Pets, Politics and Pandemics

This course is designed to be a fun and accessible introduction to the topic of systems theory. Systems theory describes a number of fundamental concepts that undergird a broad array of phenomena across many different social, political and natural arenas. It is from this broad applicability that the course derives its title: Pets (social), politics (political and economic) and Pandemics (natural). Despite being, hopefully, fun, the course has a serious intent as it aims to teach enough systems theoretical methods so that after taking the course the student can apply it to their own life to gain new insights into things they may have been studying already for a while. The material within this course can be applied across broad contexts, such as making difficult choices and communicating your ideas effectively to peers. After all, there are indeed strategies for navigating situations in life with the help of lessons from science. In the course, with the help of Professor Billinge's dogs, we will grapple with social justice, climate change, propaganda and disinformation, the origin of the unidirectionality of time and watch some relaxing views of birds flying around with nice music playing.