POLITICS. TEACHING. OTHER QUESTIONABLE INTERESTS.
YDYOAV DUMAN

Teaching / Open the question

CLASS
WORK.

The world is complicated.
The worksheet should know that.

Simulations, visual arguments, syllabi, and things to try in a room full of people. Built to make ideas do some work.

Use something. Tell me what happened.
Whose Terms?See how power works.Israel–Palestine, explored through interactive cases. ↗
All topics 35Israel-Palestine3Comparative Politics22International Relations11American Politics6Immigration1Citizenship6Political Theory1Frontiers Simulations8Whose Terms?3

7 resources

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01

Learning bot

Who Gets to be We

Who Gets to Be We? — The Nationalism Exhibit What makes a nation—and who gets left out? Help repair an unfinished museum exhibit using Andreas Wimmer’s “Why Nationalism Works.” Choose evidence, compare cases, and explore how nationalism can support solidarity and equality while also producing exclusion and violence. Your reading companion helps you work through difficult passages as you develop your own interpretation. 25–35 minutes after reading.

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Readings & preparation ↗

Who_Gets_to_Be_We_Readings.pdf

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02

Learning bot

The Cooperation Lab — Multilateralism Partner

The Cooperation Lab — Multilateralism Partner What happens when a powerful country turns against the institutions it helped build? Explore Carnegie and Clark’s “Multilateralism Can Survive Trump,” investigate strategies for keeping cooperation alive, and weigh their costs. Then apply your reasoning to a fictional international flood-warning network under political pressure. A brief comparison with Mearsheimer brings the tension between cooperation and rivalry into focus. 25–35 minutes after reading.

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Readings & preparation ↗

Cooperation_Lab_Readings.pdf

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03

Learning bot

The Rivalry Brief

Can cooperation help create a future rival? Investigate John Mearsheimer’s argument about U.S.–China competition and build a short research brief of your own. Follow the evidence, apply the theory to a flashpoint, and decide what you find convincing. You’ll get more guidance when you need it and deeper questions when you’re ready. Your conclusions are yours to defend. Read the article first and keep it open. Allow about 35–40 minutes for the activity.

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Readings & preparation ↗

John J. Mearsheimer - The Inevitable Rivalry.pdf

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04

Learning bot

The Democracy Repair Shop

The ballots are counted. What else has to work? Step into a fictional repair shop and use Kreps and Kriner’s “How AI Threatens Democracy” to diagnose problems of representation, accountability, and trust. You’ll unpack difficult passages, examine the evidence, and defend a repair—with guidance that adapts to your understanding. **Allow about 40 minutes. Keep the article open as you work.**

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Readings & preparation ↗

Kreps and Kriner - How AI Threatens Democracy.pdf

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05

Learning bot

THE RULES HEARING

Can a broken rule still matter? Test what international norms do when states break them. Then make a commission’s decision. Does a norm matter if a state violates it? In this MUSEBot activity, you’ll work through Tanisha M. Fazal’s argument about power and principle, use constructivist ideas about identity and recognition, and serve on a fictional international commission. You’ll weigh the evidence, examine a double standard, and recommend a response to a border crisis. Before you begin, read Fazal’s “The Power of Principles: What Norms Are Still Good For” and watch both constructivism lectures. Set aside about 40 minutes. Keep the article open; the bot will guide you one question at a time. You’ll need to be signed into Gemini to use the bot.

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Readings & preparation ↗

14_FAZAL.pdf

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06

Learning bot / 40-60 minutes

The Signal Room: January 6, Testimony & Power

How do political messages become action—and what evidence connects them? Explore January 6 through the testimony of election workers, police officers, and a White House aide. With Alex, your AI evidence guide, examine race, loyalty, violence, and accountability. Compare accounts, question assumptions, and build an explanation you can defend—and revise when the evidence demands.

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07

Learning bot

After the Headline: The Nigeria File

Why can a state be powerful in some ways and struggle in others? Join the research desk of a fictional magazine and investigate Nigeria through evidence about oil, taxation, public services, and political power. This guided chatbot challenges you to connect the readings, question easy explanations, and build an argument that can survive a skeptical reader. Before you begin: Read all three selections in the reading packet and keep it open during the activity. Lectures are optional. Allow approximately 40 minutes after completing the readings.

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Readings & preparation ↗

After_the_Headline_Nigeria_Reading_Packet.pdf

Download readings PDF

MUSE / AI & education

BETTER QUESTIONS.
BETTER CONVERSATIONS.

A little help getting from “I read it” to “I understand it.”

These learning bots help students read difficult texts, apply concepts, test arguments, and revise their thinking. Start with the source. Keep your judgment switched on.

Who Gets to be We

Readings & preparation ↗

Who_Gets_to_Be_We_Readings.pdf

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Open the bot ↗
The Cooperation Lab — Multilateralism Partner

Readings & preparation ↗

Cooperation_Lab_Readings.pdf

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Open the bot ↗
The Rivalry Brief

Readings & preparation ↗

John J. Mearsheimer - The Inevitable Rivalry.pdf

Download readings PDF
Open the bot ↗
The Democracy Repair Shop

Readings & preparation ↗

Kreps and Kriner - How AI Threatens Democracy.pdf

Download readings PDF
Open the bot ↗
THE RULES HEARING

Readings & preparation ↗

14_FAZAL.pdf

Download readings PDF
Open the bot ↗
The Signal Room: January 6, Testimony & Power 40-60 minutes

Before You Begin Watch these three testimony videos before starting The Signal Room: 1. Police testimony: Aquilino Gonell, Michael Fanone, Daniel Hodges, and Harry Dunn https://youtu.be/a8WU8MRC2M8 2. Shaye Moss’s testimony, including recorded testimony from Ruby Freeman https://youtu.be/6dn48fcHkFw 3. Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony https://www.pbs.org/video/the-january-6th-hearings-day-6-9racyj/ As you watch, note a few specific moments: what each witness personally experienced, what they learned from others, and what questions their account raises. Bring those observations to your conversation with Alex. Prefer to read? You can use the hearing transcripts instead: Police testimony: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-117hhrg45472/html/CHRG-117hhrg45472.htm Shaye Moss: https://www.gov

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After the Headline: The Nigeria File

Readings & preparation ↗

After_the_Headline_Nigeria_Reading_Packet.pdf

Download readings PDF
Open the bot ↗

Bots open in ChatGPT or Gemini. You may need an account. For classwork, follow your course’s instructions about AI.

For educators

LET THE ROOM
FIND THE PROBLEM.

I also build activities that happen between people.

My workshops start with decisions, bargaining, uncertainty, and competing priorities. Then we use theory to make sense of what just happened.

Talk workshops