This spring, USC Annenberg students have the opportunity to customize their academic experience through a wide range of electives that reflect the evolving media, communication and technology landscape. From courses that dive into sports, entertainment, fashion and global storytelling to those that examine the power of AI in journalism, public relations and strategic communication, these offerings invite students to explore their interests and expand their expertise.
Designed for both undergraduate and graduate students, the electives connect classroom learning with hands-on professional experience. Students can analyze real campaigns, collaborate with industry experts, and develop creative and data-driven strategies across subjects such as audience engagement, influencer marketing, streaming media and social impact communication. With options spanning topics like K-pop, wellness culture, organizational communication, and the politics of inclusion, these courses embody USC Annenberg’s commitment to preparing students to lead and innovate in a rapidly changing world.
Students can explore the full list of USC Annenberg Spring 2026 electives below and plan their course schedule by consulting their academic advisors.
CMGT 587: Audience Analysis
Leah Gunn
Monday, 6:30–8:50 p.m. (4 units)
Examine how audiences think, feel and engage across media platforms. Use surveys, focus groups, segmentation and digital analytics to transform data into insights that inform effective communication strategies while considering ethics, representation and emerging tools like AI.
DSM 529: The Future of Advertising
Rafael Bracero
Wednesday, 2–4:50 p.m. OR Wednesday, 6–8:50 p.m. (4 units)
Navigate the evolving landscape of digital advertising through real client collaborations. Build hands-on expertise in media planning, programmatic strategies, AI tools and emerging technologies that are redefining the future of advertising and brand communication.
JOUR 499: Creating with AI: Multimedia Tools for Journalism
Olivia Smith
Tuesday, 4–5:40 p.m. (2 units)
Explore how AI is transforming journalism through hands-on projects using tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E. Learn to create responsibly, detect misinformation and deepfakes, and navigate the ethical, legal and societal challenges of AI-driven storytelling in modern media.
PR 499: AI Tools for PR Lab
Fred Cook
Thursday, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. (2 units)
Gain hands-on experience with the AI tools reshaping public relations. Create content, analyze sentiment, design visuals, and use predictive analytics for campaign strategy while exploring real-world applications and ethical considerations of AI in modern communication practice.
CMGT 571: Artificial Intelligence and Communication Technologies
Shub A
Two sections: Monday, 6–8:50 p.m. and Thursday 6–8:50 p.m. (4 units)
Examine how AI is transforming marketing, media, and organizational communication. Through hands-on projects using tools like GPT, DALL·E, and Midjourney, develop strategic, ethical, and innovative approaches to designing and managing AI-driven communication in real-world contexts.
CMGT 509: Influential Communication in the Marketplace
Ashley Felts
Wednesday, 5:30–8:50 p.m. (4 units)
Explore the business and strategy behind the creator economy. Learn how influencers shape brand storytelling through partnerships, negotiations, and NIL deals, while analyzing real campaigns to identify trends, best practices, and ethical considerations in digital marketing.
COMM 499: The Illusion of Inclusion: Hollywood’s DEI Problem
Stacy Smith
Monday/Wednesday, 12–1:50 p.m. (4 units)
Explore Hollywood’s persistent DEI challenges through the groundbreaking research of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. Analyze data on representation, hiring and storytelling to uncover why inclusion often falls short — and develop evidence-based strategies to drive authentic, lasting change across the entertainment industry.
COMM 494: Research Practicum
TBD (2 units or 4 units)
Join professor Stacy Smith and the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative research team to gain hands-on experience analyzing representation in film, television, and digital media. Collect real data, contribute to globally recognized reports, and explore how research can drive equity and accountability in entertainment.
CMGT 558: International Entertainment Marketplaces
Ted Skidmore
Tuesday, 2–4:20 p.m. (4 units)
Discover how global audiences experience entertainment across cultures and regions. Through real-world case studies and applied projects, explore how studios and streaming platforms adapt marketing, branding, and audience engagement strategies to bring films and franchises to international markets.
DSM 599: Streaming Entertainment
Adam Fratto
Monday, 6–8:50 p.m. (4 units)
Dive into the fast-changing world of streaming entertainment. Analyze platform strategies, audience algorithms, and business models through real-world case studies — then apply what you learn by developing and producing your own original streaming project.
