This course introduces students to the key debates, controversies, and inequities posed by tech industries in the 21st-century. Our lessons begin by locating the forms of techno-utopianism that began the century, as the internet demonstrated the capacity to break down old media systems and empower grassroots activism. Over the course, this narrative about technology is complicated by tracking how this “digital sublime,” what Vincent Mosco termed a set of myths about computers and cyberspace, conceals the deleterious effects of tech industries on society in the ensuing decades. Where new digital platforms promised economic agency, students learn how apps like Uber and DoorDash fit into a history of flexible labor that shifts the costs of employment onto workers as one response to the Great Recession; where Airbnb promised to disrupt the hotel industry, its effects caused a new housing bubble that skyrocketed the cost of rents and amplified the conditions of homelessness in metropolitan centers and colonial territories. 

Course material takes a primarily global perspective to challenge students to recognize the everyday effects of digital technology and inequities on their lives in what some have termed a new Gilded Age. Lessons also include a focus on global dimensions of tech from the rise of crypto-blockchains increasing environmental waste or the transnational arrangements of labor from gold farming in China for roleplaying video games to content moderation centers in the Philippines. 

In the final week of the course, students consider how new media has shaped the conditions of information spread online and its potential effects on democratic systems, as the algorithmic transformations of culture produce new scientific regimes of racism, radicalized misogynistic digital communities, and lethal forms of disinformation. To end, students consider how we might regulate or solve for the harmful effects of new media technologies in ways that advance a new digital understanding of the public interest.

Intended for students interested in creating new business or social enterprises, this hands-on course focuses on the creation, evaluation, development, and launch-readiness of new business or social ventures. Participants are guided through the new venture creation process as applied to student team-selected venture ideas. Through interactive lectures, short case studies, and structured peer activities, students explore the elements of the new venture planning process in an innovative modular format.

For each student venture, key issues are addressed in a fashion highly consistent with other formal venture-planning processes including: business model development, customer discovery, product-market validation, in-depth industry and market analysis, product or service innovation, brand development and go-to-market strategies, team selection and management, profit models, financing, and legal considerations.

Students work through a series of structured activities and assignments that correspond with each phase of new venture planning. Throughout the class they refine their venture’s hypothesized business model on the basis of instructor and peer feedback. At each stage of venture plan development, they learn critical terms, apply tools that support research and decision making, and develop a deep understanding of how each major planning activity fits into formal venture creation. Additionally, they hone critical professional skills including creative problem-solving, communication and negotiation, project management, financial analysis, and collaborative leadership. By the end of the class, participants have generated robust business models, with supportive venture plan documents, investor pitches, websites, and crowd-funding videos. 

This course equips students with tools to assess, critique, and design FinTech applications, preparing them for careers in banking, asset management, consulting, and entrepreneurship. Throughout the course, students will explore the rapidly evolving financial technology (FinTech) landscape, focusing on how technology is disrupting and transforming traditional financial services. Topics include mobile payments, trading algorithms, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, robo-advisors, and AI in finance. Students will examine real-world case studies, participate in simulation-based analysis, and develop both analytical and communication skills relevant to the FinTech ecosystem.

Game theory is the science of strategy. Within this ever-evolving field, practitioners are responsible for working through economic concepts that depend on rationality, as well as choice and uncertainty. Specifically, those working in this field help with optimal decision making between an independent agent and competing actors. The result of this work can take many forms, including when (and if) to launch a product and how to price it, or when to be cooperative in a negotiation (or not), or even whether to confess to a crime (or not). Throughout the course, students will study the works of key pioneers in Game Theory, as well as synthesize and triangulate readings to topics in economics, business, political science, and project management. Students will be expected to apply learnings to solve complex probability sets and analyze decision-maker payoffs. By the end of the course, students will have a new appreciation for how Game Theory directly impacts - and influences - major decisions. Additionally, they will be able to work through choices and outcomes better in their own lives. 

What is the impact of the resurgence of populism, nativism, and geopolitical competition on foreign relations and economic growth? Is China’s push to turn the renminbi into a global currency a threat or an opportunity? What are the implications of an unsustainable levels of public debt (U.S., Europe, Latin America, and Asia) on the future of international monetary and financial architecture? Given questions such as these, this course examines the interplay between globalizing pressures and national interests.

Working from a multilateral perspective, students use case studies to examine the nature of relations between nation-states in a period of increased economic and political integration. Topics include theories of international political economy in relation to foreign aid and sovereign debt, international trade and capital flows, security and non-state actors, rights-based approaches to development and humanitarian emergencies, energy sustainability, and the role of international organizations and financial institutions.

