POL 71 H — Which Side of History? How Democracy, Technology, and Our Lives Are Being Reshaped in 2025
Quarter: Fall
Instructor(s): James Steyer
Date(s): Sep 29—Dec 1
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Mondays
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Class Meeting Time: 5:30—7:00 pm (PT)
Please Note: No class on November 17 and November 24
Tuition: $440
Refund Deadline: Oct 1
Unit(s): 1
Enrollment Limit: 450
Status: Open
Quarter: Fall
Day: Mondays
Duration: 8 weeks
Time: 5:30—7:00 pm (PT)
Date(s): Sep 29—Dec 1
Unit(s): 1
Tuition: $440
Refund Deadline: Oct 1
Instructor(s): James Steyer
Grade Restriction: No letter grade
Enrollment Limit: 450
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Open
Please Note: No class on November 17 and November 24
Democracy in the United States—and around the world—is at an extraordinary moment. In this year alone, we have witnessed major political and societal disruptions. Technology, with its constant presence in our lives, has played a critical role in shaping events and our responses to them.
In this course, we will examine these developments and more, both domestically and globally. Key themes will include:
Guest speakers will include:
Dave Eggers, Writer, Editor, and Publisher
Niall Ferguson, Milbank Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford
Thomas Friedman, Pulitzer Prize–winning Author and New York Times Foreign Affairs Columnist
Pamela Karlan, Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law and Co-Director, Supreme Court Litigation Clinic, Stanford Law School
Neal Katyal, Former US Principal Deputy Solicitor General (Obama Administration)
David M. Kennedy, Pulitzer Prize–winning Historian and Stanford Professor Emeritus of History
Nicholas Kristof, Journalist and New York Times Columnist
Jonathan Levin, Economist and President of Stanford
Michael Lewis, Best-selling Author of The Big Short, Moneyball, and The Premonition
Ruth Marcus, Journalist
Michael McFaul, Director, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford
Bill McKibben, American Environmentalist, Author, and Journalist
Vivek Murthy, Former US Surgeon General and Advocate for Public Health and Mental Well-being
Margaret Spellings, Former US Secretary of Education under President George W. Bush
Tom Steyer, American Climate Investor and Activist
Kara Swisher, Veteran Tech Journalist and Host of the Podcast On with Kara Swisher
Margrethe Vestager, Former Executive Vice President of the European Commission and EU Competition Commissioner
Fareed Zakaria, CNN Host and Columnist Focused on Global Affairs and Democratic Institutions
- The state of democratic norms and institutions in the US
- The impact of technology on politics and daily life, at home and abroad
- The global mental health crisis and its particular effects on young people
- How artificial intelligence is reshaping society in multiple ways
Guest speakers will include:
Dave Eggers, Writer, Editor, and Publisher
Niall Ferguson, Milbank Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford
Thomas Friedman, Pulitzer Prize–winning Author and New York Times Foreign Affairs Columnist
Pamela Karlan, Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law and Co-Director, Supreme Court Litigation Clinic, Stanford Law School
Neal Katyal, Former US Principal Deputy Solicitor General (Obama Administration)
David M. Kennedy, Pulitzer Prize–winning Historian and Stanford Professor Emeritus of History
Nicholas Kristof, Journalist and New York Times Columnist
Jonathan Levin, Economist and President of Stanford
Michael Lewis, Best-selling Author of The Big Short, Moneyball, and The Premonition
Ruth Marcus, Journalist
Michael McFaul, Director, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford
Bill McKibben, American Environmentalist, Author, and Journalist
Vivek Murthy, Former US Surgeon General and Advocate for Public Health and Mental Well-being
Margaret Spellings, Former US Secretary of Education under President George W. Bush
Tom Steyer, American Climate Investor and Activist
Kara Swisher, Veteran Tech Journalist and Host of the Podcast On with Kara Swisher
Margrethe Vestager, Former Executive Vice President of the European Commission and EU Competition Commissioner
Fareed Zakaria, CNN Host and Columnist Focused on Global Affairs and Democratic Institutions
Please note: Speakers are tentative and may be subject to change. The list of speakers will also continue to be updated, with more participants to come.
This course is designed for the entire Stanford community, and Continuing Studies students will be joined by Stanford undergraduate and graduate students.
JAMES STEYER
Adjunct Professor, Stanford Graduate School of Education, and Founder and CEO, Common Sense Media
James Steyer is the founder and chief executive officer of Common Sense, a nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing information and education. For more than 30 years, he has taught a variety of courses on civil rights, civil liberties, and education issues at Stanford, where he is an adjunct professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education. He has received many teaching honors, including the Walter J. Gores Award for Excellence in Teaching. He is the author of The Other Parent: The Inside Story of the Media’s Effect on Our Children, Talking Back to Facebook: The Common Sense Guide to Raising Kids in the Digital Age, and Which Side of History? How Technology Is Reshaping Democracy and Our Lives. Steyer received a JD from Stanford Law School. Textbooks for this course:
(Recommended) Jim Steyer, Which Side of History?: How Technology Is Reshaping Democracy and Our Lives (ISBN 978-1797205168)