Political Science, Security, and Technology, B.S.
Bachelor of Science in Political Science, Security, and Technology
Audrey Kurth Cronin, Director, and Trustees Professor of Security and Technology
acronin@andrew.cmu.edu, Posner Hall 385A
Emily Half, Deputy Director for Academic Affairs
ehalf@andrew.cmu.edu, Posner Hall 391
Overview
The major in Political Science, Security, and Technology takes a social science (not technical) approach to studying emerging technologies that affect war and peace. There is no better place to study security and technology than Carnegie Mellon University, a thought leader in global and national security issues, policies, and strategies related to digital technologies. CMU students are uniquely poised to influence the future, with cutting-edge research happening across campus in all the relevant technological areas--e.g., machine learning, cybersecurity, robotics, big data, neuroscience, human-computer interaction, human enhancement, synthetic biology, and various types of artificial intelligence.
In this course of study, Carnegie Mellon undergraduates learn how to analyze the political, economic, social, and ethical dimensions of new technologies, equipping themselves to contribute to vital political debates and influence technological developments in the public interest.
The lesson of the past few years is that the pace of technological change will only increase, and its impact on the future of humanity will also grow. In particular, the geopolitical implications of various forms of artificial intelligence are well along, including their impacts on work, health, environmental protection, and especially conflict. The ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and elsewhere reflect the role of autonomous weapons, loitering munitions, UAVs, voice-cloning tools, and open-source intelligence driven by machine learning tools.
The full effects of these technologies are some years away, but our students must be equipped to shape and adapt to them. Most serious among these effects will be the impacts on war and peace, what it means to be human, patterns of economic prosperity, the future of work, and the future of global stability.
Students in this major read, employ, and create evidence-based research that addresses and shapes the future of technology in national and international security. In choosing their electives, students have the opportunity to emphasize either the international or domestic American aspects of this topic. Challenges posed by digital technologies affect people of all political parties, in the United States and throughout the world, especially in democracies.
Our goal is to educate students who emerge knowing not only about the risks and benefits of new technologies in historical context, but are also able to frame broad questions and use political science methods, theories, and approaches to address them.
We teach a range of methodologies to prepare our students for the challenges of the 21st century, both within the United States and abroad. These include introductions not only to traditional political science approaches (such as comparative case studies, archival analysis, contextual analysis, database construction, and regression analysis), but also to newer tools such as visual geospatial mapping, sensor-driven machine learning, and the employment of large language models.
Our budding political scientists may not personally build new technological tools (as they do in other parts of Carnegie Mellon University); but they’ll know how to use them effectively to forecast problems, identify potential backlash, and answer important questions. They’ll design research projects that address political, ethical, and strategic questions related to security and technology, in everything from voting in democratic elections to robotic targeting during warfare, in both the United States and abroad.
Political Science, Security, and Technology is available as a primary major and additional major. The requirements are the same for both.
Curriculum
A maximum of four courses may double count between the PSST major and any other majors or minor. Unlimited double counting is permitted with General Education requirements.
Political Science Core36 units
Students must complete all of the following core courses.
| Units | ||
| 84-101 | Introduction to Political Science | 9 |
| 84-104 | Decision Processes in American Political Institutions | 9 |
| 84-226 | International Relations | 9 |
| 84-250 | Writing for Political Science and Policy | 9 |
Security and Technology Core45 units
Students must complete:
| 84-274 | An Introduction to Technology and War | 9 |
Students must complete 36 units from the following list of courses:
| 84-314 | Politics, Technological Change, and Economic Growth | 9 |
| 84-330 | Race for the Future: US-China Tech Competition | 6 |
| 84-343 | Offensive Cyber: Law & Policy | 6 |
| 84-345 | Hackers, the Law, & Policy Responses | 6 |
| 84-347 | Congress & National Security | 9 |
| 84-349 | Digital Diplomacy: Cybersecurity Challenges and Global Governance | 9 |
| 84-350 | A Strategist's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence | 9 |
| 84-353 | US-China Strategic Stability | 6 |
| 84-356 | Applied Political Data Analytics | 9 |
| 84-363 | Click. Hack. Rule: Understanding the Power & Peril of Cyber Conflict | 9 |
| 84-368 | Technology Ethics | 9 |
| 84-370 | Nuclear Security & Arms Control | 9 |
| 84-371 | International Governance of Artificial Intelligence | 9 |
| 84-375 | Geopolitics of Innovation | 9 |
| 84-383 | National Cyber Policy & Strategy | 6 |
| 84-387 | Remote Systems and the Cyber Domain in Conflict | 9 |
| 84-405 | The Future of Warfare | 9 |
Methodology Core28 units
Students must complete all of the following courses.
| 84-266 | Research Design for Political Science | 9 |
| 36-202 | Methods for Statistics & Data Science | 9 |
| 15-110 | Principles of Computing | 10 |
| or 15-112 | Fundamentals of Programming and Computer Science | |
Electives45 units
Students must complete 45 units (usually five courses) in total. At least three courses (27 units) must be taken from the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology (84-xxx). Most courses listed below are 9-unit courses, but some are fewer. When students choose courses offered for fewer than 9 units, they must remember that a minimum of 45 units is still required and thus plan to take one or more additional courses to fill out that minimum number. In other words, the key requirement is the number of units (45), not the number of courses. Courses taken in the Security and Technology core beyond the required number of units for the core may count as electives for the major.
