Table of Contents
History
HISTORY 137D: Germany's Wars and the World, 1848-2010
Professor Steven Press
Units: 5
Meeting time: Mon, Wed, 1:30 – 2:50 PM
Taught by Steven Press, one of Stanford's great professors on modern European and German history, this course traces Germany's military conflicts from the revolutionary wars of 1848 through the Cold War and beyond. Germany's wars here are not confined to Europe alone but are examined through the lens of colonialism, geopolitics, and international order, all of which are crucial to understanding the German people and nation’s history.
- Bassel
HISTORY 25: American at 250
Professor Jonathan Gienapp, Pamela Karlan
Units: 1
Meeting time: Tues 3:00 – 4:20 PM
“America at 250” commemorates the history of our country on the 250th anniversary of its founding. Various professors and guest lecturers speak on different aspects of American history from the settlers’ departure from England to more modern times. The course will also examine the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution and analyze both documents in the greater context of pivotal events in our nation’s development. Take this class to learn more about America, its founding, and growth in celebration of its semiquincentennial year.
- Sloane
HISTORY 153: Creation of the Constitution
Professor Michael McConnell
Units: 5
Meeting time: Mon, Wed, 2:15 – 3:35 PM
Taught by Michael McConnell, this class is cross-listed between the Stanford Law School and the undergraduate history department. After a brief introduction to foundational theories of American governance, from republicanism to natural rights, it delves into a day-by-day account of the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Though anchored by James Madison’s notes of the convention, it also explores the historical and political factors that shaped the ultimate version of the original Constitution and Bill of Rights. This class offers a rigorous and thorough examination of the history and foundation of American constitutional law, making it a must for serious students of American history or future law school students.
- Dylan
HISTORY 302G: Peoples, Armies and Governments of the Second World War
Professor Gil-li Vardi
Units: 5
Meeting time: Tues, Thurs, 9:00 – 10:20 AM
The Second World War is the only total war that humans have ever fought. Entire nations mobilized virtually every single aspect of life and society and dedicated it to the conflict. In the context of modern war, it is more important than ever to analyze how nations approached the Second World War and how we today are different or perhaps eerily similar.
- Gordy
Philosophy, Literature, and Classics
Classics 284: Laughing at History
Professor Hans Bork
Units: 3–5
Meeting time: Mon, Wed, 1:30–2:50
This class is a combination of perfect subject matter and the perfect teacher for it. The half-grad, half-undergrad seminar traces the history of comedy from ancient Greece and Rome to the present, exploring how our modern comedic forms have shaped us and continue to shape us. The class does not assume knowledge of Latin or Greek, and everything is read in translation (unless you request to read extra Latin/Greek for language credit). The material is always entertaining, and Professor Bork is truly an expert in Roman comedy, so the class promises to be both enjoyable and edifying.
- Zayd
COMPLIT 289E/FRENCH 289E/POLISCI 289E/RELIGST 289X: Desire, Violence, and the Sacred: Introduction to Rene Girard's Theory
Professor Jean-Pierre Dupuy
Units: 3
Meeting time: Tues, 3:00 PM - 5:50 PM
The work of Stanford's René Girard (may he rest in peace) continues to exert an outsized influence in certain high-powered tech circles. His theories explain the rise of cancel culture and mass censorship while offering insight into the resurgence of Christianity. What better way to start reading his work than a seminar on the topic?
- Garret
CLASSICS 168: Engineering the Roman Empire
Professor Justin Leidwanger
Units: 3–5
Meeting time: Mon, Wed, 1:30 – 2:50 PM
The Romans built breathtaking structures — almost all in less than 7 years (!) - that have stood the test of millennia, using materials like Roman concrete that scientists still struggle to replicate today, all without calculus or even algebra. How? This class teaches the art, science, and logistical engineering behind Rome’s architectural marvels. It brings together a good mix of engineering and humanities students; by the end of the class, you will have even built mock models of Roman structures. Take a fun, stimulating, and hands-on experience.
- Teddy
ETHICSOC 130/PHIL 171P/ POLISCI 130: Liberalism and its Critics
Professor Brian Coyne
Units: 5
Meeting time: Tue, Thu 1:30 PM - 2:50 PM
Professor Coyne provides a fantastic introduction to the great figures of liberalism. The class examines historical projects designed both to revive and destroy liberal institutions. What I found most enjoyable about the readings was tracing ideas from today's culture wars back to the original texts of obscure authors!
