Advertising for Good

COM CM 533

Prerequisites COMCM417 or 712 and 717. - The world can be better, and you can help. This course is an opportunity to dedicate your creative and strategic ability to making the world a better place through advertising and social communication, and generate behavioral change. Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CM217 & CM417) — Graduate Prerequisites: (CM717 & CM712). Students taking this class are expected to be interested in creating purposeful work through a combination of strategic and creative problem solving. Art directors, copywriters, and strategists will learn to use strategic and creative thinking to build strategic briefs and big imaginative ideas that function across all media to execute creatively influential campaigns that generate positive change for non-profit/NGO/sustainable organizations/products/services. Categories of exploration can include, but are not limited to: climate change/sustainability/ environmental issues, biodiversity/conservation, civil rights, support for marginalized groups, conflict/war/global destabilization, ethical business practices, animal/wildlife welfare, education and early childhood learning, gender inequality, the arts, community issues (i.e. public schools, green parks initiatives or support for local libraries), and human trafficking. Teams of writers/art directors and strategists will work to develop an understanding of the non-profit, charitable, corporate responsibility, and sustainability sectors of advertising while creating broad-media spectrum campaigns for chosen sectors from the ground up. Teams will play a role in their project destiny by outlining challenges that are personal to them. We (the class) will play a role in adjudicating the merits of team goals before moving forward.

FALL 2026 Schedule

Section Instructor Location Schedule Notes
A1 Gould COM 319 T 12:30 pm-3:15 pm This is an application-only course. Please visit the MCADVPR website or email mcadvpr@bu.edu for the application link. The form submissions will be reviewed during the registration process, and the department will register accepted students. The undergraduate prerequisites for COMCM 533 are COMCM 217 & CM417. The graduate prerequisites are COMCM 717 & CM712. Students taking this class are expected to be interested in creating purposeful work through a combination of strategic and creative problem solving. An equal number of art directors, copywriters, and strategists (in teams) will learn to combine strategic and creative thinking to build brand briefs/strategies and big imaginative ideas that function across all media to execute creatively influential campaigns that generate positive change for non-profit/NGO/sustainable organizations/products/services. This is an application-only course. Students must apply through this form. The form submissions will be reviewed during the registration process, and the department will register accepted students

Note that this information may change at any time. Please visit the MyBU Student Portal for the most up-to-date course information.