Building the Future Through Curriculum: Deep Tech at Duke's Expanding Course Suite

At Deep Tech at Duke, students are at the center of everything we do, from research designed for impact to programming and community events. Our mission is to engage the entire Duke community in understanding and shaping the technologies that will define our future. While research and events create touchpoints, we recognize that curriculum offers a more comprehensive pathway to reach students across all schools and disciplines. That's why we built a suite of deep tech courses designed to equip Duke students with the knowledge and critical thinking skills needed to navigate the complex intersection of technology, policy, and society.

A Student-Centered Approach to Deep Tech Education

The deep tech landscape encompassing artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing, climate finance, and cybersecurity presents both opportunities and challenges. These technologies don't respect disciplinary boundaries, and neither should our educational approach. Our course offerings reflect this reality, bringing together perspectives from public policy, arts and humanities, ethics, finance, and environmental policy.

By embedding deep tech education within Duke's curriculum, we ensure that students from every corner of the university can engage with these critical issues. Whether you're a public policy student examining AI regulation, an engineering student grappling with ethical design questions, or a pre-med student considering the implications of health data privacy, these courses meet you where you are and prepare you for where you're going.

Our Expanding Suite of Courses

Our deep tech curriculum began with Deep Tech and Sustainability Policy (SCISOC 590-03) taught by Professor Tim Profeta with Deep Tech Research Associate Ian Hitchcock in Spring 2026. The course examines the complex relationship between emerging technologies and environmental sustainability, exploring how innovations like AI and quantum computing can address climate challenges while also critically analyzing their environmental costs, from data center energy demands to critical mineral mining. Students engage with case studies spanning clean energy deployment, electronic waste, and the intersections of technology with globalization and international trade.

Building on this foundation, we've expanded our Fall 2026 offerings to address a broader range of deep tech opportunities and challenges:

Bass Connections: CHIPS Challenge – Technology, Policy, and the Global Supply Chain (SCISOC 590) is a project-based course led by David Hoffman and Merritt Cahoon examining semiconductor supply chain resilience through qualitative and quantitative research. Students will map the full lifecycle of chip production, from raw material extraction to distribution, analyze how policies like the CHIPS Act shape competitiveness and security, and develop policy recommendations for a CHIPS Act 2.0, culminating in a public convening at Duke in DC with national leaders and industry experts.

AI, Ethics & Creative Economic Policy (PUBPOL 590 / SCISOC 590) taught by Professor David Hoffman with Liz Sparacino and Tift Merritt, meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:45am-1:00pm, examining how AI is transforming creative sectors and exploring practical policy solutions to maximize benefits while minimizing risks to creatives. Through discussion-based sessions and direct engagement with affected creatives, students apply frameworks from technology policy, ethics, and historical technology transitions to develop equitable approaches to AI governance in creative industries.

AI & Financial Services Policy (SCISOC 590) with Professor Lee Reiners, offered Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:05-4:20pm, examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping lending, trading, fraud detection, and compliance while raising critical policy questions about consumer protection, market integrity, and bias in automated decision-making. Through case studies spanning banks, fintech firms, and regulators, students explore emerging frameworks for governing algorithmic systems in finance.

The New Technology Policy Minor

In addition to our expanding course offerings, the Sanford School of Public Policy now offers a Technology Policy Minor available to undergraduate students across all majors. This interdisciplinary minor provides a structured pathway for students to develop expertise at the intersection of technology and policy, regardless of their primary field of study. Whether you're majoring in engineering, humanities, social sciences, or natural sciences, the Tech Policy Minor offers a framework for understanding how to shape technology governance and innovation policy in your future career. The number of tech policy classes offered expands every semester. You can find the list of tech policy classes on the Tech Policy Program website or find a list below.

Why Curriculum Matters

These courses do more than transmit information; they create communities of inquiry where students from different backgrounds collaborate to understand complex sociotechnical systems. 

Curriculum provides structure, rigor, and continuity that complements our research initiatives and events. While a guest lecture or workshop might spark interest, a semester-long course allows for deep engagement with difficult questions, sustained dialogue across differences, and the development of analytical frameworks that students will carry throughout their careers.

Join Us in Building the Future

Deep Tech at Duke's course offerings represent our commitment to preparing students not just to use emerging technologies, but to lead in shaping their development and governance. Whether you're passionate about AI policy, concerned about cybersecurity, or curious about sustainable innovation, there's a place for you in this conversation.

We invite all Duke students to explore these courses and join us in building a future where technology serves human flourishing. 

For questions about course registration, prerequisites, or Deep Tech at Duke programming, email deeptech@duke.edu. 

Technology Policy Course Offerings

• Security Incident Detection, Response, and Resilience (CYBERSEC 510) - Prof. Arturo Ehuan - Mo 3:05pm - 5:55pm
• Information, Technology, Ethics and Policy (PUBPOL 372) - Prof. Abe Katz - MoWe 8:30am - 9:45am
• Cybersecurity and Health Data Policy (PUBPOL 552S / SCISOC 552S) - Prof. Campbell Tucker - TuTh 1:25pm - 2:40pm
• AI, Ethics & Creative Economic Policy (PUBPOL 590 / SCISOC 590) - Prof. David Hoffman - TuTh 11:45am - 1:00pm
• Digital Democracy (PUBPOL 590S) - Prof. Piero Bonadeo - Th 3:05pm - 5:35pm
• Governing AI (PUBPOL 590S) - Prof. Anne Washington - We 3:05pm - 5:35pm
• Privacy and Ethical Decision-Making in Our Digital Era (PUBPOL 614 / SCISOC 614) - Prof. Jolynn Dellinger - Mo 1:25pm - 3:55pm
• Navigating The Information Environment (PUBPOL 838) - Prof. Philip Napoli - Th 6:00pm - 7:15pm
• Cybersecurity Policy & Practice (PUBPOL 890) - Prof. Thomas Ross - Th 7:30pm - 8:45pm
• You, Me, and the Machine: Philosophy and the Idea of AI (SCISOC 171CN) - Prof. Henry Pickford - TuTh 3:05pm - 4:20pm
• Science & Society: Digital Intelligence - Computing and Ethics (SCISOC 256) - Prof. Sarah Ripsin Sedlak - Tu 1:25pm - 3:55pm
• AI & Financial Services Policy (SCISOC 590) - Prof. Lee Reiners - MoWe 3:05pm - 4:20pm
• Applying Ethics to Innovation (SCISOC 690) - Prof. David Hoffman - We 8:45am - 11:15am