- Garret
Math
MATH 63DM: Modern Mathematics: Discrete Methods
Professor Tadashi Tokieda
Units: 5
Meeting time: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri 9:30-10:20 am
Many students view all 60CM/DM series classes as challenging, designed for hardcore math majors. MATH 63DM, however, is arguably the most accessible of the series, and an amazing class for anyone interested in learning about probability. It is taught by Prof. Tadashi Tokieda, a world-famous teacher. He wants the students to build a strong intuition for mathematics and draws beautiful pictures (he initially wanted to become a painter, not a mathematician) that greatly simplify all the concepts in the class. If you are a fan of 3Blue1Brown, you will love this class!
- Hristo
MATH 51: Linear Algebra and Modern Applications
Professor Athulya Ram Sreedharan Nair
Units: 5
Meeting time: Mon, Wed, Fri 10:30 – 11:20 AM, 11:30 AM – 12:20 PM, or 12:30 – 1:20 PM
This is one of Stanford’s most famous classes and likely needs no introduction. In fact, it is a required class for most students studying a quantitative discipline. That being said, this is a great elective choice for those studying any subject. While high school math students often leave people wondering where such material is ever used in a practical context, the Math 51 material is a very elemental primer in the math underlying the machine learning and AI tools that are moving into all parts of our lives. In this age, we all likely have to be literate in such topics, and Math 51 provides the basics that undergird that vocabulary.
- Zayd
MATH 52: Integral Calculus of Several Variables
Professor Wojciech Wieczorek
Units: 5
Meeting time: Mon, Wed, 9:30 – 10:20 AM
Most students skip this course in favor of MATH 51 (multivariable differentiation) and MATH 53 (differential equations), and that’s a mistake. Integration is the flipside of differentiation; visualizing (hyper)volumes under curves is one of the most important skills for developing statistical intuition. The course recently received a revamp, with a new statistics-motivated textbook. If you’re into the hard sciences (physics, engineering, etc.) or statistical learning, this class is for you.
- Teddy
Computer Science and AI
CS153: Frontier Systems
Professors Michael Abbott, Anjney Midha
Units: 3
Meeting time: Tues, Thurs, 12:00 – 1:20 PM
Jensen Huang, Satya Nadella, Sam Altman. Need I say more?
If those names don’t sell you, consider this: CS153 is the closest thing to a preview of the future you’ll find on the Farm. The course tackles all the core challenges blocking frontier AI progress: from fundamental energy and silicon bottlenecks to AI applications and deployment policy. Structured as a speaker series, the course features the biggest names building and deploying AI today, in what has been described online as an “AI Coachella.” And anchoring it all is Anjney Midha, an a16z partner and, perhaps more importantly, a Stanford Review alum!
- Jack
CS224R: Deep Reinforcement Learning
Professor Chelsea Finn
Units: 3
Meeting time: Wed, Fri, 9:30 – 10:50 AM
Chelsea Finn's CS224R is a reinforcement learning class with a deep learning focus and an emphasis on robotics and language modeling. Deep RL is how AI learns to make decisions using complex inputs like images or raw sensor data. It is the technique by which language models are taught to reason and follow instructions, or robots learn to manipulate objects in the real world. Assignments focus on implementing these methods, and the quarter ends with a research-level final project. For anyone with an interest in reinforcement learning, this course is a great introduction.
- Aadi
MS&E 338: Aligning Superintelligence
Professor Benjamin Van Roy
Units: 3
Meeting time: Mon, Wed 3:00-4:20 pm
Politicians, bloggers, engineers, and people interested in AI in general all talk about the importance of AI safety and alignment. It is, however, far more difficult to formally explain why AI models may behave in unintended ways. This class is great for students who have already taken some AI classes at Stanford and want to go beyond social media buzz and rigorously learn about what actually makes models misbehave. Professor Ben Van Roy is a captivating lecturer and one of the leading experts on this topic.
- Hristo
SYMSYS 161: Lessons from the Trenches: Applied Symbolic Systems in Entrepreneurship and Investing
Professor Parth Bhakta
Units: 2–4
Meeting time: Thurs, 4:30 – 5:20 PM
SYMSYS 161 is one of the more practically useful courses at Stanford. While selective, it gives you access to a founder community that sits at the intersection of technology, entrepreneurship, and investing. Each week, you hear directly from notable entrepreneurs and investors who share insights from their own journeys, and the class's intimacy lets you engage with them rather than just listen. Alongside the seminars, you collaborate with classmates on a real startup idea throughout the quarter — developing a concept, building a prototype, gathering user-feedback, and iterating — all with a particular emphasis on AI-powered products. The course is co-taught by Parth Bhakta, founder of Vivian Health, and Casey Aylward, a partner at Accel, both of whom have deep experience in venture capital and company building. I would recommend this class to any student seriously interested in startups or venture capital who wants to learn by doing rather than by reading.
- Bassel
