Course teaches how to communicate for a better world

Erynne Stanton aspires to run the creative arm of a marketing agency one day. She’s currently enrolled in a course that will make the world better while preparing her to make her dream a reality.

Stanton is one of 12 Honors Program students in Creative Strategies for the Greater Good, a course designed to impress on students the need to take care of society during their careers, said Elina Erzikova, the School of Communication, Journalism and Media faculty who teaches it.

Students in the course this semester are building a communications plan for the Pure Michigan tourism campaign to help promote tourist spots that have prioritized accessibility for neurodiverse individuals, including those with different sensory needs, Erzikova said.

Those sensory needs might include avoiding flashing lights, crowds or loud noises.

The students will pitch the plan during a November presentation in Lansing. Michigan Economic Development Corporation officials, who oversee Pure Michigan, were open to working with CMU students on it, and Erzikova said she expects at least some of the plan to get used.

The journey is just as important as the destination for Stanton, a junior majoring in broadcasting with a minor in marketing.

“I’m developing creative skills while learning to use them for a good cause, and this class is helping me to become more marketable to potential employers as well,” she said.

Classes include guest lectures from public relations professionals and exercises that encourage students to tap into their creativity, Erzikova said. The course also stresses the importance of staying in touch with changes in the industry to remain relevant.

Students in the course were broken into three groups, she said.

One group is researching neurodiversity; the second is mapping out the creative digital strategy; and the third is researching which tourist locations accommodate people with sensory needs.

In addition to helping people with sensory accommodations, there’s a plus for businesses already providing broader accessibility, she said. People with sensory needs get directed to tourist locations already providing them with the access they need.