Department of Communication Studies at U of Iowa

Iowa alumni win 2026 Pulitzer Prizes for memoir, fiction. Yiyun Li (left) and Daniel Kraus (right) take top honors; two other graduates were named finalists in fiction and history.

Kraus graduated in 1997 with a BA in communication studies and is a New York Times bestselling writer of novels, TV, and film.

What a great testament to our program, faculty, and literacy excellence at Iowa!

“Loud budgeting” is gaining traction as people become more transparent about their spending choices, setting boundaries, prioritizing goals, and rethinking financial habits.

In a recent WalletHub article, Professor Kate Magsamen-Conrad of the Department of Communication Studies at U of Iowa offers perspective on how communication influences these decisions, and why openly talking about money is becoming more common.

Big congrats to our own Associate Professor Rachel McLaren on receiving a highly competitive Collegiate Teaching Award! 🎉

The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences honored six faculty members for outstanding impact in the classroom and beyond — and McLaren’s work stands out. Through experiential, discussion-driven teaching, she equips students with communication skills they carry into real life: relationships, workplaces, and communities.

Well deserved! 👏

Meet our Internship Spotlight: Avah! ✨

Avah is spending her summer with Mortenson as a Solar Marketing Intern, supporting both the marketing and business development teams. From planning events and creating graphic design materials to conducting market research, she’s gaining hands-on experience across multiple areas. She’s also collaborating across teams and partnering with organizations, building strong communication and project coordination skills along the way. Through this experience, Avah is becoming more confident and adaptable in a fast-paced team environment as she prepares for her future career.

We love seeing our Comm Studies students thrive!

Last month, several of our graduate students attended the 2026 Society for Cinema & Media Studies annual conference. Each student gave presentations at the conference, highlighting their work and research in the field.

We're proud to see their hard work, creativity, and perspectives in action! Congratulations to all who presented and keep up the great work!

Today is the official release of Professor Emerson Cram's podcast Disability Ecologies!

The podcast will center around telling the story of the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm in Iowa City. Several topics will be discussed throughout, including historical land use, disability culture, food justice, and more. It includes five episodes, which are narrated/written by Professor Cram, and will be released weekly.

Tune in today for part one of episode one at noon, followed by part two at 1pm!