Description and Goals
The course introduces students to the uses of big data in the social sciences and the theories, methods, and skills of social research. Drawing on traditional and applied social science disciplines, this course introduces students to basic approaches, methods, and ethical concerns in using and understanding big data. Class discussion and readings will cover examples of social processes at the macro-level (structures, policies), mesolevel of institutions, and micro-level of individual perceptions and behaviors. This Grand Challenge course examines the human implications of the big data revolution: how algorithms and massive data sets enable your social network and improve society while exposing your private life to strangers and reshaping the social compact.
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Extol the promise and the peril in big data.
- Identify evolving vocational opportunities in big data and the skills required.
- Compare and contrast international approaches to issues raised by the big data era.
- Debate the ethical tension between retaining privacy and withholding information and discuss how these perspectives vary across different cultural and political settings.
- Write a paper on the uses of big data within a chosen discipline.
- Present a meaningful group analysis on the human implications of big data.
Assignments
There a total of 1000 points available throughout the semester and include both team project assignments
and individual assignments and quizzes. 600 points will be based on the Tuesday lectures and 400 points will
be based on the Thursday breakouts.
For the Tuesday lectures, the following points will be available:
| # of Questions | Points each | Points for Category | # in Category for Term | Total Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly Reading Quizzes (online) | 5 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 65 |
| Module Quizzes (online) | 5 | 5 | 25 | 5 | 125 |
| Midterm (in person) | 32 | 5 | 160 | 1 | 160 |
| Final (cumulative, in person) | 50 | 5 | 250 | 2 | 250 |
Grading Scale
- A = 950+
- A- = 949-900
- B+ = 899-870
- B = 869-830
- B- = 829-800
- C+ = 799-770
- C = 769-700
- D+ = 699-670
- D = 669-630
- D- = 629-600
- E < 600
Attendance and Late Policy
Students are expected to complete all requirements (quizzes, exams, presentation) on the specified dates and will not be granted an alternate date unless they have a documented acceptable reason for their absence (e.g., absences due to medical emergency, observance of religious holidays, military obligation) or prearranged consent of the instructor. However, you may receive an extension on an assignment by pre-arranged consent of the instructor or in extraordinary circumstances. These requests must be timely and accompanied by all necessary written documentation.
(https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx)