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About The Department

Engaging Diverse Social Science Perspectives to Take on Society’s Challenges

The application of science and technology to the study of individuals and society is called social science. And the approach WPI takes to this important discipline reflects its wide-ranging implications.

The Social Science & Policy Studies (SSPS) department is committed to educating students about the relationships between society and technology, Our programs offer students a diverse course of study in science, engineering, and technology—whether their primary interests lie in social science or natural science, management, or engineering. This provides a solid foundation for graduate school or rewarding careers in business, government, and non-profits.

SSPS undergraduate students can select majors, minors, and courses in economics, system dynamics, psychology, political science and public policy, sociology, and law. Graduate students may pursue an MS or certificate in system dynamics or an interdisciplinary PhD.

See Also

Faculty Profile

Name: James Kevin Doyle
Department: Social Science & Policy Studies
Title: Department Head and Associate Professor

Professor Doyle's research and teaching interests include applied social and cognitive psychology; system dynamics; and judgment and decision making.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Ryan S.J.d. Baker
Department: Social Science & Policy Studies
Title: Assistant Professor

Professor Baker develops methods for mining data in order to better understand how students respond to educational software, and how these responses impact learning.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Janice Gobert
Department: Social Science & Policy Studies
Title: Associate Professor

Professor Gobert and her team are working towards developing an intelligent tutoring system that will assess students and tutor them in real time as they learn science.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Melissa-Sue John
Department: Social Science & Policy Studies
Title: Assistant Professor

Professor John’s teaching philosophy is that students learn best when they are engaged, believe the professor genuinely cares for them, and when the material is relevant.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Oleg V. Pavlov
Department: Social Science & Policy Studies
Title: Associate Professor

Professor Pavlov’s research examines the interests of stakeholders and takes a system-wide view that combines relevant technological, psychological, social, and economic factors.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Michael Radzicki
Department: Social Science & Policy Studies
Title: Associate Professor

In 1990 Professor Radzicki created WPI’s program in system dynamics and most recently he and Professor Hossein Hakim created WPI's program in trading system development.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Jeanine Skorinko
Department: Social Science & Policy Studies
Title: Assistant Professor

Professor Skorinko’s research program attempts to understand how factors in our social environment, especially those we are unaware of, influence decisions and interpersonal interactions.

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Faculty Profile

Name: Alexander D. Smith
Department: Social Science & Policy Studies
Title: Assistant Professor

Professor Smith is especially interested in learning how behavior relates to beliefs about the actions of others and how psychology can be used for promoting pro-social behavior.

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Faculty Profile

Name: John McCamy Wilkes
Department: Society, Technology & Policy
Title: Associate Professor

Professor Wilkes applies work drawn from creativity and personality research in psychology to the questions of scientific accomplishment at the individual, team, and disciplinary level.

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