effects (Graduate students register for COMM 208. COMM 108 is offered for 5 units, COMM 208 is offered for 4 units.) The process of communication theory construction including a survey of social science paradigms and major theories of communication. Recommen...
COMM216 Journalism Law (Graduate students register for 216. COMM 116 is offered for 5 units; COMM 216 is offered for 4 units.) Laws and regulation impacting journalists. Topics include libel, privacy, news gathering, protection sources, fair trial and free press, theories...
COMM220 The Rise of Digital Culture (Graduate students register for 220. COMM 120W is offered for 5 units, COMM 220 is offered for 4 units.From Snapchat to artificial intelligence, digital systems are reshaping our jobs, our democracies, our love lives, and even what it means to be hum...
COMM224 Truth, Trust, and Tech (Graduate students enroll in COMM 224. COMM 124 is offered for 5 units, COMM 224 is offered for 4 units.) NOTE: offered only at Stanford in New York winter quarter 2022-23. Deception is one of the most significant and pervasive social phenomena of ou...
COMM225 Perspectives on American Journalism An examination of American journalism, focusing on how news is produced, distributed, and financially supported. Emphasis on current media controversies and puzzles, and on designing innovations in discovering and telling stories. (Graduate students...
COMM228 Back to the Future: Media, Art, and Politics in the 1980s (COMM 128 is offered for 5 units, COMM 228 is offered for 4 units. COMM 328 is offered for 3-5 units.)This seminar covers the intersection of politics, media and art in the U.S. from the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 to the fall of the Berlin Wall i...
COMM230A Digital Civil Society A vibrant civil society is a core component of democratic life. 'Civil society' includes social movements, grassroots activism, philanthropists, unions, nonprofits, NGOs, charities, informal associational life, and cooperatives, among others. In this...
COMM230B Digital Civil Society Digital technologies have fundamentally changed how people come together to make change in the world, a sphere of action commonly called 'civil society'. How did this happen, what's being done about it, and what does it mean for democratic governance...
COMM230D Dark Patterns This class provides students with an introduction to dark patterns, what they are and how to find/classify them, and challenges students to propose technological and design solutions, legal interventions, and opportunities for civil society participa...
COMM230X Digital Civil Society +1 Series Speaker series examining the history, theory, legal challenges, policy frameworks and economic choices that have shaped digital networks and technologies, and how those technologies have in turn changed the nature and role of civil society in democra...
COMM235 Deliberative Democracy and its Critics This course examines the theory and practice of deliberative democracy and engages both in a dialogue with critics. Can a democracy which emphasizes people thinking and talking together on the basis of good information be made practical in the modern...
COMM237 The Dialogue of Democracy All forms of democracy require some kind of communication so people can be aware of issues and make decisions. This course looks at competing visions of what democracy should be and different notions of the role of dialogue in a democracy. Is it just...
COMM238 Deliberative Democracy Practicum: Applying Deliberative Polling In this course, students will work directly on a real-world deliberative democracy project using the method of Deliberative Polling. Students in this course will work in partnership with the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford, a research c...
COMM242 Media Economics Uses economics to examine the generation and consumption of information in communication markets. Covers concepts that play a large role in information economics, including public goods, economies of scale, product differentiation, and externalities....
COMM243 Communication Policy and Regulation Focuses on the development, implementation, and evaluation of policies affecting communication markets. Policy issues include universal service, digital divide, Internet regulation, intellectual property, privacy, television violence, content diversi...
COMM245 Personality and Digital Media Personality describes people's characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. This course will introduce students to the ways personality is expressed in digital devices (e.g., computers, smartphones) and platforms (e.g., social networks...
COMM251 The First Amendment: Freedom of Speech and Press (Graduate students enroll in 251. COMM 151 is offered for 5 units, COMM 251 is offered for 4 units.) The First Amendment: Freedom of Speech and Press (Law 7084): Introduction to the constitutional protections for freedom of speech, press, and express...
COMM253B Free Speech, Democracy and the Internet Crosslisted with LAW 7082. This course will cover contemporary issues in regulation of the Internet. Topics will include disinformation, polarization, privacy, competition, transparency, advertising, security, and algorithmic ranking. Guest speaker...
COMM254 The Politics of Algorithms (Graduate students enroll in 254. COMM 154 is offered for 5 units, COMM 254 is offered for 4 units.) Algorithms have become central actors in today's digital world. In areas as diverse as social media, journalism, education, healthcare, and policing,...
