Table of Contents
Political Science, International Relations, History, and Humanities Courses
CLASSICS 49A: Classical Texts and Traditions I: "It's All Greek to Me": Ancient Greek Classics
Professor Dan Edelstein and Professor Barry Strauss
Units: 3
Meeting Time: Tues, Thurs 10:30–11:50 AM
Western culture—and, more specifically, America—is unmistakably shaped by Ancient Greece and Rome. While this might generally be understood, most people never get the chance to delve into how the foundations laid by the Greeks continue to shape the American life we take for granted. This seminar, led by two Hoover fellows, serves as the perfect “applied Classics” class, selecting Greek texts to read in English and connecting them to their enduring cultural significance in the modern world. While not everyone has time to learn Ancient Greek, everyone should have some grasp of the civilization that helped form our own.
- Zayd Patel
PHIL 100: The History of Ancient Greek Philosophy
Professor Landon Hobbs
Units: 4
Meeting Time: Tues, Thurs 9:00–10:20 AM
Long before “Western thought” became a catchall phrase, it was being built in Plato’s dialogues, Aristotle’s treatises, and the arguments of the Presocratics. This course traces that history from its origins, treating philosophy as a living tradition shaped by the historical and political moments that produced it through an intensive study of classical texts. Students leave with more than a working knowledge of epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics; they leave with a sense of how classical education trains the mind to ask better questions, and why that grounding remains foundational to a well-rounded intellectual life in the twenty-first century.
- Sloane Wehman
PHIL 171: Justice
Professor Brian Coyne
Units: 4–5
Meeting Time: Tues, Thurs 10:30–11:50 AM
Justice asks a wide variety of questions that political science and law can often only gesture toward. Under the excellent instruction of the energetic Professor Coyne, the course sequentially takes those questions out of the abstract and into professional contexts such as the courtroom and legislature, applying philosophical concepts to real legal and political controversies with a rigor that keeps the material genuinely contested rather than settled in advance. Discussions are wide-ranging and pointedly balanced, making room for competing views rather than favoring one. This class is a wonderful choice if you study philosophy, political science, or international relations—or if you are simply looking for a way to improve your ethical reasoning.
- Sloane Wehman
INTNLREL 115: Spies, Lies, and Algorithms: The History and Future of American Intelligence
Professor Amy Zegart
Units: 5
Meeting Time: Tues, Thurs 12:00–1:20 PM
A classic Stanford course that complements almost any major, Spies, Lies, and Algorithms has become one of the best-known classes on campus—and is also a great way to fulfill CS’s Technology in Society requirement. From case studies covering major intelligence failures to live exercises and talks from former intelligence officials, including former FBI and CIA directors, the course provides a broad and practical understanding of American intelligence. On the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, this is an especially timely offering for any student who cares about the future of American security.
- Dylan Rem
INTNLREL 156 / POLISCI 116F: Fundamentals of Arab Politics
Professor Hesham Sallam
Units: 5
Meeting Time: Mon, Wed 1:30–2:50 PM
The Middle East is one of the most politically consequential regions in the world, yet its politics are often reduced to religion, oil, or conflict. This course provides a much deeper framework for understanding why Arab states and political systems have developed so differently. The class examines authoritarianism, political Islam, protest and revolution, civil conflict, gender, and regional rivalries while connecting these issues to the history that created them. Especially in the aftermath of the Arab Spring and amid a rapidly changing regional order, this is an excellent class for anyone who wants to understand the Middle East.
- Bassel Ojjeh
EASTASN 177: Divided Memories & Reconciliation: The Formation of Wartime Historical Memory in the Pacific
Professor Daniel Sneider
Units: 4
Meeting Time: Tues, Thurs 1:30–2:50 PM
Divided Memories & Reconciliation is not a standard Stanford history class. Rather than simply retelling the events of the Pacific Theater, Professor Daniel Sneider asks how China, Japan, South Korea, and the United States each came to remember World War II—and why those memories still matter today. Naturally, each nation tells a selective story centered on its own identity, victimhood, and suffering: Koreans remember Japanese colonial rule, the Chinese remember Nanjing, the Japanese remember Hiroshima, and Americans remember Pearl Harbor. These selective stories are compounded over generations through films, education, and family memory. As a result, wartime memory continues to shape territorial disputes, stalled diplomacy, and rising nationalism across the region more than 80 years later. Anyone who wants to understand the tensions shaping the Pacific—which, of course, increasingly shape the world—should take this class.
- Jack Murawczyk
Math, Science, and Engineering Courses
MATH 113: Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory
Professor Sourav Chatterjee
Units: 4
Meeting Time: Mon, Wed, Fri 1:30–2:20 PM
Linear algebra is the foundational mathematical engine behind LLMs and much of the AI revolution. While its more computational applications are introduced in MATH 51 and developed further in classes such as MATH 104 and CS 229, MATH 113 provides the theoretical background underpinning machine learning. Proof-based linear algebra is certainly not “required” for a career in AI or ML, but understanding the concepts taught in 113 can make their applications in later classes—and in industry—far more intuitive. As an added bonus for those worried about the difficulty, it also functions as a relatively accessible first course in proofs.
- Zayd Patel
