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Viewing: ELI-298 : Insight to Influence: The Practice of Understanding and Shaping Organizations

Last approved: Tue, 20 Jan 2026 20:39:41 GMT

Last edit: Mon, 08 Dec 2025 18:07:00 GMT

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SP26
Undergraduate
College of Arts and Sciences
Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation
Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation
298
No
Insight to Influence: The Practice of Understanding and Shaping Organizations
Insight to Influence
Examination of decision making and change in organizations—businesses, nonprofits, public agencies, and groups of all sizes. Once-weekly seminar trains students to see organizations as systems governed by universal principles of human behavior and provides tools to assess and influence these systems. Case study, lecture, demonstrations, and hands-on “application labs" drawing on behavioral science, organizational psychology, and data storytelling. Students will work with a variety of Portland partners to identify a living challenge, design and test a way to create meaningful change, and translate their insights into a concise narrative and recommendations. Course culminates in a public “Influence Showcase” with students pitching a social dashboard to track organizations and pinpoint mechanisms of change. Ideal for students interested in leadership, policy, social impact, or organizational strategy. Frequent guest speakers and class visitors.
 
 
Junior standing required.
Consent of Instructor is always required.
Yes
Variable Credit
No
NO
1
 
Spring
Once Only
Elective for program?

 
Required for program?

 
Letter Grade Only
19
This interactive seminar is intended to showcase the real-world impact of a liberal arts education, and we will be welcoming admitted students and their parents to sit in on the class during their campus visit. For this reason, we need to balance course capacity with the ability to allow as many as 20-30 visitors each session.
 
Is there a course fee?
No
 
 
 
Other (explain):
Co-taught by a tenure/tenure track faculty member and adjunct, with approx. 3 faculty guest lectures.

Course Type

Course Type - Major/Minor

Should the course satisfy a major or minor requirement or elective?
No

 
 

Course Designations

Is the course being proposed to meet the Connect-Portland designation?
Yes
As noted in the course description, students will work with a variety of Portland partners to identify a living challenge, design and test a way to create meaningful change, and translate their insights into a concise narrative and recommendations. This will entail bringing PDX guests to the class, and having the students engage in project work getting them "out of the building" and into the PDX community. In addition, the course will culminate in a public “Influence Showcase” with students pitching a social dashboard to track organizations and pinpoint mechanisms of change. This showcase will be attended by a panel of PDX partners.

Course Scheduling (Including Lab, Studio and Discussion/Conference Time)

Does your course have a separately scheduled lab, discussion, conference or studio section that is associated with the lecture section?
No
 

 
 
 
Is this course being taught on an off-campus or overseas study program?
No
 

General Education Courses

Is this course intended to fulfill a General Education requirement?
No
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Explanation

None.
None.
Approximately $5,000 for instructor and guest speaker stipends and costs associated with bringing guests to campus. All costs will be covered by the Bates Center's self-funded resources.
None.
None.
Please explain in detail the reasons for adding or modifying this course. In your response, be sure to respond to the following:
 
The overarching goal of the Entrepreneurial Leadership and Innovation program is to translate students' liberal arts education into real-world impact and thereby amplify and showcase the value of a Lewis & Clark education. This course will draw students from all majors and will showcase the excitement and value of a LC education to prospective students and their families.
 
Because students from all majors will take this course, it will serve the college as a whole.
 
This course is being proposed as an innovative way to amplify and communicate the value of a liberal arts institution.
 
Not applicable.
 
Not applicable.
 
This is a pilot 1-credit course that will meet Friday 1:50-2:50pm (corresponding to Period 6). It is being designed *both* for the broad range of students that it will serve *and* to assist in the college's effort to attract prospective students to Lewis & Clark. The President, CAS Dean, and Dean of Admissions all support this pilot course, and we are coordinating with Admissions to hold the course during a busy time for campus and class visits and with the Registrar's office to hold the class in a room large enough to accommodate a substantial number of visiting guests each session.
ELI298 - From Insight to Influence.pdf
ELI 298 CPSC email thread.pdf
Is this a field placement course?

Does this course require a regularly scheduled class room? (classes that do NOT require a regularly scheduled classroom are for example: field placement only course, thesis, independent study, etc.)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Kat Merck (kmerck) (Fri, 07 Nov 2025 23:36:19 GMT): Course description edited to conform to catalog style.
Judy Finch (finchj) (Tue, 18 Nov 2025 23:10:55 GMT): Please note that with a cap of 19, this course will automatically get scheduled into a small classroom. It is incumbent upon the department to indicate a larger room is needed when they provide a schedule to the Dean's office. The Dean's office will need to approve that on the schedule before forwarding to the Registrar's office.
Kyle Lascurettes (klascurettes) (Mon, 08 Dec 2025 18:07:00 GMT): CPSC had a back and forth conversation with Brian about the temporary nature of the course, and he alleviated our concerns about potentially disappointing students looking for the class in the future. See attached documentation of this exchange.
Key: 15