COMM258 Censorship and Propaganda (Graduate students enroll in COMM 258. COMM 158 is offered for 5 units, COMM 258 is offered for 4 units.) While the internet and other digital technologies have amplified the voice of ordinary citizens, the power of governments and other large organi...
COMM262 Campaigns, Voting, Media, and Elections (Graduate students enroll in COMM 262. COMM 162 is offered for 5 units, COMM 262 is offered for 4 units.) This course examines the theory and practice of American campaigns and elections. First, we will attempt to explain the behavior of the key play...
COMM264 The Psychology of Communication About Politics in America Focus is on how politicians and government learn what Americans want and how the public's preferences shape government action; how surveys measure beliefs, preferences, and experiences; how poll results are criticized and interpreted; how conflict be...
COMM266 Virtual People (Graduate students register for COMM 266. COMM 166 is offered for 5 units, COMM 266 is offered for 4 units.) The concept of virtual people or digital human representations; methods of constructing and using virtual people; methodological approaches t...
COMM272 Media Psychology (Graduate students register for COMM 272. COMM 172 is offered for 5 units, COMM 272 is offered for 4 units.) The literature related to psychological processing and the effects of media. Topics: unconscious processing; picture perception; attention an...
COMM273D Public Affairs Data Journalism I Even before the ubiquity of Internet access and high-powered computers, public accountability reporting relied on the concerted collection of observations and analytical problem-solving. We study the methods, and the data, used to discover leads and...
COMM274D Public Affairs Data Journalism II Learn how to find, create and analyze data to tell news stories with public service impact. Uses relational databases, advanced queries, basic statistics, and mapping to analyze data for storytelling. Assignments may include stories, blog posts, and...
COMM275 Multimedia Storytelling: Reporting and Production Using Audio, Still Images, and Video Multimedia assignments coordinated with deadline reporting efforts in COMM 273 from traditional news beats using audio, still photography, and video. Use of digital audio recorders and audio production to leverage voice-over narration, interviews, an...
COMM276 Advanced Digital Journalism Production (Graduate students register for 276. COMM 176 is offered for 5 units, COMM 276 is offered for 4 units.) In-depth reporting and production using audio, images and video. Focus on an in-depth journalism project with appropriate uses of digital media: a...
COMM277B Big Local Journalism: a project-based class (COMM 177B is offered for 5 units, COMM 277B is offered for 4 units.) This class will tackle data-driven journalism, in collaboration with other academic and journalistic partners. The class is centered around one or more projects rooted in local dat...
COMM277C Environmental Journalism Practical, collaborative, hands-on exploration of environmental journalism as an agent of change within society. Students learn how to identify and execute engaging stories about environmental science, policy, and justice with an emphasis on elevatin...
COMM277D Specialized Writing and Reporting: Narrative Journalism (Graduate students register for COMM 277D. COMM 177D is offered for 5 units, COMM 277D is offered for 4 units.) How to report, write, edit, and read long-form narrative nonfiction, whether for magazines, news sites or online venues. Tools and templat...
COMM277E Specialized Writing and Reporting: Telling True Stories (COMM 177E is offered for 5 units, COMM 277E is offered for 4 units.) Whether covering news, culture or sports, journalism feature writers combine factual reporting with vivid storytelling in a variety of forms -- from profiles to essays to narrative...
COMM277I Investigative Watchdog Reporting Graduate students register for COMM 277I. COMM 177I is offered for 5 units, COMM 277I is offered for 4 units.) Learn how to apply an investigative and data mindset to journalism, from understanding how to background an individual or entity using onli...
COMM277P Programming in Journalism This course introduces general purpose programming skills commonly used in the news. Students will gain basic proficiency in the Unix shell and Python programming while practicing skills such as web scraping, acquiring data from public APIs, cleaning...
COMM277S Specialized Writing and Reporting: Sports Journalism (Graduate students register for COMM 277S. COMM 177SW is offered for 5 units, COMM 177S is offered for 4 units.) Workshop. An examination of American sports writing from the 1920's Golden Age of Sports to present. Students become practitioners of the...
COMM277T Building News Applications (Graduate students register for 277T. COMM 177T is offered for 5 units, COMM 277T is offered for 4 units.) This course introduces students to the process of building interactive web applications and visualizations for the news. Students will study ex...
