Communication Research Methods
Communication Research Methods surveys methods for investigating mass communication process and effects.
Summary
Past student reviews · Dietram Scheufele
The reviewer rated the course as very difficult and noted a workload that included quizzes after each lecture.
What you’ll be able to do
Explain the logic of scientific inquiry in communication research, including the role of theory and the key steps in designing and conducting a study.
Differentiate among major research methods used in journalism and communication, including survey, experiment, and content analysis, and distinguish quantitative from qualitative approaches.
Analyze and interpret data from communication studies to draw valid conclusions about media, audiences, and messages.
Critically evaluate the design, evidence, and claims presented in communication and media research, including studies published in both scholarly and professional contexts.
Apply ethical principles and disciplinary standards (e.g., informed consent, representation, data integrity) to communication research projects.
Explain how and why communication research can contribute to equity, inclusion, and social justice in media and society.
Design a small-scale communication research project that demonstrates theoretical grounding, methodological rigor, and original scholarly contribution.
Source: UW Guide
Grade history
↗All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course mapJunior standing
- Junior standing
This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.
Prerequisite text tree
- Junior standing
Professors
Spring 2027No instructors recorded for this selection.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
DIETRAM SCHEUFELE is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Fall 2007. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
Calendar & sections
Spring 2027Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
|---|
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections.
Meeting source records
Student experience
the class
Past student reviews · Dietram Scheufele
A past student found the lectures dull and criticized the historical instructor as the worst professor they had encountered.
Recent recorded grades — Fall 2024: 3.65 GPA, 95.8% A/AB (n=24 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.88 GPA, 92.0% A/AB (n=25 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.81 GPA, 88.9% A/AB (n=27 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
Past student reviews · Dietram Scheufele
The reviewer rated the course as very difficult and noted a workload that included quizzes after each lecture.
Past student reviews · Dietram Scheufele
The student described the teaching style as dull and expressed strong dissatisfaction with the instructor's performance.
Topics
- Mass communication process and effects.
- Research methods including survey, experiment, and content analysis; quantitative and qualitative approaches.
- Logic of scientific inquiry, role of theory, and study design.
- Equity, inclusion, and social justice in media and society.
Skills
- Explain the logic of scientific inquiry in communication research.
- Differentiate among major research methods and distinguish quantitative from qualitative approaches.
- Analyze and interpret data from communication studies.
- Critically evaluate the design, evidence, and claims in communication and media research.
- Apply ethical principles and disciplinary standards to communication research projects.
- Design a small-scale communication research project with theoretical grounding and methodological rigor.
Grades
Latest available · Spring 2026— not enough history to project Spring 2027.
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
Grades over time
Through Spring 2026
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Not enough comparable courses for Spring 2027 in UW–Madison.
Sources & history
Catalog & offerings
Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.
Catalog observation history
Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.
Selected offering source records
No offering records for the selected term.
Raw records
[]
Student reviews
Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.
Read original reviews
Grade history
Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.
Explore recorded gradesRecorded 2026-10-14
Model outputs & technical records
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces
Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
Model & dataset provenance
{
"model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
"model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
"task_version": "17",
"output_id": "24d11d3cc49e0073081e3266ef8818c6cf4748ebc01b1ba2eeb390cfa06bbe03",
"requirements_status": "valid",
"dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
"observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}