AI Aided Public Policy Design
Instructor information
Dr. José Marichal (he/him/his)
Professor of Political Science
Contact: marichal@callutheran.edu
Course Description
What happens when we treat global politics not as an abstract set of rules, but as an interaction between the state, the international system, and its citizens? Inspired by the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design (CIID) and Jan Borchers' pattern language approach, this course uses design thinking and rapid prototyping to build a "Global Affairs Toolkit."
Students will navigate the complexities of global governance—from the theories of Realism and Liberalism to the realities of Capitalism and AI—by using policy patterns as a lingua franca. We move beyond traditional political analysis to focus on the experience of global policy, ensuring that interventions are not just systemically aware, but equitable and human-centric.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Analyze the International System: Identify the major actors and theories (Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism) through the lens of strategic interventions.
- Conduct Life-Centred Research: Use ethnographic methods to uncover how political systems (Democracy, Authoritarianism) affect lived realities.
- Design Across Scales: Map how global resource distribution and capitalism ripple from individual biological scales to global ecological systems.
- Prototype Global Policy: Use physical computing and rapid prototyping to test interventions in global security, infrastructure, and sustainability.
- Collaborate in Design Teams: Work across disciplines (tech, law, community organizing) to tackle "wicked" global problems.
- Deploy AI Responsibly: Design policy patterns that leverage AI for global governance without compromising ethics or transparency.
Schedule
Unit 1: Foundations of Global Interaction
Introduction to IxD principles and how they map onto International Relations theories.
Evolving "policy" through design. Mapping Realism, Liberalism, and Constructivism as interaction models.
- Jan Borchers, "A Pattern Approach to Interaction Design" (2000)
- Snyder, "One World, Rival Theories"
How patterns provide a common vocabulary for policy makers, developers, and citizens to discuss global order.
Unit 2: Life-Centred Research in Political Systems
Moving beyond statistics to understand how regimes shape individual lives.
Methods for deep immersion in community contexts under different governance models.
- Applebaum, "Twilight of Democracy"
- Vox, "Life in authoritarian states is mostly boring and tolerable"
Translating research data (e.g., from authoritarian life) into actionable policy design challenges.
Unit 3: Design Across Biological and Economic Scales
Mapping the impact of Capitalism and Inequality on health and ecology.
How policy decisions ripple from individual health to global capitalist systems.
- Chang, "23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism"
- Hickel, "The Divide"
Designing for long-term resilience against global wealth gaps.
Unit 4: Digital Infrastructure & The Global Commons
The logic of globalization, nationalism, and automated borders.
Understanding how algorithmic rules and digital borders shape public outcomes.
- Stiglitz, "Globalization and Its Discontents"
Empowering citizens through transparent digital infrastructure in a networked world.
Unit 5: Collaborative Governance & The Right to Dissent
Multi-disciplinary approaches to global conflict and resistance.
Navigating tech, law, and diplomacy using patterns as a shared language.
Using patterns to empower citizens to design their own resistance and policy environments.
- Podcast: "How to Lose a Country... 7 Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship"
Unit 6: Physical Computing and Global Security
Prototyping the physical delivery of security and surveillance services.
Using physical computing to monitor environments and improve service delivery in global hubs.
Context, Forces, and Solution: Crafting readable prototypes for complex global security issues.
Unit 7: Designing with Global AI
Machine learning and the future of automated international order.
Designing agents that help citizens navigate public services vs. zero-sum tech competition.
- NBER - Public Policy for Artificial Intelligence (Working Paper)
- Zwetsloot et al., "Beyond the AI Arms Race"
- Bengio et al., "Managing Extreme AI Risks"
Addressing bias and transparency in automated decision systems across borders.
Unit 8: Final Projects & Global Showcase
Final policy design presentations.
Presenting policy prototypes addressing global challenges to experts and leaders.