Fall 2024 practitioner-led study groups

The Revenge of Geopolitics
Edward Luce
Meeting dates are Thursdays 9/12, 10/3, 10/17, 11/14, 11/21 from 2:30-4:00 p.m.
Registration closes on September 10.

People over 30 grew up in a world in which globalization and economic integration were presumed to be humanity’s chief driving force. People in the age bracket of a contemporary college student have emerged into a far less optimistic era in which confusion, risk and uncertainty have displaced the so-called Washington consensus that had prevailed since the end of the Cold War. 

This study group will look at what this more dangerous and competitive new global era means for the future of the west, the survival of US democracy, the risk of war and US-China decoupling, and what the original Cold War between the US and USSR can tell us about the new one between the US and China. 

Human Rights and AI: Impacts, Risks, and Opportunities
Malika Saada Saar ’92
Meeting dates are Thursdays 9/26, 10/10, 10/24, 11/7, and 12/5 from 2:30-4:00 p.m.
Registration closes on September 23.

The Human Rights and AI study group will explore the complex and rapidly evolving landscape of AI and its profound impacts on human rights, at the intersection of technology, public policy and international law. We will critically analyze both the harms and opportunities that AI poses to fundamental rights. Will these technologies further entrench hierarchies of racial, gendered, and economic privilege? Will AI undermine democratic institutions and the integrity of the electoral process, in the US and globally?  Is there such a thing as AI for liberation and justice, if the technology is shaped, designed and deployed from a rights respecting framework? We will wrestle with these questions and examine if and how human rights principles, impact assessments, and due diligence best practices can be applied to ensure the responsible and equitable governance of AI.

Independent Media vs. Pseudo-Democracy and Authoritarian Regimes: Journalism or Activism, and the Battle Against Censorship
Vera Krichevskaya
Meeting dates are Tuesdays 10/8, 10/22, 10/29, 11/12, 11/19, and 12/3 from 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Registration closes on October 1.

The main theme of this series of virtual workshops is the examination of how autocratic regimes—using Russia as a prominent example applicable to many other contexts—seek to control the media. Students will delve into the tools, tricks, and tactics these regimes use, exploring both the technological means and human factors involved. Participants will discuss various forms of censorship, with particular attention to two often underestimated types: self-censorship and what Krichevskaya refers to as 'party' censorship. They will also explore how the relentless battle against state censorship can push journalists to the brink, transforming them from reporters into political activists.