COMM277Y Specialized Writing and Reporting: Foreign Correspondence (Graduate students register for COMM 277Y. COMM 177Y is offered for 5 units, COMM 277Y is offered for 4 units.) Study how being a foreign correspondent has evolved and blend new communication tools with clear narrative to tell stories from abroad in...
COMM279 News Reporting & Writing Fundamentals Learn beat reporting and writing skills including source development, interviewing, and story structure for news and features. Emphasis on developing news judgment, clear writing skills, and an ability to execute stories on deadline. Exercises and as...
COMM280 Immersive (VR/AR) Journalism in the Public Sphere The immersive space (cinematic VR, virtual reality, and augmented reality) is journalism's newest and most exciting reporting and storytelling tool. We survey best practices and methods in this emerging medium and learn 360-degree video production an...
COMM281 Exploring Computational Journalism This project-based course will explore the field of computational journalism, including the use of Data Science, Info Visualization, AI, and emerging technologies to help journalists discover and tell stories, understand their audience, advance free...
COMM284 Race and Media (Graduate students register for 284. COMM 184 is offered for 5 units, COMM 284 is offered for 4 units.) This course explores the co-construction of media practices and racial identity in the US. We will ask how media have shaped how we think about ra...
COMM286 Media, Technology, and the Body (Graduate and coterm students must register for COMM 286. COMM 186W is only for undergraduates and is offered for 5 units, COMM 286 is offered for 4 units.) This course considers major themes in the cultural analysis of the body in relation to media...
COMM289P Journalism Thesis MA thesis course. Focuses on development of in-depth journalism project, culminating in work of publishable quality.
COMM290 Media Studies M.A. Project Individual research for coterminal Media Studies students.
COMM299 Individual Work No Description Set
COMM301 Communication Research, Curriculum Development and Pedagogy Designed to prepare students for teaching and research in the Department of Communication. Students will be trained in developing curriculum and in pedagogical practices, and will also be exposed to the research programs of various faculty members i...
COMM308 Graduate Seminar in Political Psychology For students interested in research in political science, psychology, or communication. Methodological techniques for studying political attitudes and behaviors. May be repeated for credit.
COMM311 Theory of Communication Basic communication theory for first-year Ph.D. students in the Department of Communication. Introduction to basic writings and concepts in communication research. The goal is an introduction to issues in the field that are common in communication r...
COMM314 Ethnographic Methods This course offers an introduction to the practice and politics of ethnographic fieldwork. It provides a "how to" of ethnographic research, in which students will conduct an ethnographic project of their own, complemented by weekly readings and discu...
COMM317 The Philosophy of Social Science Approaches to social science research and their theoretical presuppositions. Readings from the philosophy of the social sciences. Research design, the role of experiments, and quantitative and qualitative research. Cases from communication and relate...
COMM318 Quantitative Social Science Research Methods An introduction to a broad range of social science research methods that are widely used in PhD work. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
COMM322 Advanced Studies in Behavior and Social Media This course will focus on advanced research on social media with an emphasis on interpersonal dynamics. The course will emphasize key theories from psychology and communication that bear on behavior and social media. Students will develop a research...
COMM324 Language and Technology In this course we develop a model of how language reflects social and psychological dynamics in social media and other technologically-mediated contexts. The course lays out the main stages of analyzing language to understand social dynamics, includi...
COMM326 Advanced Topics in Human Virtual Representation Topics include the theoretical construct of person identity, the evolution of that construct given the advent of virtual environments, and methodological approaches to understanding virtual human representation. Prerequisite: PhD student or consent o...
COMM328 Back to the Future: Media, Art, and Politics in the 1980s (COMM 128 is offered for 5 units, COMM 228 is offered for 4 units. COMM 328 is offered for 3-5 units.)This seminar covers the intersection of politics, media and art in the U.S. from the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 to the fall of the Berlin Wall i...
COMM335 Deliberative Democracy and its Critics This course examines the theory and practice of deliberative democracy and engages both in a dialogue with critics. Can a democracy which emphasizes people thinking and talking together on the basis of good information be made practical in the modern...
COMM339 Questionnaire Design for Surveys and Laboratory Experiments: Social and Cognitive Perspectives The social and psychological processes involved in asking and answering questions via questionnaires for the social sciences; optimizing questionnaire design; open versus closed questions; rating versus ranking; rating scale length and point labeling...
