How can a candidate in a political race win the majority of votes yet lose the election? How can two competing candidates interpret the same statistic as being in their favor? How can the geometry of the voting district disenfranchise entire groups of voters? Can we quantify the power the President of the United States has? In this course, we will look at the mathematics behind these and related questions that arise in politics. We will study topics such as fairness, voting paradoxes, social choice, game theory, apportionment, gerrymandering, and data interpretation. The goal of the class will be to illustrate the importance of rigorous reasoning in various social and political processes while providing an introduction to some fascinating mathematics.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 24

Crosslisted Courses: MATH 123, PEAC 123

Prerequisites: None.

Distribution Requirements: MM - Mathematical Modeling and Problem Solving

Typical Periods Offered: Fall

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring