Heterarchical systems are ubiquitous in nature and society.
They require variably long time scales for the interactions among their diverse elements to unwind towards thermodynamic equilibrium. Within those stacks of interest to this course, we focus on the newly emergent sciences of complexity to study the principles of self-organization of social systems. We review foundational principles of complex systems and cutting edge research at the Santa Fe Institute, MIT and elsewhere, from studies of Renaissance Florence to Eastern Europe and contemporary market systems. The instructor is a working group member of the Santa Fe Institute and cofounder of a systems science research group that includes Yates, Iberall and Soodak and numerous social scientists. In addition to readings on basic principles, students explore several current research approaches in the social sciences and focus on one for a class presentation and term paper.