Political Philosophy/Social Theory
17.000[J] Political Philosophy
  ( ) 
(Same subject as 24.611[J])
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Systematic examination of selected issues in political philosophy. Topic changes each year and subject may be taken repeatedly with permission of instructor.
Staff
17.006[J] Feminist Thought
(,  )
(Same subject as 24.637[J])
(Subject meets with 17.007[J], 24.137[J], WGS.301[J])
Prereq: Permission of instructor, based on previous coursework
Units: 3-0-9
 Lecture: TR3.30-5 (66-156)
Analyzes theories of gender and politics, especially ideologies of gender and their construction; definitions of public and private spheres; gender issues in citizenship, the development of the welfare state, experiences of war and revolution, class formation, and the politics of sexuality. Graduate students are expected to pursue the subject in greater depth through reading and individual research.
S. Haslanger
No textbook information available
17.007[J] Feminist Thought
 (, ) 
(Same subject as 24.137[J], WGS.301[J])
(Subject meets with 17.006[J], 24.637[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Lecture: TR3.30-5 (66-156)
Analyzes theories of gender and politics, especially ideologies of gender and their construction; definitions of public and private spheres; gender issues in citizenship, the development of the welfare state, experiences of war and revolution, class formation, and the politics of sexuality. Graduate students are expected to pursue the subject in greater depth through reading and individual research.
Fall: Arain, Hafsa
Spring: Arain, Hafsa
No textbook information available
17.01[J] Justice
() 
(Same subject as 24.04[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Provides an introduction to contemporary political thought centered around the ideal of justice and the realities of injustice. Examines what a just society might look like and how we should understand various forms of oppression and domination. Studies three theories of justice (utilitarianism, libertarianism, and egalitarian liberalism) and brings them into conversation with other traditions of political thought (critical theory, communitarianism, republicanism, and post-structuralism). Readings cover foundational debates about equality, freedom, recognition, and power.
B. Zacka
17.021[J] Philosophy of Law
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
(Same subject as 24.235[J])
Prereq: One philosophy subject or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Examines fundamental issues in philosophy of law, such as the nature and limits of law and a legal system, and the relation of law to morality, with particular emphasis on the philosophical issues and problems associated with privacy, liberty, justice, punishment, and responsibility. Historical and contemporary readings, including court cases. Instruction and practice in oral and written communication provided. Enrollment may be limited; preference to Course 24 majors and minors.
Staff
17.03 Introduction to Political Thought
() 
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Examines major texts in the history of political thought and considers how they contribute to a broader conversation about freedom, equality, democracy, rights, and the role of politics in human life. Areas covered may include ancient, modern, contemporary, or American political thought.
K. Hoss
17.031 American Political Thought
 ()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Examines political thought from the American colonial period through the 20th century. Considers the influences that gave rise to American political ideas and the implication of those ideas in a modern context, with particular emphasis on issues of liberty, equality, and the role of values from a liberal democratic lens.
K. Hoss
17.035[J] Libertarianism
()
(Same subject as 21H.181[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Explores the history of the ideal of individual liberty in light of contemporary arguments over the proper scope of the regulatory state. Surveys the political theory of freedom and its relationship to other dominant norms (e.g., property, equality, community, republicanism, innovation, and the pursuit of wealth). Revisits the diversity of modern libertarian movements with attention to issues such as abolitionism and the Civil Rights revolution, religious liberty, the right to bear arms, and LGBTQ rights. Concludes with a set of policy and legal/constitutional debates about the role of government in regulating the financial markets, artificial intelligence, and/or the internet.
M. Ghachem
17.04[J] Modern Conceptions of Freedom
()
(Same subject as CC.111[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Lecture: TR3-4.30 (16-160)
Students read early modern political theorists, and trace the growth of the value of freedom. Examines the modern definition of freedom, and the obligations that people accept in honoring it. Also investigates how these obligations are captured in the principles of our political association. Studies how the centrality of freedom plays out in the political thought of such authors as Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Burke and Montesquieu. Students also debate which notions of freedom inspire and sustain the American experiment by carefully reading the documents and arguments of the founding of the United States. Preference to students in Concourse.
