Skip over navigation

Organizational Studies Track

In addition to the COE Foundation courses students must complete the following:

I. Research Methods in Organization Studies (2 courses):

A. One introduction to Research Methods, from the following list:

SOC 1050 Methods of Research in Organizations
SOC 1020 Methods of Social Research

Note:  These courses introduce the fundamentals of rigorous research design. Substitutions generally will not be allowed.  Because Soc 1050 focuses explicitly on organizational research topics, students should take it, if  it is offered; however, if Soc 1050 is unavailable, Soc 1020 provides a suitable (and equally rigorous) alternative.

B. One Advanced Research Methods course, from the following list:

SOC 1120 Sample Surveys in Social Research
SOC 1260 Market Research in Public and Private Sectors
SOC 1871F Principles and Methods of Geographic Information Systems
SOC 2020 Multivariate Statistical Methods II
SOC 2210‡ Qualitative Methods and Field Research
SOC 2220 Advanced Quantitative Methods of Analysis
SOC 2230‡ Techniques of Demographic Analysis
SOC 2260E Structural Equations Models
SOC 2240 Event History Analysis
ANTH 1940 Ethnographic Research Methods
CSCI 0040 Introduction to Scientific Computing and Problem Solving
ECON 1390

Introduction to Research Methods in Economics
ECON 1630 Econometrics I
ECON 1759 Data, Statistics, Finance
EDUC 1160 Evaluating the Impact of Social Programs
PHP 1320 Survey Research in Health Care
PPAI 1200 Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation

‡ indicates the 2000-level courses listed above that are designed for students with no prior training on the topic and can be taken with no additional requirements

Note:  These courses allow students to deepen and/or broaden their expertise in one or more methods of empirical inquiry.  Substitutions may be proposed to the track advisor, provided that they are consistent with the objective of fostering a sophisticated understanding of the methodological tools for empirical inquiry.

II. Additional Coursework in Organization Studies (3 courses):

A. One Advanced Organization Studies course, from the following list:

SOC 1060 Leadership in Organizations
SOC 1080 Groups in Organizations
SOC 1170 Corporations and Global Cities
SOC 1540 Human Needs and Social Services
SOC 1870A* Investing in Social Change: The Practice of Philanthropy*
SOC 1870R* Groups in Organizations*
SOC 1871G* Social Goals, Motivation, and Behavior in Organizations*
SOC 1871M* Theories of the Third Sector and Civil Society*
SOC 1871O* Law, Innovation & Entrepreneurship*
SOC 2060* Complex Organizations and Health Policy*
SOC 2310* Health Institutions and Professions*
SOC 2960M* Organizational Sociology Graduate Seminar*
DEVL 1800A* The Ethnography of Corporations*
PPAI 1700V Non-Profit Organizations
PPAI 1700Y*  Crisis Management*
PPAI 2170 Leadership and Organization
PPAI 2550*  Managing and Leading in Public Affairs*
URBN 1870B* Business Networks in Asia*

Note:  These courses directly employ and extend the theories and perspectives introduced by the foundational Organization Studies courses.  They are either taught by core Organization Studies faculty or vetted on a regular basis by the Organization Studies track advisor, to ensure that they thoroughly incorporate Organization Studies perspectives and focus primarily on organizational processes and phenomena. Substitutions generally will not be allowed.

