ESP Biography

"From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs." - Karl Marx "It is not from the benevolence of the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest." - Adam Smith In this class, we will delve into the big questions addressed by capitalism and socialism: What is the purpose of money? Are people inherently selfish? How should we define freedom? Who should have control over a nation's wealth and resources? And many more, while taking a historical tour of the great social, political, and economic ideas of the past 300 years and examining how these ideas were put into practice in the US, China, the Soviet Union, and North Korea.

Think Hip Hop is all about money, violence, and misogyny? Think again! This course will explore the vibrant culture of hip hop lying just beneath the mainstream surface and analyze its varying perspectives on American political and social issues. We will embark on a whirlwind tour of political statements in hip hop culture, spanning from Public Enemy's groundbreaking album "Fear Of A Black Planet" and Spike Lee's film "Do The Right Thing" in the 1980's to contemporary MC Killer Mike's scathingly critical "Reagan" and poet Saul Williams' "Coded Language". Come learn about social and political issues in America from an alternative perspective, and discover some awesome new music and poetry while you're at it!

Come learn the fundamentals of Game Theory and Mechanism Design, the mathematics of strategy, by formally analyzing problems that occur in our day-to-day lives! Urban Dictionary defines the "Sidewalk Shuffle" as "the awkward dance that results when two people approach each other from opposite directions, each attempts to move out of the other's way, and both end up moving in the same direction. Often followed by further ungainly movement, apologies, and awkward laughter." Has this ever happened to you? Was it awful? Learn Game Theory and never have to experience it again! Now, imagine you have a giant golden hippopotamus statue taking up space in your room that you want to get rid of. You ask all your friends how much they'd pay you for it, then the highest bidder gets it in exchange for their bid, right? WRONG! Learn Mechanism Design and find out how to make even more money from your friends in this situation.