Pathways: Data Science & Social Systems

The pathway structure and classes listed on this page are approved for students who declared between September 1, 2026 and August 31, 2027. Looking for a different requirement year?

As part of the program in Data Science & Social Systems, students select a pathway that explores a topic they are passionate about and where data science methods and approaches have something compelling to offer.

As part of their pathway, students complete seven total courses – at least two from each category (Foundation, Intersection, Context).

Foundation

Foundation Courses introduce students to the social sciences through survey or introductory courses relevant to the pathway.

Intersection

Intersection Courses give students the opportunity to work with data or apply computational methods within their pathway topic.

Context

Context Courses provide additional knowledge on topics or methods used in this area of study.

Ready to start taking pathway classes, but not sure yet which pathway you'll choose?

The following classes are approved as foundation classes for all pathways, so they will ultimately count regardless of which pathway you end up choosing:

Principles of Economics (ECON 1)
The Science of Politics (POLSCI 1)
Introduction to Psychology (PSYCH 1)
Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1)

Pathway Guidelines

To support students in selecting balanced pathway coursework, students will be required to meet with the data science team to discuss their planned pathway courses and receive final program approval.
Courses must span at least two social science disciplines (communication, economics, political science, psychology, and sociology).
The pathways include upper-level courses that concentrate on specific aspects of societal challenges. Many of these courses are offered once every two to three years. To help students with their course planning, courses that are schedule to be offered in the 2026-2027 academic year are in bold text.
- *Course offerings for this academic year are subject to change at the discretion of the department in which they are taught. While we have made every effort to provide this information accurately at the time of publication, please use Navigate Classes to confirm.

Brains & Behavior

Complete seven total courses – at least two from each category (Foundation, Intersection, Context).

Courses in bold text are scheduled to be offered in the 2026-27 academic year.

Foundation Courses:

Principles of Economics (ECON 1)
The Science of Politics (POLSCI 1)
Introduction to Psychology (PSYCH 1)
Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1)
Introduction to Experimental and Behavioral Economics (ECON 40)
Minds and Machines (PSYCH 35)
Introduction to Learning and Memory (PSYCH 45)
Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience (PSYCH 50)

Intersection Courses:

Data Science for Neuroscience (DATASCI 194N)
Data Science and the Science of Learning (DATASCI 194L)
Judgment and Decision-Making (PSYCH 154)
Neuroscience of Visual Intelligence (PSYCH 163)
Neural Network Models of Cognition (PSYCH 209)
Mind Reading with Movies and Neuroimaging (PSYCH 236)
Experimental Methods (PSYCH 251)
Data Narratives (DATASCI 120 WIM)
Students write a research paper involving data analysis on a topic of their choice. To count towards the pathway, students must submit the Request to Use DATASCI 120 for Pathway form and receive program approval.
Data Science Practicum Design (DATASCI 192D)
To use DATASCI 192D toward the pathway, students must complete their capstone project with an organization that aligns with their pathway and receive program approval.
Independent Study (DATASCI 199)
To use DATASCI 199 toward the pathway, students must enroll for at least 2 units and conduct research relevant to the pathway under supervision of a faculty advisor.

Context Courses:

Neuroscience
- Introduction to Perception (PSYCH 30)
- Introduction to Learning and Memory (PSYCH 45)
- Introduction to Clinical Psychology: A Neuroscience Perspective (PSYCH 90)
- Brain and Decision Making (PSYCH 134)
- Brain Decoding (PSYCH 164)
- Advanced Seminar on Memory (PSYCH 169)
- Social and Ethical Issues in the Neurosciences (NBIO 101)
- Philosophy of Neuroscience (PHIL 167D)

Examples of Work in This Area:

Laura Gwilliams, Gwilliams Laboratory of Speech Neuroscience, Hierarchical dynamic coding coordinates speech comprehension in the brain. PNAS.
Judith Fan, Cognitive Tools Lab, Generative behaviors as key targets for cognitive models. Current Directions in Psychological Science.
Russ Poldrack, Poldrack Lab, A data-driven latent variable approach to validating the research domain criteria framework. Nature Communications.
Anthony Wagner, Stanford Memory Laboratory, Top-down attention and Alzheimer's pathology impact cortical selectivity during learning, influencing episodic memory in older adults. Science Advances.

