Human thinking is geared toward understanding and mastering social interactions. BUSGEN BUSGEN 115 explores cognitive, affective, behavioral, social and organizational processes that shape how we manage strategic interactions. The course builds on concepts and research findings from decision theory, behavioral game theory, negotiation research, and other relevant streams of investigation in the social sciences. By the end of this course, you should have a better understanding of the structural and psychological factors that underlie competition and cooperation, bargaining, contracting, social influence, dispute resolution, and other types of social and organizational interactions. To understand how decisions happen, we will use a combination of experiential exercises in class, in-depth discussions of research findings, and student presentations. We will play interactive games in our meetings to understand how various conditions, such as power and uncertainty, influence our decisions. These simulated interactions will provide you with opportunities to develop your behavioral skills, get constructive feedback from other participants, and learn how you come across. So, if you enjoy in-class exercises, you will enjoy our simulations. At the same time, if you enjoy analyzing human behavior and social interactions, you will like the readings and our discussions. After taking this course, you will be better able to identify and avoid common traps in strategic decision making and have a deeper understanding of other people's thinking and decision making processes in interactive contexts. This course may not be audited.
3 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
Human thinking is geared toward understanding and mastering social interactions. BUSGEN 115 explores cognitive, affective, behavioral, social and organizational processes that shape how we manage strategic interactions. The course builds on concepts and research findings from decision theory, behavioral game theory, negotiation research, and other relevant streams of investigation in the social sciences. By the end of this course, you should have a better understanding of the structural and psychological factors that underlie competition and cooperation, bargaining, contracting, social influence, dispute resolution, and other types of social and organizational interactions. To understand how decisions happen, we will use a combination of experiential exercises in class, in-depth discussions of research findings, and student presentations. We will play interactive games in our meetings to understand how various conditions, such as power and uncertainty, influence our decisions. These simulated interactions will provide you with opportunities to develop your behavioral skills, get constructive feedback from other participants, and learn how you come across. So, if you enjoy in-class exercises, you will enjoy our simulations. At the same time, if you enjoy analyzing human behavior and social interactions, you will like the readings and our discussions. After taking this course, you will be better able to identify and avoid common traps in strategic decision making and have a deeper understanding of other people's thinking and decision making processes in interactive contexts. This course may not be audited.
Offered in Autumn 2025 at Stanford University.