CMGT 517: Communication in the Luxury Fashion Industry
Alexis Brunswick
Monday, 2–4:20 p.m. (4 units)
Step into the world of luxury and fashion communication to uncover how iconic brands build desire and shape culture. Through case studies and creative projects, learn how storytelling, branding, and media strategy drive influence across the global fashion industry.
COMM 406: Communicating about Sex
Jillian Pierson
Tuesday/Thursday, 9:30–10:50 am (4 units)
Explore how communication shapes sexual beliefs, behaviors, and health outcomes. Through open, research-based discussions, analyze cultural taboos, media influences, and interpersonal dynamics to better understand how honest dialogue can improve sexual well-being and relationships.
COMM 499: Help Yourself: Self-Help and the Wellness Industry
Alison Trope
Monday/Wednesday, 2–3:20 p.m. (4 units)
Examine the booming self-help and wellness industry through the lens of media, culture and commerce. Explore how advice, therapy and wellness content empower and exploit audiences, revealing the complex intersection of self-improvement, consumerism and social influence.
JOUR 593: Criticism and Commentary
Oscar Garza
Monday, 12–2:30 p.m. (3 units)
Engage with some of today’s most influential cultural critics to better understand America’s social and political divides. Through readings, discussion and writing, develop your own voice in cultural commentary while analyzing how criticism helps make sense of a fractured society.
COMM 400: Crooked Studies of K-pop: Reimagining K-pop’s Dominant Discourses Through G-Dragon
Hye Jin Lee
Monday, 2–4:50 p.m. (4 units)
Examine K-pop through a new lens by exploring the artistry and cultural impact of G-Dragon. Challenge dominant narratives about authenticity, creativity and celebrity while analyzing how his work reshaped global perceptions of Korean pop, identity and performance.
COMM 599: Promoting i-dle in the U.S.
Hye Jin Lee
Wednesday, 2–4:50 p.m. (4 units)
Work directly with industry professionals to promote the global K-pop group i-dle in the United States. Gain hands-on experience in fan engagement, market research brand partnerships, and digital strategy while developing professional deliverables that bridge culture, creativity and global music marketing.
JOUR 457: Food of Our Families
Jennifer Floto
Monday, 2–5:20 p.m. (4 units)
Discover the art of food storytelling through writing, photography, and digital media. Create TikToks, pitch stories, and capture culinary moments across Los Angeles while developing a personal food narrative that connects culture, memory, and community.
PR 464: Advance Lifestyle Public Relations
Jennifer Floto
Wednesday, 6–9:20 p.m. (4 units)
Delve into the fast-paced world of lifestyle public relations across fashion, food, travel and more. Through case studies, guest speakers and creative projects, develop audience insights, build brand strategies and craft a professional lifestyle PR portfolio.
COMM 360: Los Angeles: Communication and Culture
Perry Johnson
Tuesday/Thursday, 12:30–1:50 p.m. (4 units)
Unpack the many stories Los Angeles tells about itself through media, art, music and urban life. Examine how culture, geography and history shape the city’s identity — its dreams and inequities — while connecting classroom discussions to real-world experiences across L.A.
COMM 340: The Cultures of New Media
Julianna Kirschner
Tuesday/Thursday, 12:30–1:50 p.m. (4 units)
Understand how past technologies shape today’s digital culture while building practical skills for communication in social media and AI-driven spaces. Learn to create compelling, strategic content and navigate evolving platforms with confidence and purpose.
DSM 520: Managing Technologies for Digital Media
Emily Kosko
Wednesday, 2–4:50 p.m. (4 units)
Master the essentials of managing and scaling digital media ventures in the era of creator platforms and generative AI. Gain experience evaluating technologies, building governance frameworks, and guiding cross-functional teams through real-world projects and case studies.
DSM 530: Brand Strategy for Digital Media
Jeffrey Hirsch
Tuesday, 2–4:50 p.m. (4 units)
Examine how powerful brands are built and sustained in a digital-first world. Analyze positioning, audience engagement and performance metrics while crafting strategies that balance creativity, consistency and measurable impact across platforms.
CMGT 574: Streaming Media: Industry Strategies and Practices
Drew Shackleton
Thursday, 6:30–9:20 p.m. (4 units)
Analyze how streaming platforms are transforming global media industries and audience behavior. Through case studies and strategy-focused projects, assess platform economics, programming, marketing, and policy to understand how disruption continues to reshape the business and culture of entertainment.
