COMM 5800 - Behavioral Science Interventions

(crosslisted) INFO 5800

Spring. 3 credits. Letter grades only.

Prerequisite: COMM 2760 or INFO 2450 or PSYCH 2800 or approved introductory social science theory course. Permission of instructor required. Co-meets with COMM 4800/INFO 4800.

R. Kizilcec, N. Lewis Jr.

“There is nothing as practical as a good theory,” Kurt Lewin wrote. Today behavioral scientists build on social scientific theories about human behavior to develop new intervention approaches that address major challenges facing our society: poverty, poor health, educational inequalities, and many more. This course is designed as a senior capstone seminar that equips students with the knowledge and skills to analyze social problems, consider the ethical implications of intervention, design and pilot appropriate interventions, implement and test them online, analyze and interpret the results, and present policy-relevant findings. The course combines applied quantitative research methods and applied social behavioral science theories to prepare students for careers in research, data science, consulting, and policy evaluation.

Outcome 1: Analyze social problems in order to identify opportunities for improving social conditions.

Outcome 2: Create and evaluate intervention designs and implementations to change social outcomes.

Outcome 3: Apply quantitative research methods to analyze behavioral science interventions.

Outcome 4: Interpret and present the results of behavioral science interventions.

Outcome 5: Explain the ethical ramifications of intervening in people’s lives.