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Major: Bachelor of Arts
MajorOverview
The undergraduate curriculum is intended for liberal arts students who wish to develop an understanding of communication in society, drawing on the perspective of the social sciences. You are expected to become familiar with the fundamental concerns, theoretical approaches, and methods of the field and to acquire advanced knowledge in one or both of the sub-areas of communication.
Requirements
Core Program Requirements
Core Courses
Statistics Course
CS 109
Introduction to Probability for Computer Scientists
ECON 102A
Introduction to Statistical Methods (Postcalculus) for Social Scientists
HUMBIO 88
Introduction to Statistics for the Health Sciences
HUMBIO 89
Introduction to Health Sciences Statistics
MS&E 120
Introduction to Probability
MS&E 125
Introduction to Applied Statistics
STATS 60
Introduction to Statistical Methods: Precalculus
STATS 110
Introduction to Statistics for Engineering and the Sciences
STATS 117
Introduction to Probability Theory
The department requires completion of or concurrent registration in an introductory statistics course when registering for COMM106 Communication Research Methods in preparation for courses in methodology and advanced courses in communication processes and effects. It is recommended that this be done as soon as possible so as not to prevent registration in a course requiring statistical understanding.
Breadth in Discipline
Area Courses
Undergraduate majors must select courses from the two areas described below. Majors choose four area courses, taking at least one from each area. The Writing in the Major (WIM) course also fulfills one of the area course requirements.
Select a total of four courses, at least one from each area.
Area I: Communication Processes and Effects
Area I emphasizes how communication scholars conduct research in — and consider the issues of — human communication. These studies aim to provide expert guidance for social policymakers and media professionals.
COMM 124
Truth, Trust, and Tech
COMM 135W
Deliberative Democracy and its Critics
COMM 137W
The Dialogue of Democracy
COMM 145
Personality and Digital Media
COMM 162
Campaigns, Voting, Media, and Elections
COMM 164
The Psychology of Communication About Politics in America
COMM 166
Virtual People
COMM 172
Media Psychology
Area II: Communication Systems and Institutions
Area II considers the roles and interactions of institutions such as broadcasting, journalism, constitutional law, and business within communication and mass communication contexts.
COMM 104W
Reporting, Writing, and Understanding the News
COMM 116
Journalism Law
COMM 120W
The Rise of Digital Culture
COMM 125
Perspectives on American Journalism
COMM 151
The First Amendment: Freedom of Speech and Press
COMM 152A
Governing Artificial Intelligence: Law, Policy, and Institutions
COMM 154
The Politics of Algorithms
COMM 158
Censorship and Propaganda
COMM 173A
Media, Mind, and Black Mirror
COMM 177A
News Frontiers
COMM 177B
Big Local Journalism: a project-based class
COMM 177C
Science and Environmental Journalism
COMM 177D
Specialized Writing and Reporting: Narrative Journalism
COMM 177G
Multimedia Environmental Communication
COMM 177I
Investigative Watchdog Reporting
COMM 177M
Environmental Storytelling
COMM 177SW
Specialized Writing and Reporting: Sports Journalism
COMM 177T
Building News Applications
COMM 177Y
Specialized Writing and Reporting: Foreign Correspondence
COMM 178A
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Journalism
COMM 184
Race and Media
COMM 186W
Media, Technology, and the Body
Electives
Pre-approved Courses
The remainder of the 65 required units may be fulfilled with any elective Communication courses, or a combination of communication courses and up to 10 units from a list of pre-approved courses in other departments (list below).
Communication majors can petition for approval of courses that are not currently listed.