B. Two Organization-Relevant Electives, from the following list:
Any Advanced Research Methods course (listed above) Note: No single course can be counted simultaneously toward both the Organization-Relevant Elective and the Advanced Research Methods requirements.
Any Advanced Organization Studies course (listed above) Note: No single course can be counted simultaneously toward both the Organization-Relevant Elective and the Advanced Research Methods requirements.
SOC 1070  Money and Society: An Introduction to Economic Sociology
SOC 1114 Law and Society
SOC 1871C Sociology of the Legal Profession
SOC 2200*  Social Capital and Social Networks*
AMCV 1610A American Advertising: History and Consequences
COGS 0070 Language, Truth & Advertising
EDUC 1020  History of American Education
EDUC 1040  Sociology of Education
EDUC 1150*  Education, the Economy, and School Reform*
EDUC 1200 History of American School Reform
EDUC 1210  Public Education and People of Color in U.S. History
EDUC 1640  Public Schools and Politics
EDUC 1650  Policy Implementation in Education
EDUC 1730  American Higher Education in Historical Context
EDUC 1760  Education and Public Policy
ENGN 1930G/ 1930H  Entrepreneurship I and II—Capstone Project
ENGN 1930Q*  Social Entrepreneurship*
ENGN 1930S*  Land Use & Built Environment: An Entrepreneurial View*
ENGN 1930V*  Engineers of the Future: Architects of Dreams*
ENGN 1930X Entrepreneurship and New Ventures: A Socratic Approach to Innovation Analysis and Application
ETHN 1890C* Business, Culture, and Globalization: An Ethnographic Perspective
POLS 1240   Politics, Markets and States in Developing Countries
POLS 1820W*  Capitalism and Political Theory*
PPAI 1520* Law and Economic Development: Theory, Policy, and Institutions*
PPAI 1700B*  Social Welfare Policy in the United States*
PPAI 1700K*  Health Policy Challenges*
PPAI 1700N*  Legal Policy Challenges*
PPAI 1700R*  Urban Revitalization: Lessons from the Providence Plan*
PPAI 1701C*     Corporate Power and Global Order: Regulation and Policy in the Transnational Economic Sphere* 
PPAI 1701D* Global Graying: The Impact of an Aging Population*

Note:  These courses allow students to deepen and/or broaden their exposure to topics and settings that are either strongly determined by, or strongly determining of, organizational activities and outcomes.  To qualify for this list, a course should have a clear linkage to commerce, organizations and/or entrepreneurship, and it should incorporate organizational phenomena and perspectives into a significant portion of its coursework. Substitutions may be proposed to the track advisor, provided that they are consistent with the objective of fostering a well-rounded liberal arts understanding of organizations-in-context.

III. Integrative Senior Experience (1 course, selected from the options below):

Senior honors thesis The Integrative Senior Experience requirement can be satisfied by successful completion of a senior thesis on an Organization Studies topic, with an advisor or thesis reader drawn from the COE faculty.  A thesis that fails to qualify for honors may nonetheless satisfy the Integrative Senior Experience requirement, provided that the student receives a passing grade from the thesis advisor and the COE committee member certifies that the student made a sincere and sustained effort to integrate Organization Studies themes into the project.
COE capstone coursework 

The Integrative Senior Experience requirement can be satisfied by the successful completion of one of either of the following designated “capstone” sequences within the COE program:

  • SOC 1930/1940 (Social Entrepreneurship Capstone I & II)
  • ENGN 1930 G/H (Entrepreneurship I & II)

Note:  Both capstone opportunities listed above are two-course sequences, with both semesters being needed to fulfill the Integrative Senior Experience requirement. 

Senior-year seminar

The Integrative Senior Experience requirement can be satisfied by the successful completion of an advanced (senior- or graduate-level) seminar, meeting the following criteria:

The seminar must be taken during the senior year and must either:

  • come from the “Advanced  Organizations Studies” list, above;

-or-

  • come from the “Organization-Relevant Elective” list, above and result in a term paper on an “organization studies” topic.  Students wishing to avail themselves of this option must obtain prior approval of their paper topic from both the course instructor and the Organization Studies track advisor, and must file a copy of both the topic proposal and the final paper with the Organization Studies track advisor at the end of the semester.
To be a “seminar,” a course should meet the following criteria:
(1) Limited enrollment:  Seminars generally have 30 or fewer students.
(2) Discussion format:  Instruction in seminars generally takes the form of faculty-led discussion, rather than lecture.
(3) Term paper:  Seminars generally require a substantial scholarly paper (or equivalent project) at the end of the term.

Courses meeting these seminar criteria from the Advanced Organizations Studies and the Organization-Relevant Elective lists are noted above with an asterisk (*).

Note:  The Integrative Senior Experience is intended to provide students with an opportunity to synthesize and solidify knowledge and skills accumulated over the course of the Organization Studies program.  This requirement must therefore ordinarily be undertaken during the senior year.

 

 Organizational Studies student worksheet
Organizational Studies courses offered in AY0910