Who are we when we think we are thinking? How much of what we believe to be reasoned judgment is shaped by biases we cannot see? Can deliberation—structured, rigorous, and reflective—serve as a tool for revealing the self we hide from ourselves?

This seminar explores bias as both a cognitive force and a personal frontier, examining the ways in which unconscious assumptions shape perception, decision-making, and identity. The seminar asks students to engage in a process of self-examination through writing, structured dialogue, and AI-assisted reflection, moving from unconscious bias to conscious deliberation.

Through essays, journaled reflections, and structured debates, students will trace the contours of their own thinking, identifying where bias operates invisibly and where it becomes subject to deliberative reasoning. Readings will draw from philosophy, cognitive psychology, legal theory, and literature, engaging works from thinkers such as Daniel Kahneman, Amartya Sen, Hannah Arendt, John Stuart Mill, and Toni Morrison. Students will also integrate interactive AI tools as mirrors to their reasoning, using GPT-based dialogue to challenge their assumptions, track recurring patterns in their thought, and test their ability to engage with alternative perspectives.

This is not a psychology seminar, though it draws from cognitive and philosophical insights. It is a seminar designed for law students, grounded in the practical realities of legal advocacy. It trains students to recognize the hidden forces shaping their arguments, to refine their ability to persuade, and to engage with others’ biases in ways that lead to stronger, more just legal reasoning and constructive deliberation.

Writing assignments will progress in three phases:

1. Mapping the Unknown Self: Personal narratives exploring moments of intellectual or moral certainty that, upon reflection, revealed hidden assumptions.
2. Engaging the Deliberative Mirror: Analytical essays responding to AI-generated counterarguments, testing the stability of personal convictions.
3. Beyond Bias: Final projects integrating lived experience, philosophical inquiry, and deliberative writing to articulate a more conscious and examined self.

Throughout the seminar, students will participate in structured deliberative exercises, learning to listen critically, formulate persuasive arguments, and refine their own beliefs in light of reasoned discourse. The seminar is designed for students who are willing to engage deeply with their own thinking, challenge their intellectual comfort zones, and explore the space between who they believe they are and who they might yet become.