This course will guide students through a sociological and organizational view of the American Jewish community’s multi-faceted non-profit sector, with some brief historical background provided. The course includes two learning tracks: gain an understanding of the institutional Jewish community of non-profit organizations and their goals; learn and practice applied research methods as a means of describing and gaining insight into a specific set of non-profit activities or issues in the Jewish community. The primary texts will include Daniel Elazar’s classic Community and Polity: The Organizational Dynamics of American Jewry along with an accessible social science research methods text, and additional articles as relevant. The student will identify a research paper topic early on that focuses on an organizational area or issue, and complete weekly assignments that move toward the final paper while gaining research skills and perspectives.