Climate & the Environment

Complete seven total courses – at least two from each category (Foundation, Intersection, Context).

Courses in bold text are scheduled to be offered in the 2026-27 academic year.

Foundation Courses:

Principles of Economics (ECON 1)
The Science of Politics (POLSCI 1)
Introduction to Psychology (PSYCH 1)
Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1)
Introduction to Earth Systems (EARTHSYS 10)
Energy and the Environment (ENERGY 101)
Economic Analysis I (ECON 50)
Earth at a Crossroads: Negotiating the Politics of Global Environmental Governance (INTNLREL 15N)
Introduction to International Relations (POLISCI 101)
Introduction to American Politics and Policy: In Defense of Democracy (POLISCI 102 - 5 units)
Human & Planetary Health (SOC 103 - 5 units)

Intersection Courses:

Environmental Economics: Models, Data, and Policy Design (ECON 177)
Data Science for Environmental Business (ECON 185)
World Food Economy (EARTHSYS 106)
Must be taken for 5 units
Science for Sustainable Solutions (EARTHSYS 115)
Remote Sensing of the Oceans (EARTHSYS 141)
Feeding Nine Billion (EARTHSYS 185)
Quantitative methods for marine ecology and conservation (BIO 143H)
Modeling Human-Environment Systems (ESS 136)
Climate Models and Data (ESS 171)
AI for Biodiversity Science & Conservation (ESS 367)
Global Environmental Governance: Politics, Institutions and Change (INTNLREL 165)
Data Narratives (DATASCI 120 WIM)
Students write a research paper involving data analysis on a topic of their choice. To count towards the pathway, students must submit the Request to Use DATASCI 120 for Pathway form and receive program approval.
Data Science Practicum Design (DATASCI 192D)
To use DATASCI 192D toward the pathway, students must complete their capstone project with an organization that aligns with their pathway and receive program approval.
Independent Study (DATASCI 199)
To use DATASCI 199 toward the pathway, students must enroll for at least 2 units and conduct research relevant to the pathway under supervision of a faculty advisor.

Context Courses:

Energy
- Fundamentals of Renewable Power (ENERGY 102)
- Understand Energy (EARTHSYS 103)
Climate
- Human Society and Environmental Change (EARTHSYS 112)
- Atmosphere, Ocean, and Climate Dynamics: The Atmospheric Circulation (EARTHSYS 146A)
- Scientific Basis of Climate Change (ESS 102)
Oceans
- Environmental Change and Marine Biodiversity (BIO 125)
Food
- Science of Soils (EARTHSYS 155)
- Urban Agroecology (URBANST 181)
Policy
- Environmental Justice: Reflection (EARTHSYS 134)
- Economic Growth and Climate Change (ECON 120)
- Energy Market Design and Regulation (ECON 133)
- Climate Change and Global Inequality (ECON 155)
- Energy Markets and Policy (ECON 156)
- Engineering Economics (ENERGY 110)
- Engineering and Sustainable Development: Toolkit (ENERGY 177A)
- Engineering and Sustainable Development: Implementation (ENERGY 177B)
- Climate Displacement, Migration and Mobility (HUMRTS 224)
- The Politics of Climate Change (POLISCI 111)
- Energy, Clean Innovation and Sustainability (PUBLPOL 153)
- Concepts and Analytic Skills for the Social Sector (URBANST 132)
- Sustainable Cities (URBANST 164)

Examples of Work in This Area:

David Lobell, Lobell Lab, Precrop payoffs: causal machine learning reveals large but variable yield benefits of crop rotation in major breadbaskets, Environmental Research Letters, How to Rotate Crops, NASA
Hunt Allcott, The Effects of "Buy American": Electric Vehicles and the Inflation Reduction Act, NBER Working Paper, Coverage in NYTimes
Sarah Fletcher, Fletcher Lab, Predicting and understanding residential water use with interpretable machine learning, Environmental Research Letters
Marshall Burke, ECHO: Environmental Change and Human Outcomes Lab, Wildfire smoke exposure and mortality burden in the USA under climate change , Nature
Frank Wolak, Electric Vehicles and the Energy Transition: Unintended Consequences of Time-of-Use Pricing, American Economic Review

Economic Opportunity & Inequality

Complete seven total courses – at least two from each category (Foundation, Intersection, Context).

Courses in bold text are scheduled to be offered in the 2026-27 academic year.