For counterpoint, students also examine the political, ideological, and social determinants of domestic political economies, including that of the United States. The political mechanisms of economic policy-making and the relationship between domestic policy and foreign policy are explored using theoretical, historical, and topical cases; examples include the political economy of income distribution and social welfare, national defense and hegemony, the national debt, and globalization.

Students examine these and other topics through lecture, research, academic and policy dialogue, group projects and presentations, and peer critiques. For students enrolled in the in-person program, the course typically includes a visit to the United Nations Headquarters.

Students should have “business casual” outfits for UN field trips and need identification (ID card, drivers license, or passport) for entry.

This course focuses on the firm’s financial and economic behavior. The firm needs cash to undertake worthy investments, and the firm needs to identify investments worth undertaking. What models does the firm use to identify such investments? What sources of cash can the firm use? How do the financial markets in which this money is raised function? How does the market value the firm, its securities, and its investments? What financial instruments are available to the firm? What are the microeconomic models that best describe a firm’s behavior in such markets?

In answering these questions, the participants discuss stocks, bonds, stock markets, as well as valuation models of investments, firms, and securities. They also work with concepts like optimal investment strategies, what is revealed and what is hidden in published accounting statements, and what are some of the sources of risk. Students also acquire familiarity with the mechanics and history of the financial markets.

The course includes case studies and some sustained independent work by the participants. Laptops, while not required, are highly recommended for In-Person participants. 

Students should have “business casual” outfits for potential field trips and may need identification (ID card, drivers license, or passport) for entry. 

Participants learn the principles of finance and investment management, to include interest rates and compound interest, the time value of money, risk and reward, how stocks and bonds are valued, how the stock market functions, how the international financial market functions, and how to approach stock selection and portfolio management.

We explore the structure of the financial system, to include the role of individual participants, investment banks, asset managers, the Central Bank, and other players in the global economy. The course connects foundations of economics to financial markets. What is the role of risk in investment? How does the environment of the market and the broader world drive return on investments? Why have some investments done well in memorable history? Why have others not done well? How are the winners and losers of past investments explained by financial theory? What is the role of traditional investments, such as mutual funds, and of alternative investments, such as venture capital, private equity and hedge funds?

Students generate their own investment strategies and portfolios. 

As this is a quantitative course, students should be comfortable with math and prepared for a challenging experience.

This workshop is geared toward students who have an interest in creative writing and would like to develop their skills and writing practice across genres. Students read and write free verse poetry, short prose, drama, fiction, and creative nonfiction with the goal of developing a final portfolio of revised work.

Students are introduced to a range of technical and imaginative concerns through creative exercises and discussions, and exposed to all aspects of the writing process, including generating ideas, writing and revising drafts, and editing. Students practice their literary craft with an attentive group of peers under the guidance of an experienced instructor. They write extensively, read and respond to excerpts from outstanding works of literature, and participate in candid, helpful critiques of their own work and that of peers. Students are expected to come to the class with an openness to various approaches toward literature and writing. Classes are supplemented by conferences with the instructor.

This course focuses on reading case law and interpreting the underlying laws, the research and reasoning that underlie solid legal arguments, and legal writing, while also giving students an inside look at the practice of law today. The course is structured like a traditional introductory first-year law school class.

Students learn first to use the methods and tools of legal reasoning and research, which they marshal to create effective, persuasive, and sophisticated written legal arguments. Once they have a foundation in legal research, reasoning, and writing, they are given an in-depth look at various types of law through interactive sessions with practicing lawyers, via guest speakers and/or field trips (in-person only) to law firms. They learn how to problem solve using the lawyer’s toolbox and how to analyze legal sources and develop legal arguments based on and supported by the law and cases we research.

In-class drafting and public speaking exercises strengthen participants’ reasoning, argumentation, and writing skills while introducing them to various types of legal work.

Students with strong writing skills will be most prepared for this course. Debate experience is helpful but not required.

Students should have “business casual” outfits for potential field trips and may need identification (ID card, drivers license, or passport) for entry.

Due to the sensitive nature of possible content and material covered in this course, it is recommended that students should only register if they have the maturity, and willingness to engage thoughtfully with challenging topics.

The fascinating field of forensic psychology is at the intersection between criminal justice and science. Working as a forensic psychologist takes advanced training in understanding the criminal mind and the motivations behind behavior. Through this introductory course, students will explore the psychological principles, research methods, legal decision making, and behaviorism behind criminal investigations. Throughout the session, students will work through case studies and news stories illuminating key concepts and will become well versed in key vocabulary, theories, and frameworks that practitioners use every day in their roles. With a focus on foundational concepts of criminal justice, this course will be a strong entry point into psychology, legal studies, social work, or criminal justice majors and professions.