COMM345 Personality Expression in Digitally Mediated Contexts Digital devices (e.g., computers, smartphones, wearables) and platforms (e.g., social media sites, forums, virtual worlds) mediate much of our daily life. Each time we use digital media for communication, information seeking, or entertainment, we le...
COMM346 Advanced Topics on Individual Differences in Media Psychology This will be a project-based course for graduate students to take a deep dive on a specific topic within media psychology. All topics will share an underlying focus on individual differences. Example topics include: describing individual differences...
COMM352 Statistical Methods for Behavioral and Social Sciences This course offers an introduction to advanced topics in statistics with the focus of understanding data in the behavioral and social sciences. It is a practical course in which learning statistical concepts and building models in R go hand in hand....
COMM355 The World of Influencers: Labor, Power, and Celebrity on Social Media Over the past decade, influencers and online content creators have become highly visible on social media platforms. From fashion and travel influencers posting glamourous pictures on Instagram to YouTubers and TikTokers sharing new dance moves, car r...
COMM360G Political Communication An overview of research in political communication with particular reference to work on the impact of the mass media on public opinion and voting behavior. Limited to Ph.D. students.
COMM361 Law of Democracy Combined with LAW 7036 (formerly Law 577). This course is intended to give students a basic understanding of the themes in the legal regulation of elections and politics. We will cover all the major Supreme Court cases on topics of voting rights, rea...
COMM365 Longitudinal Data Analysis in Social Science Research This course offers a project-based orientation to methodological issues associated with the analysis of multivariate and/or longitudinal data in the social sciences. General areas to be covered include the manipulation/organization/description of the...
COMM367 Longitudinal Design and Data Analysis This course is a survey of growth modeling methods useful for study of developmental and change processes. General areas to be covered include conceptualization and organization of longitudinal panel data, linear growth modeling, inclusion of time-in...
COMM369 Measurement and the Study of Change in Social Science Research This course is a survey of methodological issues associated with the measurement of psychological constructs and processes of change. General areas to be covered include use of latent variable models (structural equation modeling), classical test the...
COMM372G Seminar in Psychological Processing Media and Mental Health is the topic for the Comm 372G seminar in Winter Quarter 2022. The seminar will focus on new ways to define media interactions that can be linked to mental health, taking advantage of new methods and computational analytics th...
COMM378 Media and Time As media technologies change, they radically restructure our experience of time. This course will bring together readings from media psychology and media history in order to understand this process. Students will explore issues such as the accelerati...
COMM380 Curriculum Practical Training Practical experience in the communication industries. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Meets requirements for Curricular Practical Training for students on F-1 visas. (Staff)
COMM382 Big Data and Causal Inference Massive datasets are increasingly available for research as digital technologies pervade our lives. These data represent new opportunities for social science research, but prominent examples of data science research bear little resemblance to the res...
COMM382B Research Seminar in Computational Social Science Technological advances have generated massive datasets available to use for research. Graduate students are increasingly well trained in computational and statistical techniques, but often encounter resistance from publishers and reviewers when apply...
COMM383 Digital Repression Repression research examines the causes and consequences of actions that are meant to, or actually do, raise the costs of activism, protest, and/or social movement activity. The rise of digital and social media has brought substantial increases in at...
COMM385 Media as Ways of Knowing How do the tools and techniques of capturing, representing, storing, and transmitting information shape how and what we know? And how might such instruments influence the relationship between epistemic practices and forms social, cultural, and politi...
COMM386 Media Cultures of the Cold War The intersection of politics, aesthetics, and new media technologies in the U.S. between the end of WW II and the fall of the Berlin Wall. Topics include the aesthetics of thinking the unthinkable in the wake of the atom bomb; abstract expressionism...
COMM387 Bodies as Technology: Media History Between Human and Machine This course explores the mutual definition of human bodies and technical systems in the historical development and use of media technologies across scientific and cultural domains. Drawing on scholarship in media studies, history of science/technolog...
COMM390 Communication Colloquium The Communication Colloquium is a monthly seminar held throughout the academic year, in which leading scholars present their research findings. The Colloquium is intended for PhD students in Communication, and priority will be given to COMM PhD stude...
COMM399 Advanced Individual Work No Description Set
COMM801 TGR Project No Description Set
COMM802 TGR Dissertation No Description Set