Foundation Courses:

Principles of Economics (ECON 1)
The Science of Politics (POLSCI 1)
Introduction to Psychology (PSYCH 1)
Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1)
Understanding the Welfare System (ECON 11N)
Progress and Inequality (ECON 30)
Introduction to Experimental and Behavioral Economics (ECON 40)
Economic Analysis I (ECON 50 - 5 units)
The Politics of Status, Symbols and Inequality (POLISCI 21Q)
Introduction to International Relations (POLISCI 101)
Introduction to American Politics and Policy: In Defense of Democracy (POLISCI 102)
Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (POLISCI 114D)
America: Unequal (SOC 3)
The Immigrant Experience (SOC 19N)
Introduction to Urban Studies (SOC 100)

Intersection Courses:

Data for Sustainable Development (EARTHSYS 162)
Feeding Nine Billion (EARTHSYS 185)
Economic Development, Microfinance, & Social Networks (ECON 125)
Economics of Health Improvement in Developing Countries (ECON 127)
Ethical STEM: Race, Justice, and Embodied Practice (ETHICSOC 151C)
The Changing American City (SOC 156A)
Just Data: Reimagining Inequality Research (SOC 12N)
The Quantitative Study of Educational and Social Inequality (SOC 373)
Data Narratives (DATASCI 120 WIM)
Students write a research paper involving data analysis on a topic of their choice. To count towards the pathway, students must submit the Request to Use DATASCI 120 for Pathway form and receive program approval.
Data Science Practicum Design (DATASCI 192D)
To use DATASCI 192D toward the pathway, students must complete their capstone project with an organization that aligns with their pathway and receive program approval.
Independent Study (DATASCI 199)
To use DATASCI 199 toward the pathway, students must enroll for at least 2 units and conduct research relevant to the pathway under supervision of a faculty advisor.

Context Courses:

Labor Markets, Human Capital & Inequality
- Urban Education (CSRE 112X)
- Diversity and Equity Issues in Higher Education (CSRE 181)
- Gender and Higher Education: National and International Perspectives (FEMGEN 173)
- Family and Society (ECON 144)
Race, Gender, Immigration & Inequality
- The Urban Underclass (CSRE 149A)
Development Economics & Political Economy
- Political Economy of Development (POLISCI 141)
- Comparative Democratic Development (POLISCI 147)
- Political Economy of Latin America (POLISCI 243)
- Governance and Poverty (POLISCI 247G)
- Development Economics (ECON 118)
- Wealth of Nations (ECON 134)
- International Trade (ECON 166)
- China's Political Economy (SOC 175)
Sustainable Development
- Philanthropy for Sustainable Development (ETHICSOC 232T)
- Engineering & Sustainable Development (ENERGY 177A-B)
- Comparative Democratic Development (POLISCI 147)

Examples of Work in This Area:

David Grusky
- Listening to the Voices of America, RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences
- Scaling Baby Bonds with Direct Financial Assistance, Stanford Center on Poverty & Inequality
Grant Miller, Human Trafficking Data Lab, “The Prevalence and Characteristics of Labor Trafficking in Brazilian Agriculture”, Journal of Human Trafficking
- Fighting Modern Slavery with Data, Kimberly Babiarz
James Hamilton, Digital inequality and access to low income individuals to public benefits, Journal of Quantitative Description: Digital Media

Education

Complete seven total courses – at least two from each category (Foundation, Intersection, Context).

Courses in bold text are scheduled to be offered in the 2026-27 academic year.

Foundation Courses:

Principles of Economics (ECON 1)
The Science of Politics (POLSCI 1)
Introduction to Psychology (PSYCH 1)
Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1)
Economic Analysis I (ECON 50)
Introduction to Teaching and Learning (EDUC 101)
Introduction to American Politics and Policy: In Defense of Democracy (POLISCI 102)
Minds & Machines (PSYCH 35)
Introduction to Learning & Memory (PSYCH 45)

Intersection Courses:

Data Science and the Science of Learning (DATASCI 194L)
Technology for Learners (EDUC 281)
Empowering Educators via Language Technology (EDUC 473/CS 293)
Educational Opportunity Research Lab (EDUC 303)
Introduction to Education Data Science: Data Processing (SOC 302A)
The Quantitative Study of Educational and Social Inequality (SOC 373)
Data Narratives (DATASCI 120 WIM)
Students write a research paper involving data analysis on a topic of their choice. To count towards the pathway, students must submit the Request to Use DATASCI 120 for Pathway form and receive program approval.
Data Science Practicum Design (DATASCI 192D)
To use DATASCI 192D toward the pathway, students must complete their capstone project with an organization that aligns with their pathway and receive program approval.
Independent Study (DATASCI 199)
To use DATASCI 199 toward the pathway, students must enroll for at least 2 units and conduct research relevant to the pathway under supervision of a faculty advisor.

