Political Science 333 A: AI & Geopolitics
SLN: 14099
Full-Term: June 22 – August 21, 2026 (Summer 2026)
Syllabus: Google Doc [link TBD]
Mode: Asynchronous Online; no required online meetings.
Course Week: Monday to Sunday
General Method of Instruction: Weekly readings, recorded lectures, films and podcasts, discussion posts, and analytical essays
W Credit Optional: Satisfies the "W" Credit requirement by arrangement.
Instructor Contact and Office Hours
Instructor: Robin Datta
Best Contact: rdatta@uw.edu
Office Hours: TBD
Location: Online (via Zoom Office link in Canvas)
Course Overview
How are AI systems impacting global politics, and who gets to decide?
Is AI an autonomous force reshaping our world, or is its trajectory steered by political choice, state competition, and institutional design?
This quarter we will:
- Explore how states, firms, and institutions across the world are navigating the AI competition through competing strategies of supply chain control, regulatory design, and military integration.
- Assess how a diverse range of actors, from major powers to emerging economies, are contesting, accommodating, or exploiting the terms of an AI-driven world order.
- Evaluate whether the emerging AI order is governable at all, and if so, by whom, through what institutions, and on whose terms.
You will end this course by arguing a position on a question that matters: from the politics of semiconductor on-shoring to the ethics of autonomous battlefield weapons, the emerging AI order is not a fixed outcome but a site of persistent political contest where the future of global governance remains unsettled.
Draft Topic List
Week 01 - Do Technologies Have Politics?
Week 02 - Does AI Fit Existing Models of Great Power Rivalry?
Week 03 - Who Builds AI, Who Captures Its Value, and Who Bears Its Costs?
Week 04 - How Is AI Reshaping Great Power Competition?
Week 05 - Which Model of AI Governance Will Prevail?
Week 06 - Can the Global South Achieve AI Sovereignty?
Week 07 - Should Machines Make Lethal Decisions?
Week 08 - Is the Emerging AI Order Governable?
Week 09 - Where do we go from here?
Texts and Materials
There is no required textbook for this course. All readings are drawn from academic articles, book excerpts, and policy documents linked in Canvas. Some readings may require your UW NetID for off-campus access.
Each week may also include required films or podcasts; these will be linked in Canvas.
For current developments, regular reading of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, and Lawfare is strongly recommended.
Recommended Preparation and Learning Goals
Students should have a general familiarity with the basic concepts of international relations, including the core insights of realism, liberal internationalism, and constructivism. No technical background in artificial intelligence is required or expected.
When you have finished this course, you will be able to:
- Explain the major theoretical frameworks used to analyze the relationship between technology and political power.
- Analyze how states, firms, and institutions navigate technological competition and its geopolitical consequences.
- Compare competing models of AI governance and assess their strengths, limitations, and prospects for adoption.
- Evaluate the security risks arising from AI integration into military systems and international order.
- Develop and argue an original, evidence-based position on a live question in AI geopolitics, drawing on international relations theory, technology theory, and primary policy sources.
Generative AI (Claude Sonnet 4.6) was used to assist in the coding and formatting of this course information page. The instructor maintains full responsibility for the content and its alignment with university standards.