L. Rabieh
No textbook information available
17.043[J] Liberalism, Toleration, and Freedom of Speech
(New)
()
(Same subject as 24.150[J], CMS.125[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Examines theories and principles that underlie the concept of free speech in the United States, the historical context in which the values of free speech and toleration emerged, and the philosophical arguments that were and are made for and against them. Students analyze a variety of contexts and communicative practices, including new media technologies, to debate how "speech" can be described and when it should be appropriately regulated. Considers current disputes over free speech on college campuses.
A. Byrne, B. Skow
17.045[J] Power: Interpersonal, Organizational, and Global Dimensions
()
(Same subject as 11.045[J], 15.302[J], 21A.127[J])
(Subject meets with 21A.129)
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
The study of power among individuals and within organizations, markets, and states. Using examples from anthropology and sociology alongside classical and contemporary social theory, explores the nature of dominant and subordinate relationships, types of legitimate authority, and practices of resistance. Examines how people are influenced in subtle ways by those around them, who makes controlling decisions in the family, how people get ahead at work, and whether democracies, in fact, reflect the will of the people. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments.
S. Silbey
17.05[J] Humane Warfare: Ancient and Medieval Perspectives on Ethics in War
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
(Same subject as CC.117[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Explores questions of justice and ethics in war by focusing on primary texts of pre-modern works of history, philosophy, literature, and Biblical interpretation. Readings from antiquity include Thucydides, Aristophanes, and Cicero. Examination of the Biblical tradition of just war, itself informed by the classical tradition, includes readings from early and Medieval Christian and Islamic thinkers and proceeds through the early Renaissance, with the beginning of a formalized doctrine of just war theory. Readings about current ethical dilemmas of war are discussed throughout and are given sustained attention at the end of the term. Preference to Concourse students.
L. Rabieh
17.055 Just Code: The Ethical Lifecycle of Machine Learning
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Examines the moral and political questions that arise at each step of the development of a machine learning system: from problem definition and data collection, to model selection and training, evaluation, interface design, deployment, and use. Brings work in STS, sociology, anthropology, and political science into conversation with perennial concerns in political theory about power, authority, legitimacy, justice, liberty, and equality. Considers the political agency of technology. Limited to 18; preference to juniors and seniors.
B. Zacka
Political Economy
17.100 Field Seminar in Political Economy
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Examines broad range of topics — such as social classes, states, interest groups, inequality welfare states, comparative capitalism, race, and gender — from both classical (Marx and Weber) and contemporary theorists. Limited to 12; preference to Course 17 PhD students.
B. Schneider
17.115 International Political Economy
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Provides an introduction to the politics of international economic relations, including a range of analytical "lenses" to view the global economy. Examines the politics of trade policy, international monetary and financial relations, financial crises, foreign direct investment, third-world development and transition economies, the debate over "globalization," and international financial crime.
D. Singer
17.150 The American Political Economy in Comparative Perspective
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Lecture: R10-12 (E53-485)
Examines the origins and impact of key features of the American political economy in comparative perspective. Considers a range of political-economic topics, including labor markets, finance, taxation, social policy, and the role of money and organized interests. Highlights the distinctive aspects of American political economy in terms of both institutional structure and substantive outcomes (such as poverty and inequality) by comparing the US with other nations, particularly other rich democracies.
K. Thelen, D. Caughey
No textbook information available
17.154 Varieties of Capitalism and Social Inequality
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Focuses on the advanced democracies of Europe, the United States, and Japan. Explores trajectories of change that bear on issues of economic and social inequality. Examines whether contemporary trends (globalization, deindustrialization) undermine institutional arrangements that once reconciled economic efficiency with high levels of social equality. Considers the extent to which existing theoretical frameworks capture cross-national variation in the dynamics of redistribution in these societies.
K. Thelen, P. Hall
17.156 Welfare and Capitalism in Western Europe
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Considers theoretical models that attempt to capture the distinct paradigms of capitalism and welfare regimes prevalent in Western European economies. Analyzes content and processes of contemporary changes in the political economy and social policy - from a broad view of the challenges, to closer inquiry into specific reforms. Includes a theoretical discussion of how change occurs and trajectories of development.