Context Courses:

Policy & Context
- Research and Policy on Postsecondary Access (EDUC 117)
- Economics of Education (ECON 146)
- Introduction to Philosophy of Education (ETHICSOC 204)
- History of Higher Education in the U.S. (HISTORY 158C)
- Education and Society (SOC 130)
Race, Ethnicity, Diversity & Inequality
- Urban Education (CSRE 112X)
- Diversity and Equity Issues in Higher Education (CSRE 181)
- Gender and Higher Education: National and International Perspectives (FEMGEN 173)
- How to Learn Mathematics (EDUC 115N)
- Re(positioning) Disability: Historical, Cultural and Social Lenses (EDUC 144)
- Race, Ethnicity, and Linguistic Diversity in Classrooms: Sociocultural Theory and Practices (EDUC 103B)
Educational Research Methods
- Foundational Course in Testing (EDUC 142)

Examples of Work in This Area:

sean reardon, Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University, From Learning Recession to Learning Recovery: Understanding the Sources of U.S. K-12 Improvement, Education Scorecard
sean reardon, Is Separate Still Unequal? New Evidence on School Segregation and Racial Academic Achievement Gaps, American Sociological Review
Dan McFarland, Education Data Science: Past, Present, Future, AERA Open
Thomas Dee & Hunt Allcott, The Effects of School Phone Bans: Evidence from Lockable Pouches, NBER Working Paper, NPR coverage
Judith Fan, Cognitive Tools Lab, Linking student psychological orientation, engagement, and learning in college-level introductory data science. Proceedings of the 47th Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society
Irene Lo, Optimization Meets Participation: Iterative Zone Generation for School Assignment, EAAMO '25: Proceedings of the 5th ACM Conference on Equity and Access in Algorithms, Mechanisms, and Optimization

Health Policy

Complete seven total courses – at least two from each category (Foundation, Intersection, Context).

Courses in bold text are scheduled to be offered in the 2026-27 academic year.

Foundation Courses:

Principles of Economics (ECON 1)
The Science of Politics (POLSCI 1)
Introduction to Psychology (PSYCH 1)
Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1)
Future of America's Healthcare Policies (ECON 28N)
Economics and Science of Drug Discovery (ECON 39)
Law and Economics of Biomedical Innovation (ECON 48)
Economic Analysis I (ECON 50)
Introduction to American Politics and Policy: In Defense of Democracy (POLISCI 102)
Human & Planetary Health (SOC 103)

Intersection Courses:

Data Science for Computational Molecular Biology (DATASCI 194B)
Economics of Health Improvement in Developing Countries (ECON 127)
Outcomes Analysis (HRP 252)
Global Health: Scaling Health Technology in Low Resource Settings (MED 232)
Health Policy Modeling (MS&E 292)
Data Narratives (DATASCI 120 WIM)
Students write a research paper involving data analysis on a topic of their choice. To count towards the pathway, students must submit the Request to Use DATASCI 120 for Pathway form and receive program approval.
Data Science Practicum Design (DATASCI 192D)
To use DATASCI 192D toward the pathway, students must complete their capstone project with an organization that aligns with their pathway and receive program approval.
Independent Study (DATASCI 199)
To use DATASCI 199 toward the pathway, students must enroll for at least 2 units and conduct research relevant to the pathway under supervision of a faculty advisor.