Due to the sensitive nature of possible content and material covered in this course, it is recommended that students should only register if they have the maturity, and willingness to engage thoughtfully with challenging topics.

Behind any successful marketing plan, stand the four pillars of the marketing mix: product, price, placement, and promotion. Looking closely at each element, students will engage in an introductory study of the four Ps, delving into the theory and practice behind its application. 

Through selected readings, including marketing texts, case studies, and current news articles, students will look closely at the marketing mix in action, examining what strategies lead to a lucrative and successful marketing plan. By the end of the course, students will be able to identify the key elements of the marketing mix structure, apply methods for market research, and craft their own introductory marketing plans, utilizing the basic principles of the four Ps.  

In this course intended for students who enjoy mathematics and logical reasoning, participants explore innovative ways in which math is used in the real world, in fields such as economics, computer science, media, and the physical sciences. By engaging with challenging practical problems, students hone their independent thinking and problem-solving skills.

Areas covered include the following:

• Graph theory, a topic heavily developed by both mathematicians and computer scientists. We explore algorithmic ways to compute, for example, the optimal path between two points on a map (minimizing cost, time, or another parameter). Another application is minimizing the cost of an electrical network which has to provide power to all residents in a new neighborhood.
• Probability and its numerous applications. We look at how probabilities are applied in economics and in popular media, and examine how they can sometimes be counter-intuitive or even deceptive.
• Various counting methods, combinatorics, and examples of Nash equilibria. We study applications of these techniques in economics (the prisoner's dilemma), computer science (assessing the complexity of an algorithm), finance (loans and investments), and biology (population growth).

Students work individually and in groups to find creative solutions to given problems. Each student also works on a project of his or her own choosing, on a topic about which he or she is passionate.

This course is designed for students interested in the science of the brain, including its evolutionary origins, early development, and role in generating behavior. We explore theories and investigate systems that make up the brain from the individual neuron to the entire central nervous system. We also look into how sensation, perception, and decision making work at the physiological level. The course blends historical trends in neuroscience with modern experiments and findings, and touches on major areas of research including animal studies, recording and imaging techniques, computational neuroscience, and neuropharmacology.

In-class small-group exercises, in addition to lectures, allow students to tangibly explore the ideas presented in class. Participants construct various models of the brain, critique professional neuroscientific papers as “peer-reviewers,” and visualize actual neural data with instructor guidance. The course includes asynchronous work, which students are expected to complete between class sessions.

Neuroscience is the study of the neural processes and mechanisms underlying human function and behavior. It is an interdisciplinary field that combines the ideas explored in the field of psychology with the science that governs the brain and body. In order to understand the etiology of disorders such as addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia, it is crucial to understand how molecular, cellular, and endocrine changes contribute to disease progression.

In this course, students learn about how the laws of neurons and neurotransmitters direct brain processes. Classes include interactive lectures, discussions, and assignments designed to help students understand the neuroscience of addiction, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and schizophrenia. Outside of class, students explore case studies of neuropsychiatric disorders so as to fully understand the extent of debilitation and possibilities for recovery. 

The origin and evolution of the Universe is one of the greatest (and oldest) questions ever asked. In a little over a century, cosmology has matured as a discipline due to improvements in our understanding of fundamental physics and technological advances allowing us to map the Universe in unprecedented detail and perform complex calculations. This course is an introductory review of the field of cosmology for students with a background in physics and math, but not necessarily astronomy.  The course focuses on the field of cosmology, its early history, and its relationships to observational astronomy and particle physics.  We will discuss the observations that led scientists to believe that the Universe is expanding, explanations for the expansion, the origin of the Universe and the evolution of its constituent materials, including dark matter and dark energy.  We will also discuss general relativity and its implications for the structure of the Universe, its history, and predictions regarding astrophysical phenomena such as black holes.  In-class discussions and activities based on primary source research papers will complement in-class problem solving and supplemental readings.

This intensive course takes you inside the science that drives modern medicine, exploring how drugs work at the cellular and molecular level to transform patient care. You’ll follow the complete journey of a drug—from its initial discovery and design, to how it’s administered, to how the body ultimately breaks it down. Along the way, you’ll uncover how drugs alter the activity of their molecular targets to produce therapeutic effects, and investigate essential topics such as drug toxicity, interactions, ethical questions in drug development, and the promises and challenges of next-generation therapies.

