Winter-Spring 2024 Courses: Adventures in Data Science
Adventures in Data Science is back in 2024! DataLab directors Drs. Carl Stahmer and Pamela Reynolds, with engagement from the entire DataLab team, teach a two-part series in Winter and Spring quarters that offers a hands-on introduction to data science. This year the series is listed as STS 115: Data Sense & Exploration: Critical Storytelling with Analysis (winter) and STS 195: Research in Data Studies (spring). Space is limited.
The first course in the series (STS 115) focuses on acquiring the skills necessary for performing data-driven, interdisciplinary research, and is followed by a quarter-long immersion in applied data science for research (STS 195). Combined, this challenging two-quarter series introduces students to the basics of computer programming and data analysis using the R programming language and provides hands-on exposure to the core skills needed to work in interdisciplinary, team-research settings with complex datasets.
This series is designed for students with no prior computing background who have declared (or are intending to declare) a traditionally non-computational major and/or minor . Students from the social sciences, humanities, and arts are particularly encouraged to register for this course. Students in the life and physical sciences with no programming experience are also eligible to register.
Course Descriptions
WINTER 2024 – STS 115 (formerly IST8A): “Adventures in Data Science (Part 1)”
Data Sense & Exploration – Critical Storytelling with Analysis
Data science and the communication of data insights through critical analysis and storytelling. Introduction to network architecture, file system and command line basics, version control, data structures and types, webscraping, text mining, and basic programming skills in the R computing environment for data exploration, cleaning, analysis, and visualization. Attention to the historical and social contexts of data analysis emphasizing narrative. Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 3 hours, Discussion/Laboratory 1 hour. Grade Mode: Letter. 4 units. GE OL.
CRN 42808
Tuesdays 3:10-4:00 PM and Thursdays 1:10-4:00 PM
Shields Library, Room 360
SPRING 2024 – STS 195: “Adventures in Data Science (Part 2)”
Research in Data Studies
Analysis of real-world data in the form of on-going active research projects. Emphasizes teamwork in the identification of problems, methods, and implementation as students are embedded into research teams with classmates, data scientists, and external research collaborators from across the University. Projects entail data gathering, cleaning, exploration, analysis, and visualization using R; and interpretation and presentation of results in oral, visual, and textual formats to a variety of researchers and community members. Prerequisite(s): Consent of instructor. Learning Activities: Lecture/Discussion 3 hours, Discussion/Laboratory 1 hour(s). Grade Mode: Letter (or P/NP). 4 units. GE SS.
Class meetings are Tuesdays 3:10-4:00 PM. (Note: Thursdays 1:10-4:00 PM will also display on Schedule Builder but this time block is for project work and is flexible pending research partner and mentor schedules.)
University Honors Program students and STS majors receive priority registration to STS 115 and 195. For more information, UHP students should visit the University Honors Program webpage and direct questions to Ms. Taylor Cameron. STS and other interested students should contact the Science and Technology Studies department.