Context Courses:

U.S. Healthcare System
- Health Care Policy & Reform (PUBLPOL 156)
- Economics of Health and Medical Care (ECON 126)
Health Disparities & Social Determinants of Health
- Economics of Health Equity (ECON 122)
- Beyond Health Care: the effects of social policies on health (HUMBIO 122)
- Social Epidemiology (EPI 263)
- Social and Environmental Determinants of Health (PEDS 150)
Global Health
- Health Care Systems Around the World (HUMBIO 123G)
- Introduction to Global Health (HUMBIO 29)
- Global Change and Emerging Infectious Disease (HUMBIO 114)
- Global Child Health (HUMBIO 124C)
- Biosecurity & Pandemic Resilience (PUBLPOL 122)

Examples of Work in This Area:

Ramesh Johari, Equitable implementation of a precision digital health program for glucose management in individuals with newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes, Nature Medicine
Maya Rossin Slater, Maternal and Infant Health Inequality: Evidence from Linked Administrative Data, Review of Economics & Statistics, coverage in NYTimes
Grant Miller, Human Trafficking Data Lab, “The Prevalence and Characteristics of Labor Trafficking in Brazilian Agriculture”, Journal of Human Trafficking
- Fighting Modern Slavery with Data, Kimberly Babiarz
Stephen Luby, Luby Lab, Reducing emissions and air pollution from informal brick kilns: Evidence from Bangladesh, Science

Language

Complete seven total courses – at least two from each category (Foundation, Intersection, Context).

Courses in bold text are scheduled to be offered in the 2026-27 academic year.

Foundation Courses:

Principles of Economics (ECON 1)
The Science of Politics (POLSCI 1)
Introduction to Psychology (PSYCH 1)
Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1)
From Languages to Information (CS 124) *required
Media Markets & Social Good (ECON 47)
Minds & Machines (PSYCH 35)

Intersection Courses:

Data Science for Neuroscience (DATASCI 194N)
Language and Society (LINGUIST 150)
Natural Language Processing with Deep Learning (SYMSYS 195N)
Natural Language Processing in the Social Sciences (SYMSYS 195T)
Methods in Psycholinguistics (SYMSYS 195L)
Data Narratives (DATASCI 120 WIM)
Students write a research paper involving data analysis on a topic of their choice. To count towards the pathway, students must submit the Request to Use DATASCI 120 for Pathway form and receive program approval.
Data Science Practicum Design (DATASCI 192D)
To use DATASCI 192D toward the pathway, students must complete their capstone project with an organization that aligns with their pathway and receive program approval.
Independent Study (DATASCI 199)
To use DATASCI 199 toward the pathway, students must enroll for at least 2 units and conduct research relevant to the pathway under supervision of a faculty advisor.

Context Courses:

Processing & Learning Language
- Introduction to Semantics and Pragmatics (LINGUIST 130A)
- Introduction to Psycholinguistics (LINGUIST 145/PSYCH 140)
- Language, Gender & Sexuality (LINGUIST 156)
- Introduction to Personality and Affective Science (PSYCH 80)
- Language Neuroscience Seminar (PSYCH 122)
- Developmental Science of Social Cognition (PSYCH 175)
Language & Digital Media
- The Rise of Digital Culture (COMM 120W)
- Truth, Trust, and Tech (COMM 124)
- Personality and Digital Media (COMM 145)
- The Politics of Algorithms (COMM 154)
- Virtual People (COMM 166)
- Media, Technology, and the Body (COMM 186W)

Examples of Work in This Area:

Dan Jurafsky, The Stanford Natural Language Processing Lab, Sycophantic AI Decreases Prosocial Intentions and Promotes Dependence. , Science, NY Times, AP, Scientific American
Michael Bernstein, Stanford HCI Lab, Finetuning LLMs for Human Behavior Prediction in Social Science Experiments, EMNLP 2026, project site
Jeremy Freese, Word Embeddings Reveal How Fundamental Sentiments Structure Natural Language, American Behavioral Scientist

Law & Governance

Complete seven total courses – at least two from each category (Foundation, Intersection, Context).

Courses in bold text are scheduled to be offered in the 2026-27 academic year.

Foundation Courses:

Principles of Economics (ECON 1)
The Science of Politics (POLSCI 1)
Introduction to Psychology (PSYCH 1)
Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1)
Introduction to Experimental and Behavioral Economics (ECON 40)
Economics of Voting (ECON 42)
Economic Analysis I (ECON 50)
Is Privacy Dead? Privacy, Surveillance and Freedom in the Digital Age (POLISCI 29N)
Introduction to American Politics and Policy: In Defense of Democracy (POLISCI 102)
Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law (POLISCI 114D)

Intersection Courses:

