In this course we will focus on the common daily challenges facing individuals within the work place environment. Understanding these different behaviors and concepts found within the complex and diverse work environment is a critical component for survival and success in the modern organization. The specific topics of organizational structure, culture, change, motivation, group dynamics, leadership and interpersonal communication will all be addressed. The objective of this course is to give the student a better overall grasp of the organizational structure and the primary factors driving the managerial decision makers within it.

When people come together in any setting, they develop both spoken and unspoken rules about how things should be done and how to prioritize tasks within the group. Understanding these patterns of interaction, and the relationship of the individual to the group, is essential to accomplishing your own goals in an internship, workplace, or with a group of people in any setting (including an apartment or program like Dynamy). This seminar explores the many factors that influence how groups of people work well together—or don’t! Topics include the psychological contract, communication, group dynamics, conflict management, individual and organizational learning, conformity, and other related issues.

Readings and other media, personal stories, and the writing assignments provide a lens through which students broaden their understanding of themselves, organizations, and their particular internship placement. Conversely, internship experiences and class discussion provide a way to evaluate ideas and theories from the reading and discussion. This interplay of theory and practice is central to the learning process of the Dynamy/Clark seminar.