The Mathematics of Democracy
Harvard Summer School
MATH S-240
Section 1
CRN 35954
How can a candidate in a political race win the majority of votes, yet lose the election? How can members of a community comprise almost half the electorate, yet have no representation in the legislature? How does the shape of a voting district affect whom its inhabitants elect? How much power does the President of the United States have? How can two competing candidates interpret the same statistic as being in their favor? In this course, we look at the mathematics behind these and related questions that have bearing on democracy. Some of the topics we examine are voting methods, apportionment of legislative seats, sizes of legislatures, proportional representation, quantification of power, mathematical tools for detecting gerrymandering, regulation of cryptography and repercussions on privacy, and data interpretation. We also study the larger context for these topics through an overview of the fields of social choice and game theory which are concerned with the quantification and analysis of notions such as fairness and conflict.
Registration Closes: June 17, 2025
Credits: 4
View Tuition Information Term
Summer Term 2025
Part of Term
4-week session
Format
On Campus
Credit Status
Graduate, Noncredit, Undergraduate
Section Status
Open