AFRICAAM 113N
Foundations of American Popular Music
AMSTUD 43X
Starstuff: Space and the American Imagination
AMSTUD 111
Notes from the Underground: Alternative Media from Fanzines to Memes
AMSTUD 113N
Foundations of American Popular Music
AMSTUD 114X
Reading Comics
AMSTUD 120A
News of the West
AMSTUD 120B
Superhero Theory
AMSTUD 123X
American Politics and Policy: In Defense of Democracy
AMSTUD 124A
The American West
AMSTUD 129
Animation and the Animated Film
AMSTUD 145
Silicon Valley
ANTHRO 162A
Visual Activism and Social Justice
ARCHLGY 123
Archaeology and the Public
ARTHIST 120
Superhero Theory
ARTHIST 152
The American West
ARTHIST 264B
Starstuff: Space and the American Imagination
ARTSTUDI 126
History and Practice of Web-Based Media
ARTSTUDI 169
Virtual Reality: the possibility and peril of immersive artwork
ARTSTUDI 173E
Cell Phone Photography
ARTSTUDI 173S
SmART Phone Photography
ARTSTUDI 177
Video Art
ARTSTUDI 277A
Advanced Video
BUSGEN 115
Games, Decisions and Negotiations
CS 24
Minds and Machines
CS 105
Introduction to Computers
CS 106A
Programming Methodology
CS 106B
Programming Abstractions
CS 147
Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction Design
CS 181
Computers, Ethics, and Public Policy
CS 278
Social Computing
CS 347
Human-Computer Interaction: Foundations and Frontiers
CS 547
Human-Computer Interaction Seminar
CSRE 141E
Counterstory in Literature and Education
EARTHSYS 149
Wild Writing
ECON 150
Economic Policy Analysis
EDUC 141
Counterstory in Literature and Education
EDUC 374
Philanthropy and Civil Society
ENGLISH 13P
Media and Communication from the Middle Ages to the Printing Press
ENGLISH 90
Fiction Writing
ENGLISH 90V
Fiction Writing
ENGLISH 91
Creative Nonfiction
ENGLISH 124
The American West
FEMGEN 147
Feminism and Technology
FEMGEN 252
Gender, Work, and the Global Digital Economy
FILMEDIA 4
Introduction to Film Study
FILMEDIA 4S
Language of Film
FILMEDIA 6
Media and Mediums
FILMEDIA 114
Reading Comics
FILMEDIA 120
Superhero Theory
FILMEDIA 129
Animation and the Animated Film
FILMEDIA 264B
Starstuff: Space and the American Imagination
FILMEDIA 314
Reading Comics
FILMPROD 13AX
Immersive Cinema
FILMPROD 101
Screen Writing I: Visual Writing
FILMPROD 104
Screenwriting II: Intermediate Screenwriting
FILMPROD 105
Script Analysis
FILMPROD 106
Image and Sound: Filmmaking for the Digital Age
FILMPROD 107
Industry Immersion: Film and Media
FILMPROD 110
Screen Writing III: Advanced Screenwriting
FILMPROD 114
Introduction to Film and Video Production
HISTORY 13P
Media and Communication from the Middle Ages to the Printing Press
HISTORY 151
The American West
HISTORY 207F
Capstone: Crafting Digital Stories
HISTORY 254G
The News Media and American Democracy
HISTORY 262A
Taylor Swift and Millennial America
ITALIAN 302
The Interruption of the Machine: Introduction to Sound Studies through Literature
LAW 4053
Confronting Misinformation Online: Law and Policy
LINGUIST 35
Minds and Machines
ME 101
Visual Thinking
MTL 10
International Law and Migration
MUSIC 8A
Rock, Sex, and Rebellion
MUSIC 13P
Media and Communication from the Middle Ages to the Printing Press
OB 110N
Savvy: Learning How to Communicate with Purpose
OSPFLOR 11
Film, Food and the Italian Identity
OSPFLOR 33
The Body of Love: Romance, Love and Sex in Italian Cinema
OSPFLOR 67
Women in Film
OSPHONGK 41
Introduction to Creative and New Media
OSPKYOTO 55
Exploring Japan's Media Landscape
OSPOXFRD 54
Alternatives to Traditional Democracy
OSPPARIS 21
France in Crisis & Revolution: Historical Political Economics through a French Lens
OSPPARIS 30
The Avant Garde in France through Literature, Art, and Theater
OSPPARIS 52
French Media and Film Workshop
OSPPARIS 72
The Ceilings of Paris
OSPSANTG 118X
Artistic Expression in Latin America
PHIL 99
Minds and Machines
POLISCI 102
American Politics and Policy: In Defense of Democracy
POLISCI 124A
The American West
POLISCI 241K
Tongues of Power: Language in Political Societies
POLISCI 334
Philanthropy and Civil Society
PSYCH 35
Minds and Machines
PUBLPOL 101
American Politics and Policy: In Defense of Democracy
PUBLPOL 104
Economic Policy Analysis
RELIGST 3
The Religious Life of Things
SINY 122
The Agile City
SINY 130
Disrupting the News: How Technology is Transforming the Media
SINY 132
Ingenious Entrepreneurship
SINY 146
Imaging Change: Art & Politics
SOC 174
Social Computing
SOC 374
