Global Arc

Introduction to communications policy and law, covering such topics as freedom of the press and the development of journalism; intellectual property; regulation of telecommunications, broadcasting, and cable; and policy challenges raised by the Internet and the globalization of the media.

This course focuses on contextual factors, health actors and processes that are typical of policy development and implementation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We review health issues/outcomes across the lifespan and implications for health systems strategies, financing, organizational changes, and policy. We analyze political, bureaucratic and other influences on health policymaking, including by government, civil society, private sector, and global health institutions. The course will involve class discussion and lectures, in-class exercises, and review of academic literature and international and governmental reports.

The recent police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Daniel Prude and the subsequent Black Lives Matter Protests have elevated the conversations on racism, police violence, and the rise of mass incarceration n the United States. The United States has the world's highest rate of police violence as well as the world's highest rate of incarceration. This seminar will study the history and role of policing in the United States, and introduce students to current issues surrounding policing practices as they intersect with constitutional rights, racial justice, and the rise of mass incarceration in the United States

This course examines the dynamics of the Black American political experience in the U.S. The focus will be on Black Americans as actors, creators and initiators in the political process. Beginning with an exploration of the historical antecedents of blackness in America, this course will explore how the Black experience in America has shaped the American political system and how black Americans have come to understand their position within the American Political system. The course is intended to be an introduction to the Black political experience.

An introduction to the logic of decision making and reasoning under uncertainty. Focus on psychological mechanisms that govern choice and judgment and on characteristic errors found in intuitive judgment and choice. Discussion of divergence from the model of rational agent often assumed in social science theory and economics. Rules governing pleasure, pain, and well-being provide background for analysis of the rationality of some individual choices and for the evaluation of general policies that affect human welfare. Prerequisite: introductory statistics for social science or instructor's permission.

Prejudice is one of the most contentious topics in modern American society. There is debate regarding its causes, pervasiveness, and impact. This goal of this course is to familiarize students with the psychological research relevant to these questions. We will review theoretical perspectives on prejudice to develop an understanding of its cognitive, affective, and motivational underpinnings. We will also discuss how these psychological biases relate to evaluations of, and behavior toward, members of targeted groups. In addition, research-based strategies for reducing prejudice will be discussed.

This course examines a set of critical environmental issues including population growth, ozone layer depletion, climate change, loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services and depletion of global fisheries. It provides an overview of the scientific basis for these problems and examines past, present and possible future policy responses.

This course examines challenging and consequential topics in technology policy and law. Subjects include AI governance, data privacy, cybersecurity, online speech, cryptocurrency regulation, net neutrality, and government use of technology. The seminar also covers foundational computer science concepts that affect public policy and law, including AI evaluation, internet architecture, privacy science, cryptography, and systems security. Materials and discussion will draw extensively from current events, primary sources, and the instructor's experience in government service.

This course surveys Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its policy implications. Technology topics include a history of the field; evolving conceptions of machine intelligence; and the current state of the technology. Policy topics include the economic effects of AI; regulatory policy; automated vehicles; autonomous aircraft; ensuring fairness, governance, and control; the role of AI in public decision making; national security implications, including autonomous weapons; cybersecurity; and the long-term future of AI. This course is suitable for students of all backgrounds; no technical knowledge is assumed.

This course will provide students with a basic technical understanding of some of the critical technologies that are relevant to national and global security and will equip students with the skills to better assess the challenge of developing effective policies to manage such technologies. Case studies will inter alia include nuclear weapons and their proliferation, nuclear and radiological terrorism, space weapons, biosecurity and cyberware. Two lectures.