Students are strongly encouraged to participate in the Carnegie Mellon University Washington Semester Program (CMU/WSP) and courses taken through the program may count toward electives for the major.
| International Security | ||
| 84-110 | The Economics of Politics and Technology | 9 |
| 84-200 | Security War Game Simulation | 3 |
| 84-275 | Comparative Politics | 9 |
| 84-304 | Analysis of Current US National Security Priorities | 6 |
| 84-312 | Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa | 6 |
| 84-322 | Nonviolent Conflict and Revolution | 9 |
| 84-323 | War and Peace in the Contemporary Middle East | 9 |
| 84-325 | Contemporary American Foreign Policy | 9 |
| 84-329 | Asian Strategies | 6 |
| 84-336 | Implementing Public Policy: From Good Idea To Reality * | 12 |
| 84-339 | Seminar in Public Policy Research * | 12 |
| 84-341 | Transnational Criminal Networks & International Security | 6 |
| 84-360 | CMU/WSP Internship Seminar * | 24 |
| 84-362 | Diplomacy and Statecraft | 9 |
| 84-365 | The Politics of Fake News and Misinformation | 9 |
| 84-369 | Decision Science for International Relations | 9 |
| 84-373 | International Law | 9 |
| 84-386 | The Privatization of Force | 9 |
| 84-389 | Terrorism and Insurgency | 9 |
- *
Taught in Washington, DC, through CMU/WSP
| Domestic American Politics | ||
| 84-120 | Introduction to US Constitutional Law | 9 |
| 84-252 | Briefing in the Policy World | 6 |
| 84-280 | Popcorn and Politics: American Foreign Policy at the Movies | 12 |
| 84-285 | Introduction to Legal Education and the Legal Profession | 9 |
| 84-301 | Policy & Persuasion | 6 |
| 84-309 | American Political Divides and Great Debates | 9 |
| 84-319 | Civil-Military Relations | 9 |
| 84-324 | The Future of Democracy | 9 |
| 84-325 | Contemporary American Foreign Policy | 9 |
| 84-327 | Who Really Runs America?: Subnational Governance and Policymaking | 9 |
| 84-328 | Military Strategy and Doctrine | 9 |
| 84-331 | Technology, Law, and Democracy | 6 |
| 84-332 | Contemporary US Constitutional Law Issues * | 6 |
| 84-333 | Law of US Democracy | 9 |
| 84-336 | Implementing Public Policy: From Good Idea To Reality * | 12 |
| 84-338 | Analysis of US Presidential Powers * | 6 |
| 84-339 | Seminar in Public Policy Research * | 12 |
| 84-352 | Representation and Voting Rights | 9 |
| 84-355 | Democracy's Data: Analytics and Insights into American Elections | 9 |
| 84-358 | Money, Connections, and Power: Interests and Influence in the US | 9 |
| 84-360 | CMU/WSP Internship Seminar * | 24 |
| 84-365 | The Politics of Fake News and Misinformation | 9 |
| 84-366 | The 21st-Century Presidency: Expanding Powers, New Challenges | 9 |
| 84-367 | The Politics of Antisemitism | 9 |
| 84-380 | US Grand Strategy | 9 |
| 84-393 | The US Congress: Legislative Progress or Paralysis? | 9 |
| 84-402 | Judicial Politics and Behavior | 9 |
- *
Taught in Washington, DC, through CMU/WSP
| Additional Electives in Security and Technology | ||
| 17-200 | Ethics and Policy Issues in Computing | 9 |
| 17-303 | Cryptocurrencies, Blockchains and Applications | 9 |
| 17-331 | Information Security, Privacy and Policy in the Age of AI | 12 |
| 17-333 | Privacy Policy, Law, and Technology | 9 |
| 17-334 | Usable Privacy and Security | 9 |
| 19-403 | Policies of Wireless Systems | 12 |
| 19-411 | Science and Innovation Leadership for the 21st Century: Firms, Nations, and Tech | 9 |
| 70-334 | Ethics of Emerging Technologies | 9 |
| 79-234 | Technology and Society | 9 |
| 79-302 | Killer Robots? The Ethics, Law, and Politics of Drones and A.I. in War | 9 |
| 79-370 | Technology in the United States | 9 |
| 80-249 | AI, Society, and Humanity | 9 |
| 88-270 | AI and Social Upheaval | 9 |
| 95-444 | Cybersecurity Policy and Governance II | 6 |
Senior Seminar9 units
Students must complete the following course.
| 84-500 | Senior Seminar | 9 |