Research
40+
research labs and centers
See Our Labs & CentersA lab for artistry,
expression, and experimentation
Seriousplay
Learn by Doing
The School of Communication advances the arts, sciences, and practices of human communication through experimentation, exploration, and collaboration.
On stage and screen, in labs and studios, and in classrooms and out in the world, our students apply knowledge, curiosity, and rigor to their creative and scholarly pursuits—all in service of creating real impact in the real world.
Explore Our Work
We advance the arts, science, and practices of human communication.
Scholarship
180+
faculty members
See Our ScholarshipPerformance
50+
performances each year
See Our ShowsClinical Services
8,000
clinical patients served annually
See Our ClinicsMeet Our People
Our people are what make us exemplary.
Award-Winning Faculty
Melissa Blanco Borelli
The writer, dancer, cultural critic, and associate professor of theatre is also the director of the dance program at Northwestern. Her work focuses on Blackness in Latin America, critical dance studies, performance studies/performative writing, popular dance on screen, feminist (auto)ethnography, historiography, and the digital humanities.
“We want our students to be the best they can be, but I don't have an ideal of dance perfection,” she said. “I have an ideal of dance, which means to be fully present to your body and its capabilities, to really give everything—your emotions, your physicality, your intellectual and emotional curiosity—and be open to discovery as well.”
Blanco Borelli is working toward bringing in more BIPOC guest faculty, strengthening the connections between devising and choreography, and enhancing the rigor of the program.
Impactful Alumni
Greg Berlanti ('94)
The Emmy-nominated film and television screenwriter and director is also Hollywood’s most prolific TV producer—he holds the record for most live-action scripted series airing concurrently. Credits include The Flight Attendant, Love, Simon, Dawson’s Creek, Brothers & Sisters, You, and many more.
“I often say that Northwestern is the first period of my life that I would repeat—not to change anything, but I loved it so much I’d do it all over again,” he said. “I found my calling at Northwestern.”
Talented Students
Vivianna White, Human Communications Sciences Major
Vivianna White became interested in human communication sciences as a babysitter for a child with a hearing impairment in her hometown of Seattle. In accompanying the child on speech-language pathology and audiology appointments, White determined that Northwestern and its small-but-rigorous communication sciences and disorders program would allow her to keep working on behalf of the deaf and hearing-impaired community.
As a first-year, White earned an Early Research Experience Award, in which students are matched with an SoC faculty member to get an out-of-the-gate taste of careers in the social and basic sciences through mentorship, extensive research opportunities (more than 100 required hours within the year), and a monetary award. White was one of seven first-year scholars paired with labs in CSD and communication studies; she is working alongside CSD assistant professor Elizabeth Norton in her Language, Education, and Reading Neuroscience (LEARN) lab.
Performances & Events
Join us for the opportunity to see work by some of the greatest writers, composers, and choreographers in the world presented by some of the most exciting artists of tomorrow.