Teaching

This seminar examines how the latest AI systems work, where they fall short, and what their growing role means for people. The seminar works through a curated set of recent papers and invited speakers, organized around three aspects: critique pieces that challenge how AI systems are built, evaluated, and described; capability demonstrations that show what current systems can do and how they behave under study; and applied-domain studies examining AI's effects in fields such as medicine, social science, gaming, and labor markets. Readings are drawn from top venues across multiple disciplines, including Nature, Science, NeurIPS, EMNLP, CHI, and FAccT, and are complemented by invited speakers.

Modern AI systems increasingly shape how people make decisions, learn, work, communicate, and understand the world. But how can they be engineered to help people interpret, trust, challenge, or influence them? This course offers an interdisciplinary introduction to Human-Centered AI, focusing on the relationship between technical AI systems and the human, social, and institutional contexts in which they are used. Topics include explainable and interpretable AI; human feedback and interaction with AI; anthropomorphism and human-like behavior in generative AI; over-reliance, persuasion, deception, and other social dynamics of human-AI interaction. Drawing on computer science, HCI, psychology, and social science, students will examine technical methods alongside empirical research on how AI systems can be designed to be more human-centered. Through readings, discussions, and hands-on projects, students will develop tools for critically analyzing, designing, and evaluating AI systems that are responsive to human needs and values.

How do we reconcile the possibilities of modern machine learning with ethical and moral demands of fairness, accountability and transparency? This course will take a case study based approach to the challenges at the interface of algorithms and human values. By exploring existing debates on algorithmic bias, explainable AI and data ownership, students will be exposed to the relevance of ethical systems of thought to modern social questions.

A survey of issues in bioethics. Topics may include: abortion and reproductive rights; euthanasia; physician-patient relationships; use of human embryos and stem cells in research; use of human subjects in research and the concept of informed consent; research on and treatment of non-human animals; organ transplantation, distribution, and sale; genetic modification of organisms (including humans); synthetic biology; cure vs. enhancement and other issues in biotechnology and neuroethics.

The 2026 midterm elections will likely have many closely contested Congressional races and many important statewide elections, with what could be high levels of voter engagement and participation. Concerns about election integrity loom large, and there could be considerable delays in reporting the election results.

This course will give students the opportunity to be introduced to different topics regarding this important election — how will the election be administered? Will there be foreign interference in the election, and will it matter in determining the outcome of the election?

What role will social media play in the election? Where will candidates raise funds for their campaigns and how will they allocate resources? What issues are going to matter in this election? What might drive increased participation and involvement in electoral politics in November? What will the consequences of this election be for the future of American politics?

A consideration of existing literature on the voting behavior of the citizen, and an examination of theoretical and empirical views of the strategies followed by the parties. Two substantial papers are expected of students.

Partisan polarization has been at the forefront of American politics for years. Its negative effects on society are clear, and many voters and political elites agree that unchecked partisan polarization causes harm to our democratic institutions. Yet, it also feels like these social divisions are not improving anytime soon. If most people agree that Republicans and Democrats just need to get along, then why are we still so divided by partisanship? Why did this divide emerge in the first place? And if polarization is a defining problem of American politics today, what can be done to alleviate or at least mitigate its effects? This course will explore these questions by discussing relevant literature on American political parties, voter partisanship, and partisan polarization. Through reading a mix of academic research as well as political and cultural journalism, students will learn more about the history of the modern Democratic and Republican parties; trends in voter behavior and partisanship, including how partisanship varies across different subgroups of voters; and recent research on the causes and consequences of modern partisan polarization. By the end of the course, students will have an improved understanding of American partisanship and how it impacts many of today's most pressing policy issues.