The Mathematics of Politics, Democracy, and Social Choice

4 Credits.

This course is designed for students of all backgrounds to provide a mathematical introduction tosocial choice theory, weighted voting systems, apportionment methods, and gerrymandering. Inthe search for ideal ways to make certain kinds of political decisions, a lot of wasted effort couldbe averted if mathematics could determine that finding such an ideal were actually possible in thefirst place. The course will analyze data from recent US elections as well as provide historicalcontext to modern discussions in politics, culminating in a mathematical analysis of the USElectoral College. Case studies, future implications, and comparisons to other governing bodiesoutside the US will be used to apply the theory of the course. Students will use Microsoft Excel toanalyze data sets. There are no mathematical prerequisites for this course.