DSM 599: Social Media Algorithms
Marcela Amiune
Tuesday, 6–8:50 p.m. (4 units)
Uncover how social media algorithms shape behavior, culture and commerce. Through real-world case studies and current events, analyze and manage algorithmic influence while examining its effects on mental health, engagement and digital strategy.
DSM 599: Leveraging Social Media for Social Impact
Misha Kouzeh
Wednesday, 6–8:50 p.m. (4 units)
Examine how social media can be harnessed as a force for positive change. Design purpose-driven campaigns that address global challenges like climate change and inequality while emphasizing ethics, transparency, analytics and authentic audience engagement.
COMM 385: Organizational Communication
Marlon Twyman
Tuesday/Thursday, 11 a.m.–12:20 p.m. (4 units)
Understand how communication shapes the way organizations function and thrive. Examine workplace dynamics, leadership, negotiation and strategy while developing practical tools to navigate professional relationships, manage complexity and build effectiveness in diverse organizational settings.
JOUR 412: Podcasting: Origin Stories
Thursday, 2–3:40 p.m. (2 units)
Trace the evolution of podcasting from early radio to today’s global audio landscape. Explore its cultural impact, diverse storytelling forms, and technological roots through active listening, analysis, and creative engagement with groundbreaking audio works.
JOUR 525: This California Life
Megan Donis and Sandy Tolan
Wednesday, 11 a.m.–2:20 p.m. (4 units)
Develop advanced audio storytelling skills while producing sound-rich, narrative-driven pieces for major media partners. This year’s class focuses on “After ICE Comes” — a series examining the human, social and economic impacts of immigration enforcement on Southern California communities.
DSM 599: Podcasting for Brand Building
Anika Jackson
Monday, 2–4:50 p.m. (4 units)
Learn how to harness podcasting as a strategic tool for brand growth. Develop skills in production, audience engagement, promotion, analytics, and monetization while creating, launching and refining your own professional-quality podcast.
COMM 489: Campaign Communication
Michael Wissot
Monday/Wednesday, 10–11:50 a.m. (4 units)
Examine how political campaigns are built, branded and communicated in today’s polarized media environment. Analyze messaging, media strategy and voter influence while studying real elections to understand how leadership, ethics and communication shape democratic engagement.
COMM 384: Interpreting Popular Culture
Perry Johnson
Tuesday/Thursday, 9:30–10:50 a.m. (4 units)
Investigate how popular culture both reflects and shapes society. Analyze music, media and technology as sites of meaning, identity and power while learning to critically interpret how pop culture influences race, gender, class and social change.
COMM 387: Sports and Social Change
Julianna Kirschner
Tuesday/Thursday, 3:30–4:50 p.m. (4 units)
Analyze how sports serve as a platform for social change and cultural reflection. Study influential athletes and movements, evaluate the impact of their strategies, and develop your own approaches to addressing contemporary social issues through sport.
PR 454: Sports Public Relations
Jeff Moeller
Monday, 6:30–8:10 p.m. (2 units)
Develop practical experience in the fast-paced world of sports public relations. Learn to craft compelling stories, manage media relationships and navigate crisis communication through real-world exercises, guest speakers and field experiences with industry professionals.
COMM 499: Body, Justice and the Planet
Rook Campbell
Monday/Wednesday, 2–3:20 p.m. (4 units)
Connect sport, sustainability and social justice through hands-on learning across Los Angeles. Examine how athletic culture and industry intersect with environmental and equity issues while exploring new ways sport can inspire care, advocacy and responsibility for the planet.
PR 499: Advertising, PR and Content for a Global Sports Property
Matt Dianella
Tuesday, 5–8:30 p.m. (4 units)
Gain insider insight into global sports marketing through the lens of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Analyze real campaigns from brands, athletes, and governing bodies while developing integrated advertising, PR, and content strategies for large-scale international sporting events.
COMM 599: The Road to the Special Olympics 2026 USA Games
Cindy Mori
Monday, 3–6:30 p.m. (4 units)
Go behind the scenes of major event production through the lens of the Special Olympics 2026 USA Games. Study how mission, storytelling, logistics and strategy intersect to create large-scale events that inspire inclusion, accessibility and lasting community impact.
CMGT 537: The Industry, Science and Culture of Video Games
Steve Fowler
Tuesday, 6–8:50 p.m. (4 units)
Discover the global video game industry through its history, culture and business. Learn how games are created, marketed and monetized across platforms while analyzing emerging technologies, industry trends and career opportunities in interactive entertainment.
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