SYLLABUS- COMS 2200

SYLLABUS- COMS 2200 Big Data & Society - Instructor Tracy P. Lauriault - Office Hours: Wednesdays 2-5pm - Email: tracy.lauriault@Carleton.ca Course Description - The collection of data and the process of the datafication is now a normalized part of routine daily activities - shopping, banking, making phone calls, hailing a cab, driving, voting, exercising, and filing taxes. Data are also collected at exceptional times, such as crossing borders, checking into hospitals, when crimes are committed, and when we die. We leave data shadows, our lifeworlds are colonized by data, and living a dataless life is nearly impossible. - This course covers many topics including data infrastructures, smart cities and digital twins, the internet of things (IoT) and biometric sensors, surveillance, algorithmic governance and predictive policing, the quantified self, geodemographics, open data, data brokers, data humanitarianism and data institutions among others. Overall, it is about the examination of how data shape and are shaped by the social and material world. Learning Objectives - Students will learn to think critically about data and their related technologies, infrastructures, and institutions, and the role these have in society. The aim is to identify the social and material shaping qualities of data, and frame observations with theories, concepts, and practices such as critical data studies, data feminism, data justice, ethics, and data governance. Schedule - Week 1- Measure and Counting - Week 2- What are data? - Week 3- Small Data and LAC - Week 4: Big Data - Week 5: Infrastructure - Week 6: Institutions - Week 7: Spatial Data - Week 8: Data Walk - Week 9: Data Brokers - Week 10: Watching - Week 11: Activism and Justice - Week 12: Data Studies Attendance - Students are expected to attend all classes

- There will be weekly activities to be submitted at the end of each class Evaluations: - Assignments are submitted to Brightspace - The final exam is compulsory and in-person - 8 out of 10 in-class activities will be graded - * important to submit things on time- EW - Series of assignments- - 2 pages long - kind of like a lab report - use constraint in creative ways- tables, screenshots, diagrams, flow chart (does not go against page count) - LOTS of feedback- to get better - First assignment is due next week - Prof is meaner marker than the TA- she might take marks- be fully prepared - 2.5 marks every day taken off late assignments In-Class Activities 10% 1. Data in the wild Week 2 - Sept. 13, NOON 10% 2. Data in the News Week 5 – Oct. 4, NOON 10% 3. Data Walk Week 8 - Nov. 1, 9:00pm 15% 4. Data and Human Rights Week 10 – Nov. 15, NOON 10% 5. User Needs Assessment Week 13 – Dec. 6, MIDNIGHT 20% Exam - Compulsory No surprises Goes over questions in the last class before the exam 25% Communications: - Please add COMS2200 or DIG2700 in the email subject line! Assignment Format: - Document Header: - LastName, First Name, Assignment # Assignment Name, Submitted to: Tracey P. Lauriault, for COMS2200/DIGH2700 Big Data & Society, dd/mm/yyyy - File Naming Convention: - LastNameFirstName_COMS2200-DIGH2700_Assignment#_ddmmyyy - Citation Style:

- The following is a list of ideas to help you describe the dataset but do not limit yourselves to these: - Who produced the data and for what purpose? - How were the data collected? - How are the variables defined? - Dates? Format? Geographic extent? - How were the data displayed? - Was there a manual, dictionary, or methodological guide? (If so include citation & URL) - Any limitations with these data? - Was there a cost? - Is there a licence? - What rights do you have to use these data? - Do you trust these data and if so why? - Creative Comment Licence- “copy left” - Links on Course page- how to find news source Assignment 2: Data in the News - Week 5- Oct. 7, 8 am - Select any news article where data is central to the telling of the story and critically review it. - It can be about any topic, such as elections & polls, science, environment, engineering, sports, etc. it must however include data and statistics as a key element. - Some recommended news sources: - New York Times UpShot, New York Times Magazine, the UK Guardian Data Blog, the Toronto Star, The CBC, BBC, etc., The Economist, Wired, NPR, Science, Nature etc. - In 2 pages critically review this article and discuss how data were used to support the story. - Be sure to introduce the story, the data used and their source, and how they were used. - Could you access the data related to the article? What value did the data add to the story? - Would the story have been as convincing without data? - Here are two very useful (similar) resources that provide tips on how to critically read news resources: - Rutgers' University Evaluating News Resources - Carleton University Evaluating sources: Use the CRAAP test Assignment 3- Data Walk - In week 8 after the break - Due week 8 at 17:00 Assignment 4: Data and Human rights

- Due Week 10 – Nov. 11, 8:00, 10% - Go to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program website and select one of the 10 reports. You can also select a case studies from Geospatial Technologies and Human Rights page. - Closely read the report, and explain in 2 pages, how Earth Observation (EO) or remote sensing technologies and other geospatial technologies were used to document a human rights issue. Include how the issues were reported, which organizations were involved, how were data accessed, data sources, the kind of sensor used and why, and your reflections on this type of analysis and reporting. What is the value of this type of reporting? Who might it benefit? - On that page you will also find a series of documents that provide insight about how geospatial technologies are used in human rights work and some ABCs about the technology. Do not hesitate to peruse these to help you with your close reading. Also, roam around the AAAS website to learn more about what they do and the project they are engaged in. It is not necessary for your 2 page document, but it provides insight about the kind of organization it is and the work that it does. Assignment 5: User Needs Assessment - due Week 12 – Dec. 12 23:59 20% Week 12, Dec. 2 - Review for exam