Between 1950 and 1980, the United States witnessed a mobilization of radical social movements led by Black, Latinx, Asian American , and Native American communities. In addition to these racial movements, gender and sexuality were themselves having parallel and intersecting calls for equality. The legacy of this activism lives on in popular memory, as names like Malcolm X and the Black Panthers have become iconic – even controversial – in the American mainstream. [click to learn more]

Black and Brown people in the US have shorter life expectancies, live with more physical and mental illness, and have more disability than White people. This course will help students connect health inequities to systematic racism in our society and its institutions. 

Using a public health lens, this online course will feature facilitated virtual discussions, readings, and other content around structural racism and the health of individuals in society. [click to learn more]

What makes an expert witness an expert? What would the perfect crime look like? These are but a couple of the many questions we will explore during this course. Forensic science is an exciting field that combines scientific principles from many different science disciplines with technology and math resulting in new, sometimes surprising outcomes!

This integrated course will focus on critical thinking and lab skills, as well as problem-solving techniques, to learn more about the fascinating field of forensics. [click to learn more]

What happens in your brain when you decide to buy a lottery ticket or go on a date with someone? What about when you spend hundreds of dollars on an expensive gadget that you stop using after a few months, or when you decide to say something that you should have known would be embarrassing? Are economic decisions and decisions in general the result of a messy fight between a 'rational' part of your brain and an 'irrational' one, or is decision-making all the result of one underlying and possibly unconscious mechanism?

This course is designed to give a tour of the brain in its capacity as the 'organ of economics', exploring the neuroscience of decision-making and its implications for how we think about free will, value, and rationality. [click to learn more]

Bots, trolls, fake news, privacy, freedom of information, government transparency, liberty, autonomy, artificial intelligence, big data, data analytics, encryption, human rights, intellectual property, open source, corporate social responsibility, business ethics, averting cyberwar, humanitarian law, white, gray, and black hat hacking, fair information practices, behavioral economics, emerging issues, and international and global concerns.

This timely, topical course offers a comprehensive examination of ethical questions in cybersecurity. [click to learn more]

We will use the statistical programming language R to solve problems and analyze and graphically represent data. R is a popular programming language for statistics and data mining, and is a great first language to learn.

Advances in computing power have enabled scientists to amass huge amounts of data on everything from genetics to climate science, but there is a need for someone to make sense of this data. In this class we will learn how to perform basic statistical analysis and visualize data using the statistical software R. [click to learn more]

An Introduction to Game Theory is a course in behavioral economics. Game theory is the systematic study of strategic interactions that are present everywhere, not only in economics but in politics, sociology, law, computer science, and sports.

The main goal of the course is to introduce students to the basic concepts and tools of game theory and to apply these tools to real-life situations. Students will learn the fundamentals of game theory starting with basic terms such as strategies, payoffs, and information, and then will progress from the analysis of simple to more complex games. [click to learn more]

Game theory is used to understand human behavior. The course will start with the study of the basic concepts of game theory and then will move on to the study of decision making by real people who are not perfectly rational. The course will help students understand how people really interact with each other in daily life, using both economic theory and experiments in economics.

Standard game theory asks how rational geniuses play games, but has ignored, until recently, how average people with emotions and limited foresight actually play games. [click to learn more]

We are exposed to economic data and statistical analysis wherever we go: at the supermarket through prices and quantities of goods, at school through relative performance and GPAs, and in advertising through comparisons between the new iPhone 6 and a competitor’s model. Understanding the message is not an issue, but being a critical user of that information requires a deeper understanding of statistical methods.

Econometrics: Statistical Tools to Understand Economic Data is a four-week core course that introduces students to crucial statistical concepts and methods to analyze and interpret data. [click to learn more]

This class offers a basic overview of economic theory for the average consumer. It is an informed-citizens guide to the economics of everyday life. The goal is to give the student a working knowledge of basic economic theory and economic institutions. Students will become familiar with how markets function.

The main objective of this course is to examine how economic concepts impact people's day to day lives. Students develop a basic understanding of how people need to make choices due to the existence of limited resources along with unlimited wants.

Topics include gross domestic product, economic growth, and business cycle, unemployment and inflation, Monetary and fiscal policy, and law of supply and demand.