K. Thelen
17.174 Historical Political Economy
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Surveys recent work in historical political economy, a field that combines a historical perspective with statistical methods for causal inference or formal theory. Topics include the origins of democratic and authoritarian institutions, long-run economic development, colonial legacies, state building, and intergenerational transmission of political attitudes and behavior. Readings drawn from different political science subfields, economics, and history. Intended as a research seminar for PhD students.
V. Charnysh
17.178 Political Economy of Institutions and Development
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Lecture: W1.30-3.30 (E53-438)
Explores institutional diversity in capitalist development, both historical and contemporary, and various explanations (e.g. economic, institutional, sociological, and political) for the divergent economic organization. Examines dimensions of comparison, including issues in business-government relations, labor relations, vocational training, and multinational corporations. Also considers global production networks, natural resource dependence, diversified business groups, industrial policy, and globalization.
B. Schneider
No textbook information available
17.181 Sustainability: Political Economy, Science, and Policy
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
(Subject meets with 17.182)
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Examines alternative conceptions and theoretical underpinnings of sustainable development. Focuses on the sustainability problems of industrial countries, and of developing states and economies in transition. Explores the sociology of knowledge regarding sustainability, the economic and technological dimensions, and institutional imperatives. Considers implications for political constitution of economic performance. 17.181 fulfills undergraduate public policy requirement in the major and minor. Graduate students are expected to explore the subject in greater depth through reading and individual research.
N. Choucri
17.182 Sustainability: Political Economy, Science, and Policy
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
(Subject meets with 17.181)
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Examines alternative conceptions and theoretical underpinnings of sustainable development. Focuses on the sustainability problems of industrial countries, and of developing states and economies in transition. Explores the sociology of knowledge regarding sustainability, the economic and technological dimensions, and institutional imperatives. Considers implications for political constitution of economic performance. 17.181 fulfills undergraduate public policy requirement in the major and minor. Graduate students are expected to explore the subject in greater depth through reading and individual research.
N. Choucri
17.198 Current Topics in Comparative Political Economy
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Analyzes and compares approaches in current political economy literatures. Weekly topics are selected by instructor and participants. Examples include the organization of interests, industrial policy, growth and inequality, resource "curse", late development. Topics vary each year depending on the research interests of the seminar participants. The subject is for graduate students in social sciences with previous coursework in political economy.
K. Thelen
American Politics
17.20 Introduction to the American Political Process
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Provides a substantive overview of US politics and an introduction to the discipline of political science. Surveys the institutional foundations of US politics as well as the activities of political elites, organizations, and ordinary citizens. Explores the application of general political science concepts and analytic frameworks to specific episodes and phenomena in US politics. Enrollment limited.
D. Caughey
17.200 American Political Behavior I
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Analyzes mass political behavior within the American political system. Examines political ideology, party identification, public opinion, voting behavior, media effects, racial attitudes, mass-elite relations, and opinion-policy linkages. Surveys and critiques the major theoretical approaches and empirical research in the field of political behavior.
A. Campbell
17.202 American Political Institutions
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Lecture: W EVE (4-6 PM) (E53-485)
Analyzes the institutions of the American political system, with primary emphasis on the national level. Examines American federalism, political parties, national political institutions, and the policymaking process. Focuses on core works in contemporary American politics and public policy. Critiques both research methodologies and the explicit and implicit theoretical assumptions of such work.
D. Caughey
No required or recommended textbooks
17.210 American Political Behavior II
()
Prereq: 17.200
Units: 3-0-9
Lecture: W1-3 (E53-485)
Analyzes mass political behavior within the American political system. Goes beyond the topics covered in 17.200, to explore additional areas and research frontiers in political behavior. Examines recent research on political ideology, party identification, public opinion, voting behavior, media effects, racial attitudes, mass-elite relations, and opinion-policy linkages. Introduces new topics such as personality, emotion, networks, polarization, opinion on war.
A. Berinsky
No textbook information available
17.251 Congress and the American Political System I
()
Prereq: 17.20 or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Focuses on both the internal processes of the House and Senate and on the place of Congress in the American Political System. Attention to committee behavior, leadership patterns, and informal organization. Considers relations between Congress and other branches of government, as well as relations between the two houses of Congress itself. Students taking the graduate version are expected to pursue the subject in greater depth through reading and individual research.