Through interactive lectures, small-group problem solving, and case studies, you’ll analyze real-world examples like insulin therapy, aspirin metabolism, opioid treatments, and groundbreaking innovations such as CAR T-cell therapy. The experience culminates in a team-based final project where you apply your new expertise to a specific medical condition and its treatments. 

Becoming a physician—mastering the intricacies of the human body and working to heal when illness occurs—has long been considered a noble pursuit, but it’s not all guts and glory. It takes a particular kind of mind; one that can focus on the smallest details while keeping the big picture in sight. A doctor must see the forest and the trees.

This course is an investigation into how different types of physicians think within their discipline and what it means to be a doctor in today’s society. The course includes asynchronous work, which students are expected to complete between class sessions.

Potential topics to be discussed include the following:

• Logic and reasoning
• Evidence-based medicine
• Human psychology and its influence
• The crossroads of media, myth, and medicine
• Ethics
• Malpractice
• Medicine's history and future
• Medical School and Residency

Participants gain a deeper knowledge of the medical world as well as what it takes to think like a doctor—and acquire mental tools that can be utilized in any aspect of life. Please note that the field of medicine is far reaching and each class will vary depending on the instructor and their scope of knowledge and work within this vast field.

This course introduces students to major psychological theories and research on human social behavior. We look at why humans often help each other but also why they hurt each other. Topics covered include empathy, prejudice, helping, compliance, bullying, conformity, and the development of personality. A variety of psychological methods for predicting and preventing anti-social behavior are discussed.

The course establishes a strong grounding in scientific principles and methodology. Students are encouraged to think about how empirical methods can be used to measure complex social phenomena, to recognize and appreciate experimental rigor, and ultimately to question common assumptions about human behavior found in ordinary discourse and the popular press. The course includes asynchronous work, which students are expected to complete between class sessions.

Data science and machine learning are exciting and popular disciplines. While different fields, they work best in sync to help change the way humans think, behave, and interact. In fact, some of the most popular data science methods stem from machine learning. Through this course, students will be introduced to the foundations of both science areas and explore available career opportunities. Beginning with an overview of the landscape and real-world applications, students will learn how data science and machine learning impact the world in which we live, every day. Further, students will gain hands-on experience with introductory coding using Python and become versed in popular machine learning algorithms. By the end of the course, students will use their benchmark knowledge to analyze and present data ethically and effectively. Finally, students will leave the course prepared for more advanced practice in data science and machine learning. 

Please note, this course is for students with little-to-no previous experience with coding/programming. Students with more advanced knowledge should consider Data Science and Machine Learning II. 

The power of data science and machine learning can change the world. From voice activation to video game programming to advancements in medical science - the possibilities for activation are endless. Through this advanced course, students will leverage their foundational knowledge of Python to develop a more sophisticated programming skill set. Further, students will use a variety of mathematical techniques (statistics, linear algebra, and probability) to analyze data and create impactful visualizations. By course completion, students will become well-versed in a range of strategies and techniques in both data science and machine learning and become data-driven decision makers. Further, students will be able to apply communication skills and fairness frameworks to identified solutions, making them invaluable assets to any future data science/machine learning classroom, or future employer. 

Note: This course is for students with prior programming experience (in particular, Python) and/or previous coursework in Data Science and Machine Learning. Further, some background in statistics and linear algebra is helpful. Students with little-to-no prior experience in these areas should explore our Data Science and Machine Learning I course. 

This course provides an intensive introduction to coding with Python, one of the most widely used and intuitive programming languages today. Python is an interpreted language that, while syntactically simple, is equipped with a powerful set of libraries. Data analysis, machine learning, AI, data visualization, and web development can all be done quickly and efficiently with Python, making it an ideal first language for new programmers.

Participants learn the fundamentals of programming with Python through interactive and real world applications; they are introduced to best programming practices, data representation and storage, data structures, functions and scripts, and more. By the end of the course, students will have an understanding of the programming fundamentals required to approach novel and interesting problems with Python.

The course alternates between guided instruction, collaborative exercises, and independent coding challenges. While learning to code in Python, students develop logical thinking and problem-solving skills that prepare them to approach novel challenges with confidence and to continue their studies in computer science, AI, and beyond.

No previous programming experience is required, but participants should have an aptitude for logical reasoning and systematic thinking.

Student computers can either be a PC or a Mac, but should have 8GB – 10GB of free space. Students enrolled in the on-campus program should bring their laptop to class. Please note that Chromebooks are not compatible.