This course requires a high level of commitment from students. [click to learn more]

This course is focused on giving students an introduction to the startup environment. We will look at the entrepreneurial process while continually developing the skills needed to succeed as a "thought leader" in a constantly evolving atmosphere. This class requires a large amount of self-direction and hands-on participation. We will explore different aspects of innovation, asking questions like, what makes good innovation? [click to learn more]

Have you ever made a regrettable purchase and then found yourself rationalizing your decision? Have you witnessed family members spending money in ways that don’t seem to be in their best financial interest? Behavioral finance combines behavioral and cognitive psychological theory with traditional economics to provide explanations for why people make irrational financial decisions.

The main goal of the course is to provide students with a broad idea of the ways in which cognitive errors such as psychological bias, influence our financial decisions. [click to learn more]

This course explores the vast inequalities in well-being and economic development across the world and discusses various explanations for why certain places and populations are richer than others.

The richest countries in the world today are as much as 60 times more prosperous in terms of incomes per capita than their poorest counterparts. Other living standards vary enormously as well: in 35 countries, less than half of the population has access to electricity (in 2019!); and life expectancy is below 50 in some of the poorest areas. [click to learn more]

This is a core course in introductory microeconomic theory. Microeconomics as a field studies how individuals and firms make consumption and production decisions, respectively, and how these decisions determine the allocation of scarce resources in a market. As such, it provides a formal framework to study policy-relevant questions like: Does a subsidy unambiguously increase the profit of a struggling firm? Or even questions like: Should a pizza restaurant start a price war with its competitor down the block? [click to learn more]

Analysts predict that in 2020, the U.S. government will spend over $1 trillion U.S. dollars more than it brings in in revenue (i.e., that the deficit for that year will exceed $1 trillion) and that the total the U.S. government owes to public and private lenders, both within the U.S. and abroad, will rise from over $21 trillion today to over $33 trillion by 2028. Internationally, the sum of all government debts already exceeds $63 trillion U.S. [click to learn more]

In 1980, three television stations provided entertainment, telephones were stuck to walls, computers took up entire rooms, and people found facts in books and consumer goods in a store. Today, the Internet of things (IoT) can be used to see inside your Samsung refrigerator from the grocery store, allowing you to purchase only what you need. Amazon’s Alexa can order your dinner. Annual mobile payments now exceed trillions worldwide and are more than $5 trillion in China alone. [click to learn more]

This course considers how law and literature contribute jointly to our sense of justice and our understanding of injustice. Through novels, poetry, film, legal writings, and legal opinions, we examine how law and literature create interrelated narratives that shed light on issues like identity, sexuality, injury, policing, speech, and silence. Together, we will work to discover connections between interpretation and world-making—that is, between how we read, respond to, understand a story or event, and how this understanding generates our sense of justice and our ideas of responsibility. [click to learn more]

Quantitative Analysts (Quants for short) are considered the rocket scientists of Wall Street. They design and implement complex mathematical models that allow financial firms to price and trade securities. They are employed primarily by investment banks and hedge funds, but also by insurance companies and management consultancies and others.

This course has two parts: Interest Rates and Probability Theory for Finance. [click to learn more]

"For Today's Graduate, Just One Word: Statistics." Such was the title of a New York Times feature and the motivation behind this course. While the field of statistics is growing daily, the most critical aspects of the subject are accessible to high school students. This course will explain how, where, and why statistics is used to solve real world issues in every imaginable field of research. We'll examine methods of collecting, summarizing, and analyzing data, focusing on issues critical to public health, economics, human behavior, sports, and many other fields. [click to learn more]

Is abortion morally permissible? How about torture? Capital punishment? Is eating meat morally wrong? Are we morally required to help those in poverty? How do we take steps to rectify racial injustice (affirmative action, reparations, etc.)? Is pornography morally objectionable?

People have strong, conflicting beliefs about how to answer these questions. Often, these beliefs are ones they hold near and dear. This can make it difficult to subject those beliefs to rational evaluation. [click to learn more]

One might believe in gender equality and participate in different gender equality movements, and yet still exhibit gender bias in one’s behaviors without being aware of it. Similarly, one might believe in racial equality, and yet still experience anxiety when walking past African American people. It is very likely that the manifested gender bias and anxious reaction are due to implicit bias. How should we understand implicit bias? [click to learn more]

“You can trust me!” “I pinky swear!” “Your secret is safe with me.” “My lips are sealed!" Trust is a core part of our every-day life. It’s everywhere: patients rely upon doctors to give them correct medical information, courts rely upon witnesses to offer sincere testimony, and we trust our close family and friends to keep our secrets and make good on their promises. At the same time, lying and deception are rife. [click to learn more]

This course will examine the moral and democratic value of U.S. constitutional law through the lens of political theory. As such, students will evaluate for themselves what, if anything, makes laws legitimate, and if contemporary interpretations of the Constitution are morally defensible.