C. Stewart
17.262 Congress and the American Political System II
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Analyzes the development of the US Congress by focusing on the competing theoretical lenses through which legislatures have been studied. Particularly compares sociological and economic models of legislative behavior, applying those models to floor decision-making, committee behavior, political parties, relations with other branches of the Federal government, and elections. Students taking the graduate version are expected to pursue the subject in greater depth through reading and individual research.
C. Stewart
17.263 Electoral Politics, Public Opinion, and Democracy
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Considers the role of elections in American politics. Issues explored include empirical and theoretical models of electoral competition, the effect of elections on public policy, and proposals to improve elections. Special emphasis is given to mass voting behavior, political parties, the media, and campaign finance. Subject focuses on US elections, but provides some contrasts with other countries, especially the United Kingdom.
C. Stewart
17.265 Public Opinion and American Democracy
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Introduces students to public opinion in politics and public policymaking. Surveys theories of political psychology and political behavior. Examines empirical research on public understanding of and attitudes towards important issues, including war, economic and social policies, and moral questions.
A. Campbell
17.269 Race, Ethnicity, and American Politics
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Explores the role of race and ethnicity in modern American politics. Focuses on social science approaches to measuring the effects of race, both at the individual level and more broadly. Topics include race and representation, measurement of racial and ethnic identities, voting rights and electoral districting, protest and other forms of political participation, and the meaning and measurement of racial attitudes.
A. White
17.270 American Political Development
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Examines the evolution of American national political processes over time: how political culture, governing institutions, and structures of political linkage (parties and organized interests) shape political conflict and public policy. Topics include the evolution of electoral politics and the party system, eras of political reform and state expansion (Populist, Progressive, New Deal, and Great Society), major wars and their effects, and the adaptation of government institutions to crisis and complexity in society and in the economy. Open to undergraduates with permission of instructor.
D. Caughey
17.271 Mass Incarceration in the United States
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Covers the current state of incarceration in the United States and proposals for reform. Class materials include a mix of first-hand/media accounts of incarceration and social science literature on the causes and effects of high incarceration rates. Topics include race and the criminal legal system, collateral consequences of incarceration, public opinion about incarceration, and the behavior of recently elected "reform" prosecutors.
A. White
17.275 Public Opinion Research Design and Training Seminar
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Studies the basic skills required to design, use, and interpret opinion surveys and survey experiments. Acts as both a reading subject on survey analysis and a practicum on collecting and analyzing observational and experimental survey data. Culminates in a group project involving a survey experiment on a particular topic chosen by the class and the instructor.
A. Berinsky
17.276 Public Opinion Research Training Lab
()
Prereq: 17.800 or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Offers practical training in public opinion research and provides students with an opportunity to conduct their own survey research. As a group, students design a national sample survey and field the survey. Students analyze the survey results and examine literatures related to the content of the survey. Ideal for second and third year PhD students and advanced undergraduates, though others are welcome.
A. Berinsky
17.279 Political Misinformation in the Age of Social Media
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Lecture: MWF11 (14E-310)
Explores the factors that make people vulnerable to political misinformation and why corrections so often fail to reduce its prevalence. Pays especially close attention to the role of social media, and the internet more generally. Analyzes how patterns of misinformation are exploited by political elites and considers possible approaches that journalists, civic groups, government officials, and technology platforms could employ to combat misperceptions.
A. Berinsky
No textbook information available
17.28[J] The War at Home: American Politics and Society in Wartime
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
(Same subject as 21H.213[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Examines the relationship between war and domestic politics in the US since the start of 20th century. Students engage in historical and social scientific research to analyze the ways that overseas military commitments shaped US political institutions, and how domestic politics has in turn structured US engagements abroad. Moving chronologically from World War I to the Iraq War, subject draws on materials across the disciplines, including political documents, opinion polls, legal decisions, and products of American popular culture.
