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Assignments

A detailed list of all the assignments you will be expected to complete throughout this course.

Discussion Leader (10%)

Either you or you and a partner will be responsible for leading discussion twice during the semester. When it is your turn, you must submit a 1-2 page paper with the following: 1) a brief summary of the key points of the article/chapters from the week, 2) two stand-out quotes from the reading and an explanation of why they stood out to you, and 3) three questions about the reading that you are curious about or that you want clarification on. Your paper is due by 12PM the day of class. Sign-up for each week is

here⁠

Current Event Discussion Questions (5%)

You will be responsible for picking a current event 1 time during the semester that relates to the topic for that week. When it is your turn, you must submit a 1-2 page paper with the following: 1) A brief synopsis of the event taking place and how it involves the organization, 2) how it relates to course material for the week, 3) three questions you would like to discuss with your classmates about the event’s implications for the organization, policy implementation or administrative implications, etc. Ideally, these discussions will serve as modern contexts and jumping off points for what we will discuss in class. Your paper is due by 12AM the day before class. Sign-up for each week is

here⁠

Summary Memo (10%)

You will submit a 2-3 page memo discussing your current progress on your final paper and should include updates addressing each of the three parts of the first draft (history, org. structure, and people/politics). More detailed expectations can be found in the handout section below. This is due 10/9/25.

Final Paper - Issue Area Specific Brief on AI-related problems (40%)

We will be using AI policy as a vignette to discuss design and administration throughout the course. To begin, you will pick an organization to study. The deadline to do so is 9/18 by class time. Once you have chosen your organization, please send me an

email⁠

with: 1) the name of the organization, 2) a link to its website, and 3) why you think the organization has a reason to consider AI in its operations. The final draft will be ~15-20 pages (not including references, diagrams/graphics, etc.). The first draft of the paper will be due 10/30 and include the following (10% of grade):

Institutional History and Context: How did this organization come to exist? Who created it and under what conditions/to address what need(s)? What does it do? Which of these functions are mandatory and which are discretionary?

Organizational Structure: How is it organized? Where does funding come from? Is it part of a bigger governmental structure? How do channels communicate both internally and with other organizations (managing board, funding entities, private citizens, etc)? What processes/levers does it have for creating and implementing policy?

People and Politics: Who works for this organization? What services do they provide and who benefits from them, if any? Are there hurdles or administrative burdens for those seeking their services? What does the balance of principal-agents look like?

These three sections give you a better understanding of what your organization is, what it does, and who it serves; this will guide you in determining what an effective policy design for the org looks like. Once you have completed this portion of the paper, we will meet individually to discuss my feedback and how you plan to write the final section. The final section will discuss how AI presents challenges or benefits to the organization and a plan for a policy that would address these things:

Principles for Effective AI Policy Design and Administration: What key issues, benefits, or considerations does AI present for your organization? How might the structure or functions help or hurt the organization’s ability to adapt to this new technology? What kinds of policies would you propose in light of the challenge/benefit/consideration that AI presents? What internal changes, if any, would make the agency better suited to handle these things? We can discuss further in our meeting how you will approach this section. The final paper (30% of final grade) will be due 12/11 by midnight EST.

Participation (35%)

Participation in this class is paramount to you and your colleagues’ success. Your grade in this section will be composed of:

Seminar/Discussion Participation (20%) - you are expected to talk in every class, whether it is to ask a question, make a comment, provide insight, or otherwise contribute to the discussion.

Active Listening (10%): - thoughtful engagement with your colleagues around their contributions and giving your classmates your full attention when they are speaking. One person per week will be responsible for recording questions asked and taking notes that will be shared with everyone as reference material for your assignments.

Professionalism (5%) - this includes coming to class on time, being respectful of myself and your peers, and communicating openly and collaboratively. I would like you to treat this class like an equal meeting of minds.

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Assignment Handouts

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