Communication and Critical Data Studies 2016 - COMS4407

Theoretical perspectives, ethical problems, and contemporary issues relevant to communication and data studies. Students will critically examine the rise of ‘big data’ and ‘datafication’ as socio-technical phenomena that have become a crucial part of our communication landscape.

Course presentations include:
Week 1 - Introduction
Week 2 - Conceptualizing Data
Week 3 - Open Data & Indicators
Week 4 - Open Government, Public Policy and Citizen Engagement
Week 5 - The Characteristics of Big Data
Week 6 - The Enablers of Big Data
Week 7 - Data Science & Data Analytics
Week 8 - Data Politics, Activism and Cultures
Week 9 - Data Brokers and Credit Scoring
Week 10 - The Rationale for Big Data
Week 11 - The End of Science?
Week 12 - Ethical, Political, Social and Legal Concerns
Week 13 - Exam Review