A. Berinsky, C. Capozzola
Public Policy
17.30[J] Making Public Policy
()
(Same subject as 11.002[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 4-0-8
Examines how the struggle among competing advocates shapes the outputs of government. Considers how conditions become problems for government to solve, why some political arguments are more persuasive than others, why some policy tools are preferred over others, and whether policies achieve their goals. Investigates the interactions among elected officials, think tanks, interest groups, the media, and the public in controversies over global warming, urban sprawl, Social Security, health care, education, and other issues.
A. Campbell
17.303[J] Methods of Policy Analysis
()
(Same subject as 11.003[J])
Prereq: 11.002; Coreq: 14.01
Units: 3-0-9
Provides students with an introduction to public policy analysis. Examines various approaches to policy analysis by considering the concepts, tools, and methods used in economics, political science, and other disciplines. Students apply and critique these approaches through case studies of current public policy problems.
C. Abbanat
17.307 American Public Policy for Washington Interns
(, ) ; partial term
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
TBA.
Examines US policymaking process, with special attention to making of policy for science and technology. Subject spans the second half of Spring and first half of Fall terms. Spring term attends to origins and development of American policymaking institutions and their roles in settling controversial policy questions. Fall term focuses on development of representative policies in the US, such as pollution controls, biotechnical engineering, and telecommunications. Selection and participation in Washington Summer Internship program required. Fulfills undergraduate public policy requirement in the major and minor.
Fall: C. Stewart
Spring: C. Stewart
No textbook information available
17.309[J] Science, Technology, and Public Policy
()
(Same subject as IDS.055[J], STS.082[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 4-0-8
Credit cannot also be received for 17.310, IDS.412, STS.482
Analysis of issues at the intersection of science, technology, public policy, and business. Cases drawn from antitrust and intellectual property rights; health and environmental policy; defense procurement and strategy; strategic trade and industrial policy; and R&D funding. Structured around theories of political economy, modified to take into account integration of uncertain technical information into public and private decision-making. Meets with 17.310 when offered concurrently.
Staff
17.310[J] Science, Technology, and Public Policy
()
(Same subject as IDS.412[J], STS.482[J])
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 4-0-8
Credit cannot also be received for 17.309, IDS.055, STS.082
Analysis of issues at the intersection of science, technology, public policy, and business. Cases drawn from antitrust and intellectual property rights; health and environmental policy; defense procurement and strategy; strategic trade and industrial policy; and R&D funding. Structured around theories of political economy, modified to take account of integration of uncertain technical information into public and private decision-making. Meets with 17.309 when offered concurrently.
N. Selin
17.315 Health Policy
()
Prereq: None
Units: 4-0-8
Lecture: TR11-12.30 (3-370) Recitation: TBA
Analyzes the health policy problems facing America including adequate access to care, the control of health care costs, and the encouragement of medical advances. Considers market and regulatory alternatives as well as international models including Canadian, Swedish, British, and German arrangements. Emphasis on historical development, interest group behavior, public opinion, and organizational influences in shaping and implementing policy.
A. Campbell
No textbook information available
17.317 US Social Policy
()
Prereq: None
Units: 4-0-8
Explores historical development and contemporary politics of the American welfare state. Examines interactions among political institutions, elites, the media, and the mass public. Emphasis on reciprocal relationship between policy designs and public opinion/political action. Investigates broad spectrum of government policies that shape well-being, opportunity and political influence, including welfare, social security, health care, education, and tax policy.
A. Campbell
17.320 Social Policy
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9
Examines the politics of social policy in comparative perspective. Empirical and theoretical overview of the origins, development, and future of social provision in industrialized countries, in the context of broader political and historical trends. Examines concepts such as social citizenship, risk sharing, de-commodification, and welfare regimes, and the challenges of globalization, neo-liberalism, and demographic change. Topics include pensions, health care, poverty alleviation, and family policy. Combines classic work and research frontiers.
A. Campbell
17.381[J] Leadership in Negotiation: Advanced Applications
()
(Same subject as 11.111[J])
Prereq: 11.011 or permission of instructor
Units: 4-0-8
Building on the skills and strategies honed in 11.011, explores advanced negotiation practice. Emphasizes an experiential skill-building approach, underpinned by cutting-edge cases and innovative research. Examines applications in high-stakes management, public policy, social entrepreneurship, international diplomacy, and scientific discovery. Strengthens collaborative decision-making, persuasion, and leadership skills by negotiating across different media and through personalized coaching, enhancing students' ability to proactively engage stakeholders, transform organizations, and inspire communities. Limited by lottery; consult class website for information and deadlines.
