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Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at ASU

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Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at ASU

We explore the complex role of human communication in everyday life.

The making of the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication originally began in 1978 as part of the Department of Communication within the College of Public Programs at Arizona State University. In 1999, the school was renamed the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication and became part of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at the University.

10/02/2026

Please join us in congratulating two members of the Hugh Downs School community who have been named 2026 Women Achievers of Arizona by Arizona Capitol Times

Distinguished alumna Jennifer Kaplan, founder and CEO of Evolve Public Relations and Marketing, was recognized in the Corporate Leadership category. Christina Ngo, a current communication PhD student and ASU assistant vice president of ASU Social Embeddedness, was recognized in the Education category.

Jennifer and Christina were selected from more than 100 nominees for their leadership and contributions to Arizona. They will be recognized at the Women Achievers of Arizona Luncheon on Oct. 8 at the Arizona Biltmore.

We are proud to see both women and their meaningful work celebrated across the state!

Learn more: https://azcapitoltimes.com/news/2026/09/03/women-achievers-of-arizona-winners-2026/

10/01/2026

Graduate students in Dr. Serap Erincin’s seminar recently welcomed Dr. Felipe Cervera, director of the UCLA Center for Performance Studies and assistant professor of theatre and performance studies, for a virtual guest lecture.

During a session focused on “Writing the Practice as Research Projects,” students had the opportunity to learn from Dr. Cervera’s experience as a performance scholar, artist and editor.

Dr. Cervera also leads the Planetary Performance Lab at UCLA and serves as Deputy General Editor of Performance Research. He previously served as editor of Global Performance Studies and has received several prestigious awards for his editorial work.

Thank you, Dr. Cervera, for sharing your time and expertise with our students!

09/29/2026

Thank you to Professor Mohan J. Dutta for joining Professor Uttaran Dutta's doctoral seminar, COM 691: Communication for Social Change: Theories & Praxis, last week as part of the “Reimagining Social Change” distinguished guest speaker series.

Professor Dutta is Dean’s Chair Professor of Communication and Director of the Center for Culture-Centered Approach to Research and Evaluation (CARE) at Massey University - Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa. An International Communication Association (ICA Official Page) Fellow and National Communication Association Distinguished Scholar, he is internationally recognized for advancing decolonial, community-centered approaches to communication and social change.

We appreciate Professor Dutta sharing his time and expertise with our students!

09/28/2026

Earlier this month, the I4C Collective held its first meeting and welcomed Dr. Diane Butler, a dance-movement artist, teacher, researcher and cultural program director based in Bali, Indonesia.

Butler presented “The Art of Intercultural Dialogue,” followed by a movement-based session from her workshop, “Awakening InterArts.” Participants explored how movement, gesture, time, place and embodied knowledge can foster intercultural dialogue, creativity and collaboration.

Thank you to Dr. Diane Butler and everyone who joined us for an engaging afternoon of connection, reflection and movement!

09/24/2026

🔱 Thank you to Dr. Paolo Mefalopulos for joining Professor Uttaran Dutta’s doctoral seminar, COM 691: Communication for Social Change: Theories & Praxis, earlier this month.

Dr. Mefalopulos is a UNICEF senior leader and global authority in Communication for Development. We’re grateful he took the time to speak with our students and contribute to this semester’s guest speaker series.

09/21/2026

🔱 President’s Professor Pauline Hope Cheong recently visited the University of Notre Dame Australia in Sydney as an invited speaker, where she delivered a public lecture, taught a masterclass and connected with community organizations and religious nonprofits.

Her public lecture, “Accelerating the Sacred and the Temporal Logics of Spiritual Optimization,” explored how emerging technologies are reshaping spiritual life, ethical responsibility and institutional imagination.

Through her masterclass, “Faithful Futures: Communication, Innovation, and Paradox,” and related roundtable discussions, Cheong shared her expertise on artificial intelligence, human dignity and community engagement with faith-based leaders and organizations.

Congratulations, Professor Cheong!

09/18/2026

🔱 ASU is in London for the Union Jack Classic, so we’re taking a look back at another Sun Devil experience across the pond.
This summer, Hugh Downs School students explored communication, culture and global connections through a study abroad program that included a London component.
From classroom learning to real-world cultural experiences, study abroad gives students a chance to see how communication shapes the way people connect across communities, countries and perspectives.
✨ Interested in where communication can take you? Learn more about study abroad opportunities at ASU.

09/11/2026

🔱 Hugh Downs School Associate Professor Heewon Kim’s research is gaining international attention.

KyungHyang, a major South Korean news organization, recently published a full-page feature highlighting Kim’s scholarship and its impact on academia and activism in South Korea.

The feature gives special attention to her recently published article, “Necrocapital legal violence: Punishment of labor movements in the neoliberal South Korea,” published in the Journal of International and Intercultural Communication.

🎉 Congratulations to Heewon on this international recognition!

🔗 Read Heewon’s research:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17513057.2026.2698120

09/09/2026

🔱 Estelle Krause came to ASU from a small town in Massachusetts looking for more than a degree. Through Performance Studies courses at the Hugh Downs School, she found a new way to understand herself, her story and the world around her.

Her coursework explored poetry, presence, human behavior and storytelling, helping her connect her classroom experience to her work at the Empty Space and beyond.

✨ Estelle is a recipient of the Kristin Bervig Valentine Scholarship. In her words: “Communication isn’t just what we say; it’s how we show up for each other.”

Congratulations, Estelle! 🎉

09/08/2026

What if a performance's most meaningful impact continues long after the experience itself ends?

That's the question at the heart of Hugh Downs School doctoral student Yezi He's award-winning research. 🎭

Drawing on communication, performance studies and neuroscience, Yezi explores how memories, emotions and everyday acts of self-care can give our experiences a "second life."

Her research recently earned the Routledge Award from Performance Studies international and was presented at the 2026 PSi Conference in Jakarta, Indonesia. 🌎🔱

Read the full story:
https://news.asu.edu/b/20260903-awardwinning-asu-research-explores-lasting-impact-performance

Address

950 S. Forest Mall, Rm 412
Tempe, AZ
85287

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm

Website

https://humancommunication.asu.edu/

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