Faculty Directory
Eileen Chou headshot
EC

Eileen Y. Chou

Associate Professor
Unit: Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy
Department: Frank Batten School of Leadership & Public Policy
Office location and address
Garrett L007
235 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904
Education
PhD, Management and Organization, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
MS, Social Science, Caltech
BA, Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles
Biography

Chou’s research focuses on the organizational, social, and psychological forces that shape individual and group behavior in organizational settings. She explores questions such as how the terms of contracts promote or inhibit cooperation among team members, whether and when hierarchy is an effective mechanism of social organization, how trust can be used as a strategic tactic, and whether or not it really is “lonely at the top.” 

Chou’s work has appeared in academic journals such as Psychological Science, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, American Economics Journal, Experimental Economics, and Organizational Psychological Review. Her research on prosocial behaviors has been selected to be featured in “the Best Paper Proceedings” by the Organizational Behavior division at the 2010 conference of the Academy of Management.

Chou received her Ph.D. in Management and Organization from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and holds an M.S. in Social Science from Caltech and a B.A. in Psychology and Economics from UCLA.

Recent courses as listed in the Student Information System (SIS) Course Catalog:
PPOL 3210: Introduction to Civic Leadership
Credits: 3
Drawing on social science research, this course explores how public leaders contribute to problem identification, issue framing, policy adoption, crisis management, and organizational and societal change. The course will clarify the relationships among key concepts including leadership and followership, authority and influence, reciprocity and persuasion, and examine the role of contextual factors in shaping the strategies of 21st century leaders
LPPL 3210: Introduction to Civic Leadership
Credits: 3
Drawing on social science research, this course explores how public leaders contribute to problem identification, issue framing, policy adoption, crisis management, and organizational and societal change. The course will clarify the relationships among key concepts including leadership and followership, authority and influence, reciprocity and persuasion, and examine the role of contextual factors in shaping the strategies of 21st century leaders
PSYC 3590: Research in Psychology
Credits: 2–3
An original experimental project is undertaken in which each student is responsible for the design and operation of the experiment. S/U grading. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: 14 credits of psychology and instructor permission.
IMP 4970: Interdisciplinary Thesis
Credits: 3
Required Thesis for Interdisciplinary majors.
PSYC 4970: Distinguished Major Thesis
A two-semester course in which the student prepares a thesis under the supervision of a departmental faculty member. The thesis may be based on empirical research conducted by the student or a critical review or theoretical analysis of existing findings. Prerequisite: Participants in the Distinguished Majors Program in Psychology. Enrollment Requirement: You are required to register for PSYC 3870.
PSYC 4980: Distinguished Major Thesis
Credits: 6
A two-semester course in which the student prepares a thesis under the supervision of a departmental faculty member. The thesis may be based on empirical research conducted by the student or a critical review or theoretical analysis of existing findings. Prerequisite: Participants in the Distinguished Majors Program in Psychology.
LPPP 4993: Independent Study
Credits: 1–6
Independent study in the field of public policy and leadership.
PPOL 7025: Values-Based Leadership
Credits: 3
The goal of this course is to create, develop, and enhance leadership skills. I will focus on ways in which leaders must recognize and respond to a variety of competing value propositions both within and outside their organizations. This class explores how to take disparate value propositions of various stakeholders and integrate them into a coherent vision.
LPPL 7055: Strategies and Processes of Negotiation
Credits: 3
This course examines the art and science of negotiation. The science of negotiation involves learning to recognize the structure of a conflict situation and knowing what techniques tend to be most effective given that structure. Because there is no substitute for negotiating experience, this class will rely heavily on role-playing exercises and analyses designed to help students develop their own styles and learning the art of negotiation.
PPOL 7993: Independent Study
Credits: 1–6
Student will perform independent projects under close faculty supervision.