A closeup of 'Threshold' a green, tile mosaic created by Lynn Basa, located in the main entrance to Nancy Nicholas Hall.

AcademicsSummer Courses

2025 summer course offerings at the School of Human Ecology.
For more information on these courses, visit UW–Madison Course Search and Enroll.

Civil Society & Community Studies

CSCS 130 – Community Newswriting
Newswriting of interest to individuals, families, and communities. Enroll Info: None

CSCS 155 – Social Media Social Justice
Social media is a strategic tool to help organizations, advocacy groups, and individuals advance social justice initiatives to create a more equitable future. Analyze historical campaigns to evaluate social media presence, audience focus, communication goals, content resonance, storytelling techniques, and audience engagement. Explore ethical topics tied to social media as a communications and organizing medium including: first amendment rights and the emerging regulation of social media platforms; source authenticity and the weaponization of misinformation in an era of rapidly evolving technology; privacy in an increasingly connected world; biases built into our technology; and equity of technology access.

CSCS 510 – Design & Write Grant Proposals
Theoretical and practical background in designing and writing grant proposals. Develop skills to locate funding opportunities, summarize program elements, create budgets, and write competitively. Emphasizes writing skills, budget creation, building collaborative partnerships, understanding funder interests and priorities. Analyzing requests for proposals, writing needs statements, methods, budgets, peer review.

CSCS 601 – Internship
Enables students with supervised internships to earn academic credit while engaged in a professional experience in community and nonprofit leadership related fields. Course intended for juniors and seniors in Community and Nonprofit Leadership. Enroll Info: None

Consumer Science

CNSR SCI 111 – Financial Life Skills for Undergraduates
Applied personal finance course to provide undergraduates in their first two years of college (freshman and sophomores) the knowledge and tools needed to successfully manage personal finances during their college years. Topics include financial values and behaviors, credit and student loans, housing, transportation, financial services, and spending and saving plans. Enroll Info: Freshman or Sophomore standing only

CNSR SCI 175 – Introduction to Consumer Finance
Introduction to consumer finance and the concepts and methods used in consumer planning and financial management. Topics covered include budgeting, credit, investing, insurance, taxes, retirement, estate planning, mortgages, and an introduction to behavioral finance. Discuss methods for calculating, planning, and allocating resources to attain specific financial objectives.

CNSR SCI 201 – Consumer Insights
Provides basic training in quantitative data analysis, with an emphasis on descriptive and inferential statistics with consumer research applications. Enroll Info: None

CNSR SCI 257 – Introduction to Retail
Foundational knowledge of the retail industry including the retail process, the evolution of the industry, key drivers and trends to provide a framework and set of concepts that will support the remainder of the core retail courses. Enroll Info: None

CNSR SCI 564 – Retail Financial Analysis
Provides tools for planning and analyzing retail financial performance. Includes elements of retail financial statements, pricing, purchasing terms and conditions, merchandise planning, inventory control, and economic factors that impact retail businesses. Enroll Info: None

CNSR SCI 601 – Consumer Science Internship
Enables students with supervised internships to earn academic credit while engaged in a professional experience in consumer science related fields. Course intended for juniors and seniors in Consumer Science. Enroll Info: None

CNSR 603 – Retailing Internship
Enables students with supervised internships to earn academic credit while engaged in a professional experience in retailing related fields. Course intended for juniors and seniors in Retailing and Consumer Behavior. Enroll Info: None

CNSR SCI 657 – Consumer Behavior
Analyses from social and psychological perspectives. Motivation, perception, learning and attitude formation. Effects of social class, family structure, cultural backgrounds and reference groups. Enroll Info: None

Design Studies

DS 240 – Human-centered Design and Business
Design thinking is an iterative problem-solving process geared toward producing innovative solutions for complex and persistent problems in various fields and organizations. Its process, culture, and value system from both design and business point of views will be covered: Empathetic understanding of the end users, problem definition rooted in systems thinking, ideation with a strong emphasis on creativity, visualization and prototyping, testing rooted in a set of research methods, and finally, the importance of iteration in bringing about innovative solutions. The path from project to market will also be explored, with an understanding of how one might balance desirability, feasibility and viability.

DS 333 – Digital Fabrication for Designers
Modern tools and techniques including professional design software and digital fabrication equipment are used in combination with traditional model making for tangible prototyping using a variety of media. Leverage digital design software, laser cutting, and 3D printing alongside traditional methods and manual tools to develop design concepts into physical forms.

DS 579 – Virtual Reality
Introduces students to the field of virtual reality and focuses on creating immersive, interactive virtual experiences. Survey topics include historical perspectives on virtual reality technology, computer graphics and 3D modeling, human perception and psychology, human computer interaction and user interface design. This course is designed for students with backgrounds in Computer Science, Engineering, Art, Architecture and Design. Students will work in interdisciplinary teams on projects, culminating in a final event that will be showcased to the public. While not an official uisite, the class will be technologically motivated; therefore students should be comfortable learning new software. The class will utilize publicly available game design software which provides tools and services for the creation of interactive content. While not necessary, students may find it helpful to have taken classes in programming and computer graphics (such COMP SCI 559: Computer Graphics) or in 3D mod

DS 601 – Internship
Enables students with supervised internships to earn academic credit while engaged in a professional experience in design studies related fields. Course intended for juniors and seniors in Design Studies. Enroll Info: None

DS 626 – Interior Design V
Provides the opportunity to explore and refine interior design skills while responding to current events and the ever changing world around us. Follow the design process from research, programming, conceptual and schematic design, full design development and presentation. All aspects of designing an interiors project in detail will be addressed, including space planning, interior architectural articulation, furniture selection, finish selection, detailing of custom elements, rendering, website development for client presentation, and more. Enroll Info: None

Human Development & Family Studies

HDFS 174 – Cultural Diversity of Families
An introduction to racially and culturally diverse families with application to personal life. Focuses on structural factors impacting all families, such as demographic, economic, and historic trends, which illuminate the similarities and distinctions among and within racial and ethnic groups. Enroll Info: None

HDFS 262 – Development of Young Child
A basic foundation for understanding development from conception through middle childhood. Theoretical foundations, research findings, and practical applications.

HDFS 263 – Development from Adolescence to Old Age
A basic foundation for understanding development from adolescence through old age. Theoretical foundations, research findings, and practical applications.

HDFS 601 – Internship
Enables students with supervised internships to earn academic credit while engaged in a professional experience in human development and family studies related fields. Course intended for juniors and seniors in Human Development and Family Studies. Enroll Info: None

Interdisciplinary Courses

INTER-HE 202 – SoHE Career & Leadership Development
Provides an introduction to leadership development, career development and career readiness competencies for students in the School of Human Ecology. Enroll Info: None