During the course, we will read contemporary and classic cases in U.S. constitutional law and canonical texts from political theory. [click to learn more]

In this course, students develop a familiarity with some of the most prominent political thinkers of the modern period, then directly apply what they've learned to assess some of the most pressing debates about democracy in the United States today. The course is highly interactive, making use of the discussion forums on Canvas and asking students to record and share presentations and discussion questions on the course material.

We often hear that democracy is under threat. [click to learn more]

This course examines the complex relationship between ethics and politics in international affairs. Starting with an overview of different perspectives on the role of ethics and morality in international relations, the course then explores the ethical dimensions of issues central to foreign policy and the study of world politics, including the use of force, human rights, and global distributive justice. This course aims to foster an analytical approach that encourages students to think about applied international ethics in a rigorous and systematic manner.

The course analyzes a number of contemporary issues that raise important ethical questions, such as preventive war against Iran, staging a humanitarian intervention in Syria, what we owe the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, our obligation to the world's poorest citizens, and our duties and responsibilities to the environment. [click to learn more]

Truth is an absolute. Truth-finding is difficult. Some trials do not end simply with their verdict. They have a power that echoes throughout history. They have shaped and transformed the social, political and legal landscape. These trials deserve the description “great” because they serve as enduring lessons for us all on such issues as social justice, race, abuse of power, and injustice.

This course will examine fifteen of the greatest trials that have occurred across the globe in a search of the truth, from Socrates to O.J. [click to learn more]

Because the law affects nearly all aspects of daily life, studying our society’s legal framework empowers students to step into leadership roles, help others, and change the world around them. In addition, students can greatly improve their decision-making by understanding the way that lawyers, lawmakers, and judges think.

This course offers insight and a head start for students considering a legal education, as well as a valuable advantage for students in any field. [click to learn more]

This course will take a deep look at some of the issues facing our democracy from the perspectives of the law, ethics, and political philosophy. Through the lens of classic and contemporary texts in moral and political philosophy, judicial opinion, and current events we will examine questions like: How should a nation decide who gets to immigrate? What is the proper role of money in politics? Are there any justifiable limits to free speech on college campuses? [click to learn more]

Nearly twenty years after 9/11, terrorism remains a pressing security concern that shapes domestic and foreign policy on a variety of critical issues. When it is mentioned, however, the topic of discussion is nearly always Islamist terrorism. Given this, it might come as a surprise to learn that since 9/11 far-right violent extremists in the U.S. have been responsible for almost twice as many terrorist attacks as Islamist terrorists and nearly half of all domestic terrorism fatalities. [click to learn more]

Who wins and loses in the American economy? How does the economy exploit and dominate some groups while continuing to bestow profits and gains on others? What can we do to make the economy more just? These are some of the questions we will explore in this class.

At a time of rising populism, trade wars, and racial tension, this class gives students the tools to make sense of contemporary problems. Students will be able to understand what it means for the Fed to raise interest rates and the winners and losers from such policies. [click to learn more]

This course provides an introduction to the study of U.S. foreign policy. It focuses on the United States’ emergence as a global economic power in the late nineteenth century, its rise to global superpower status after World War II, and its unique status today as the world’s sole superpower. Combining history, theory, and analysis, this course examines some of the key decisions, themes, and debates that have defined and shaped U.S. [click to learn more]

Social entrepreneurship/enterprise is a rapidly growing field which utilizes an entrepreneurial approach to address social needs and create positive change. Companies such as Patagonia, 4ocean and Warby Parker epitomize strong and sustainable organizations which are creating both social and financial value. 

This course will provide students with an overview of this evolving field and help students understand how social entrepreneurs drive innovation and transformation in fields such as health, education, and the environment.  Students will examine the opportunities and challenges associated with a variety of types of social enterprises, including social purpose businesses, nonprofits, and revenue generating enterprises. [click to learn more]

This interdisciplinary course focuses on natural and human-initiated disasters and their impact on human life. We will explore how social dynamics such as culture, inequality and social structure influence vulnerability and shape how people face, respond, recover, or fail to recover from disasters, and examine the evacuation process during a pandemic such as COVID-19.

What is a disaster and how do the two broadest categories—natural and manmade disasters—differ from one another? [click to learn more]