Math in Public Interest

In what ways do advertisers, politicians, and other propagandists try to trick the public by exploiting our ignorance of or aversion to mathematical reasoning? This course explores key mathematical topics related to these questions, drawing on fields such as probability, statistics, combinatorics, mathematical modeling, andÿmathematical visualization. We will examine them in the context of contemporary public policy issues, such as climate change, demography, gambling, sports and public health.