B. Verdini Trejo
17.389 Education, Inequality, and Politics
()
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Lecture: R3-5 (1-375) Recitation: TBA
With a focus on the United States, Europe, and Latin America, discusses how education around the world profoundly affects individual economic mobility, social inequality, and national development, making it a high stakes policy area. Analyzes the contentiousness of education policy as government reformers, parents, business, NGOs, teacher unions, and other stakeholders vie for influence.
B. Schneider
No textbook information available
17.391[J] Human Rights at Home and Abroad
()
(Same subject as 11.164[J])
(Subject meets with 11.497)
Prereq: Permission of instructor
Units: 2-0-10
Provides a rigorous and critical introduction to the history, foundation, structure, and operation of the human rights movement. Focuses on key ideas, actors, methods and sources, and critically evaluates the field. Addresses current debates in human rights, including the relationship with security, democracy, development and globalization, urbanization, equality (in housing and other economic and social rights; women's rights; ethnic, religious and racial discrimination; and policing/conflict), post-conflict rebuilding and transitional justice, and technology in human rights activism. No prior coursework needed, but work experience, or community service that demonstrates familiarity with global affairs or engagement with ethics and social justice issues, preferred. Students taking graduate version are expected to write a research paper.
B. Rajagopal
17.393[J] Environmental Law, Policy, and Economics: Pollution Prevention and Control
()
(Same subject as 1.801[J], 11.021[J], IDS.060[J])
(Subject meets with 1.811[J], 11.630[J], 15.663[J], IDS.540[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Lecture: TR3.30-5 (E51-057) +final
Analyzes federal and state regulation of air and water pollution, hazardous waste, greenhouse gas emissions, and production/use of toxic chemicals. Analyzes pollution/climate change as economic problems and failure of markets. Explores the role of science and economics in legal decisions. Emphasizes use of legal mechanisms and alternative approaches (i.e., economic incentives, voluntary approaches) to control pollution and encourage chemical accident and pollution prevention. Focuses on major federal legislation, underlying administrative system, and common law in analyzing environmental policy, economic consequences, and role of the courts. Discusses classical pollutants and toxic industrial chemicals, greenhouse gas emissions, community right-to-know, and environmental justice. Develops basic legal skills: how to read/understand cases, regulations, and statutes. Students taking graduate version explore the subject in greater depth.
N. Ashford, C. Caldart
No textbook information available
17.395[J] Innovation Systems for Science, Technology, Energy, Manufacturing, and Health
()
(Same subject as STS.081[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 2-0-7
Examines science and technology innovation systems, including case studies on energy, computing, advanced manufacturing, and health sectors. Emphasizes public policy and the federal government's role in that system. Focuses on the US but uses international examples. Reviews foundations of economic growth theory, innovation systems theory, and the basic approaches to science and technology policy. Explores the organization and role of energy and medical science R&D agencies, as well as gaps in those innovation systems. Also addresses the science and technology talent base as a factor in growth, and educational approaches to better support it. Class meets for nine weeks; in the remaining weeks, students work on a final paper due at the end of the term. Limited to 25.
W. B. Bonvillian
17.399[J] Global Energy: Politics, Markets, and Policy
()
Not offered regularly; consult department
(Same subject as 11.167[J], 14.47[J], 15.2191[J])
Prereq: None
Units: 3-0-9
Credit cannot also be received for 11.267, 15.219
Focuses on the ways economics and politics influence the fate of energy technologies, business models, and policies around the world. Extends fundamental concepts in the social sciences to case studies and simulations that illustrate how corporate, government, and individual decisions shape energy and environmental outcomes. In a final project, students apply the concepts in order to assess the prospects for an energy innovation to scale and advance sustainability goals in a particular regional market. Recommended prerequisite: 14.01. Meets with 15.219 when offered concurrently. Expectations and evaluation criteria differ for students taking graduate version; consult syllabus or instructor for specific details. Preference to juniors, seniors, and Energy Minors.
Staff
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