Deliberative Democracy Practicum: Applying Deliberative Polling (COMM 138)
Ethics, Public Policy & Technological Change (CS 182)
CCDRL Honors Independent Study (DDRL 191)
Regulation, Evaluation and Governance Lab Practicum (LAW 7102)
This course requires an application and approval from the instructor.
Campaigns, Voting, Media and Elections (POLISCI 120B/COMM 162)
Governing Artificial Intelligence: Law, Policy & Institutions (POLISCI 145B/CS 283)
Data Narratives (DATASCI 120 WIM)
Students write a research paper involving data analysis on a topic of their choice. To count towards the pathway, students must submit the Request to Use DATASCI 120 for Pathway form and receive program approval.
Data Science Practicum Design (DATASCI 192D)
To use DATASCI 192D toward the pathway, students must complete their capstone project with an organization that aligns with their pathway and receive program approval.
Independent Study (DATASCI 199)
To use DATASCI 199 toward the pathway, students must enroll for at least 2 units and conduct research relevant to the pathway under supervision of a faculty advisor.

Context Courses:

Constitutional Law
- American Constitutional History (HISTORY 57)
- The First Amendment: Freedom of Speech and Press (POLISCI 125P)
- Creation of the Constitution (HISTORY 153)
- American Constitutional History from the Civil War to the War on Poverty (AMSTUD 155)
Justice & Inequality
- Philosophy of Law: Protest, Punishment, and Racial Justice (ETHICSOC 175W)
- Crime and Punishment in America (SOC 179A)
- Law and Inequality (LAWGEN 112N)
- Sociology of Law (SOC 136)
- The Urban Underclass (SOC 149)
Law & Economics
- Law and Economics (ECON 154)
Law & Technology
- Ethics on the Edge (PUBLPOL 134/LAW 7020)
Political Institutions
- Politics of American Courts (POLISCI 123D)
- Spies, Lies and Algorithms: The History & Future of American Intelligence (POLISCI 115)
- The Presidency (POLISCI 220R)
- American Political Institutions in Uncertain Times (POLISCI 120C)
Political Economy
- The Political Economy of Development (POLISCI 141)
- Wealth of Nations (POLISCI 244C/ECON 134)
- Political Economy of Latin America (POLISCI 243)
- China's Political Economy (SOC 175)
- Governance and Poverty (POLISCI 247G)
Political Behavior
- The Psychology of Communication About Politics in America (POLISCI 124L)
- Gender and Politics (POLISCI 225)
- Racial-Ethnic Politics in the US (POLISCI 121L)
- Political Culture (POLISCI 244U)
Democratization & Political Change
- Designing Democracy: Constitutional Crises, Change and Continuity (POLISCI 238T)
- Populism and the Erosion of Democracy (POLISCI 140P)
- Comparative Democratic Development (POLISCI 147)
- Authoritarian Politics (POLISCI 244A)

Examples of Work in This Area:

Jens Hainmeuller, Immigration Policy Lab, Does ad hoc language training improve the economic integration of refugees? Evidence from Germany’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A: Statistics in Society
Robb Willer, AI for Public Benefit Lab, “LLM generated messages can persuade humans on policy issues” Nature Communications
Daniel Ho, RegLab, AI for Scaling Legal Reform: Mapping and Redacting Racial Covenants in Santa Clara County, Journal for Legal Analysis
Jennifer Pan & Hunt Allcott, The effects of political advertising on Facebook and Instagram before the 2020 election, Nature
Beatriz Magaloni, Poverty, Violence & Governance Lab, Killing in the Slums: The problems of social order, criminal governance and police violence in Rio de Janeiro, American Political Science Review

Media & Democracy

Complete seven total courses – at least two from each category (Foundation, Intersection, Context).

Courses in bold text are scheduled to be offered in the 2026-27 academic year.