Philanthropy and Civil Society
SUSTAIN 324
Philanthropy and Civil Society
SYMSYS 1
Minds and Machines
TAPS 178C
Dramatic Writing Workshop
Writing in the Major (WIM)
Writing in the Major (WIM)
COMM 104W
Reporting, Writing, and Understanding the News
COMM 120W
The Rise of Digital Culture
COMM 135W
Deliberative Democracy and its Critics
COMM 177SW
Specialized Writing and Reporting: Sports Journalism
COMM 186W
Media, Technology, and the Body
Capstone
Capstone Options
All majors must satisfactorily complete a capstone project in their junior or senior year. This requirement may be met in one of the following ways.
Honors Thesis
Students may complete an honors thesis in Communication (COMM 195).
COMM 195
Honors Thesis
The following are options for an Honors Thesis by written approval only:
With written approval from the COMM DUS, an honors thesis in one of the following interdisciplinary programs may also fulfill the COMM capstone requirement: Arts; Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity; Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (CDDRL); Education; Ethics in Society; Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; International Security Studies (CISAC); Science, Technology, and Society (STS). To receive approval, students should submit their honors thesis proposal to the Student Services Manager.
With written approval from the COMM DUS, students pursuing a double major may satisfy the COMM capstone requirement by writing an honors thesis in their other major if the work has significant COMM content. To receive approval, students should submit their honors thesis proposals to the Student Services Manager. To satisfy the capstone requirements of both majors with the same honors thesis, DUS approval of both majors is required.
Capstone Supervised Research
Students may undertake a quarter of supervised research with a faculty member (COMM 199C). Written proposal and permission of instructor and Director of Undergraduate Studies required before enrollment.
COMM 199C
Major Capstone Research
Capstone Seminar
Students may complete the Department of Communication’s capstone seminar.
COMM 100C
Social Media Cultures: Communication Capstone Seminar
Honors
OptionalHonors
Requirements & Eligibility Overview
The honors program allows Communication majors to undertake a significant research program in an individual professor/student mentoring relationship. The aim is to guide students through the process of research, analysis, drafting, rethinking, and redrafting, which is essential to excellence in scholarship. Working one-on-one with a faculty advisor, seniors earn 15 Communication units culminating in an honors thesis.
The designation “with honors” is awarded by the Department of Communication to those graduating seniors who, in addition to having completed all requirements for the Communication major:
Complete an honors thesis;
Maintain a distinguished GPA in all communication coursework;
Are recommended by the Communication faculty.
To be eligible for the honors program, interested majors complete the following requirements:
Achieve a GPA of 3.3 in Communication courses
Complete the core communication courses for the Communication major, including the statistics requirement
Receive a grade of B+ or better in COMM 106 Communication Research Methods (see Core Program Requirements > Core Courses)
Select an advisor; only tenured or tenure-track faculty can be advisors for an honors thesis in Communication
Submit an application to the department by the end of their junior year; see the department’s honors website to download an application form opens in a new tab
Students are expected to progress steadily on their honors thesis throughout the year.
A final copy of the honors thesis must be submitted to the thesis advisor for review and grading, and a second copy must be uploaded to the Stanford Digital Repository opens in a new tab by the end of week eight of spring quarter of the student’s senior year (exact date to be arranged).
Honors work may be used to fulfill Communication elective credit but must be completed and a letter grade submitted before graduation. A student failing to meet all honors requirements may still receive independent study credit for work completed, which may be applied toward fulfilling major requirements.
Completing an honors thesis in Communication fulfills the capstone requirement.