Complexity and Global Governance

The course is an advanced seminar consisting of two major components: 1. An introduction to key concepts, theories, and empirical findings in complexity science, and 2. A review of the implications of our emerging knowledge abut complex systems in three governance domains - energy, climate, and security. The first component surveys the major branches of thought about complexity in physics, biology, ecology, geography, information theory, technology studies, and economics. The second component highlights practical applications of complexity science in global governance, emphasizing research findings with clear policy implications. The course includes some exposure to computational methods of modeling complex phenomena and visualizing complex data. Assignments include three short integrative reports and a major paper.