Foundation Courses:

Principles of Economics (ECON 1)
The Science of Politics (POLISCI 1)
Introduction to Psychology (PSYCH 1)
Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1)
Media Markets & Social Good (ECON 47)
Introduction to American Politics and Policy: In Defense of Democracy (POLISCI 102)
The Psychology of Communications about Politics in America (POLISCI 124L)
Minds and Machines (PSYCH 35 - 4 units)
Introduction to Social Networks (SOC 126)

Intersection Courses:

Trust and Safety (COMM 122/CS 152)
Deliberative Democracy Practicum: Applying Deliberative Polling (COMM 138)
News Frontiers (COMM 177A)
Big Local Journalism: a project-based class (COMM 177B)
Investigative Watchdog Reporting (COMM 177I)
Building News Applications (COMM 177T)
Data Narratives (DATASCI 120 WIM)
Students write a research paper involving data analysis on a topic of their choice. To count towards the pathway, students must submit the Request to Use DATASCI 120 for Pathway form and receive program approval.
Data Science Practicum Design (DATASCI 192D)
To use DATASCI 192D toward the pathway, students must complete their capstone project with an organization that aligns with their pathway and receive program approval.
Independent Study (DATASCI 199)
To use DATASCI 199 toward the pathway, students must enroll for at least 2 units and conduct research relevant to the pathway under supervision of a faculty advisor.

Context Courses:

Content Production
- Reporting, Writing, and Understanding the News (COMM 104W)
- Advanced Digital Journalism Production (COMM 176)
- Specialized Writing and Reporting: Science and Environmental Journalism (COMM 177C)
- Specialized Writing and Reporting: Narrative Journalism (COMM 177D)
- Specialized Writing and Reporting: Sports Journalism (COMM 177SW)
- Specialized Writing and Reporting: Foreign Correspondence (COMM 177Y)
- Persuasive Economic Storytelling (ECON 132)

Examples of Work in This Area:

Cheryl Phillips, Stanford Open Policing Project, A large-scale analysis of racial disparities in police stops across the United States, Nature Human Behavior
Angele Christin, Algorithms in practice: comparing web journalism and criminal justice, Big Data & Society
James Hamilton, Anchoring in the past, tweeting from the present: Cognitive bias in journalists’ word choices, PLOS One
Irena Hwang, data journalist at NYTimes, speaker in Data Science@Work series

Technology & Society

Complete seven total courses – at least two from each category (Foundation, Intersection, Context).

Courses in bold text are scheduled to be offered in the 2026-27 academic year.

Foundation Courses:

Principles of Economics (ECON 1)
The Science of Politics (POLSCI 1)
Introduction to Psychology (PSYCH 1)
Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1)
Introduction to Experimental and Behavioral Economics (ECON 40)
Media Markets & Social Good (ECON 47)
Economic Analysis I (ECON 50)
Is Privacy Dead? Privacy, Surveillance and Freedom in the Digital Age (POLISCI 29N)
American Politics and Policy: In Defense of Democracy (POLISCI 102)
Minds & Machines (PSYCH 35)
Introduction to Social Networks (SOC 126)

Intersection Courses:

Trust and Safety (COMM 122/CS 152)
Building News Applications (COMM 177T)
Introduction to AI Safety (CS 120)
Human Centered AI (CS 139)
Ethics, Public Policy and Technology Change (CS 182/COMM 180)
The Future of Work: What Will it Mean to Build AI Enabled Organizations (MS&E 184)
Managing Data Science Organizations for Innovation and Impact (MS&E 284)
While this course is at the graduate level, the course description indicates openness to undergraduate students.
Governing Artificial Intelligence: Law, Policy & Institutions (POLISCI 145B/CS 283)
AI Policy Development (POLISCI 294)
Data Narratives (DATASCI 120 WIM)
Students write a research paper involving data analysis on a topic of their choice. To count towards the pathway, students must submit the Request to Use DATASCI 120 for Pathway form and receive program approval.
Data Science Practicum Design (DATASCI 192D)
To use DATASCI 192D toward the pathway, students must complete their capstone project with an organization that aligns with their pathway and receive program approval.
Independent Study (DATASCI 199)
To use DATASCI 199 toward the pathway, students must enroll for at least 2 units and conduct research relevant to the pathway under supervision of a faculty advisor.

