Systems

One way to understand the various patterns and processes in our world is to think of them as "systems". There's a lot of talk about systems ("blame the system"; or "don't hate the player, hate the game"), but less understanding about how systems actually work. We will bridge this knowledge gap by learning about what human-made systems have in common, how they respond to change and why it is difficult to change them in predictable ways. To do this, we'll explore the tensions among laws and policing, gift-giving and capitalism, creativity and technology. Throughout, we will reflect on the roles of race, culture, economic status and history.