This course will introduce systems thinking and system dynamics computer simulation modeling, a computer-aided approach to policy analysis and design. The goal of this course is to enhance knowledge and skills in understanding and analyzing the complex feedback dynamics in social, economic, and environmental problems. We will also spend substantial time understanding how policy interventions affect the behavior and structure of systems. These topics will serve as important background for students’ future courses in land use, transportation, and economic development planning. Students will have a better understanding of feedback and its non-intuitive effects within social and physical systems, as well as an understanding of how to quantify causal relationships in dynamic, complex systems. The course will introduce system dynamics modeling through the STELLA modeling platform.