Context Courses:

Governance & Politics
- Censorship and Propaganda (COMM 158)
Data & Society
- Media, Culture, and Society (AMSTUD 1B)
- Truth, Trust, and Tech (COMM 124)
- The Politics of Algorithms (COMM 154)
Markets & Incentives
- Market Design (ECON 136)
- Organizations: Theory and Management (MS&E 180)
- Market Design for Engineers (MS&E 230)
  While this course is at the graduate level, the course description indicates openness to undergraduate students.
Building Better Technologies
- Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction Design (CS 147)
- Introduction to Design (DESIGN 1)
- Introduction to Human Values in Design (DESIGN 121)
- Technology Entrepreneurship (ENGR 145)
- Introduction to Product Management (MS&E 165)
- Social Entrepreneurship (MS&E 176)

Examples of Work in This Area:

Michael Bernstein, Stanford HCI Group, Social Media Feed Elicitation, ACM CHI conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Ramesh Johari, Experimental Design in Two-Sided Platforms: An Analysis of Bias, Management Science
Hunt Allcott, The Effect of Deactivating Facebook and Instagram on Users’ Emotional State, OpEd in Washington Post
Angele Christin, Internal Fractures: The Competing Logics of Social Media Platforms, Social Media & Society
Jen Pan, Political Censorship in Large Language Models Originating from China, PNAS Nexus
Irene Lo, Commitment on Volunteer Crowdsourcing Platforms: Implications for Growth and Engagement, Manufacturing and Service Operations Management

Urban Systems

Complete seven total courses – at least two from each category (Foundation, Intersection, Context).

Courses in bold text are scheduled to be offered in the 2026-27 academic year.

Foundation Courses:

Principles of Economics (ECON 1)
The Science of Politics (POLSCI 1)
Introduction to Psychology (PSYCH 1)
Introduction to Sociology (SOC 1)
Progress and Inequality (ECON 30)
Economic Analysis I (ECON 50)
Introduction to American Politics and Policy: In Defense of Democracy (POLISCI 102)
America: Unequal (SOC 3)
Introduction to Urban Studies (SOC 100)
Introduction to Social Networks (SOC 126)

Intersection Courses:

Empirical Environmental Economics (ECON 177)
Just Data: Reimagining Inequality Research (SOC 12N)
The Changing American City (SOC 156A)
To use SOC 156A towards the Intersection course requirement, the student must demonstrate sufficient use of data analysis techniques in their final project for the class and have it approved by the data science program.
Data Narratives (DATASCI 120 WIM)
Students write a research paper involving data analysis on a topic of their choice. To count towards the pathway, students must submit the Request to Use DATASCI 120 for Pathway form and receive program approval.
Data Science Practicum Design (DATASCI 192D)
To use DATASCI 192D toward the pathway, students must complete their capstone project with an organization that aligns with their pathway and receive program approval.
Independent Study (DATASCI 199)
To use DATASCI 199 toward the pathway, students must enroll for at least 2 units and conduct research relevant to the pathway under supervision of a faculty advisor.

Context Courses:

Cities
- Superpower California: The Indispensable State (POLISCI 226)
- Politics & Policy in California (PUBLPOL 154)
- The Urban Economy (PUBLPOL 174)
- The Changing American City (SOC 156A)
- CAPITALS: How Cities Shape Cultures, States and People (URBANST 153)
Inequality
- Climate change and global inequality (ECON 155)
- The Urban Underclass (SOC 149)
Contemporary Urban Issues
- Urban Education (EDUC 112)
- Family and Society (ECON 144)
- Housing Affordability Crisis in California: Causes, Impacts & Solutions (PUBLPOL 108H)
- Housing Visions (URBANST 103C)
- Gentrification (URBANST 141)
- Who Owns Your City? Institutional Real Estate Seminar (URBANST 148)
- Race and Ethnicity in Urban California (URBANST 169)
Environmental Planning
- Clean Water Now! Urban Water Conflicts (CEE 41Q)
- Urban Water (CEE 173)
- Human Society and Environmental Change (EARTHSYS 112)
- Sustainable Cities (EARTHSYS 160)
- Urban Agroecology (EARTHSYS 181)

Examples of Work in This Area:

Jackelyn Hwang, Changing Cities Research Lab
- Data Vignette Series: Residential Instability in Oakland
- CityPulse: Fine-Grained Assessment of Urban Change with Street View Time Series, AAAI
- Built environment disparities are amplified during extreme weather recovery, nature
- Surveillance camera prevalence and racial diversity in ten US cities, nature cities
- Cleaning Up the Neighborhood: White Influx and Differential Requests for Services, Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World
- Unequal Displacement: Gentrification, Racial Stratification, and Residential Destinations in Philadelphia, American Journal of Sociology
- Integrating or segregating? Gentrification, the changing city-suburb divide, and black exceptionalism, Social Forces

Develop Your Own

More information about the process to propose your own pathway for the AY 2026-27 requirement year will be available soon.