Signals in the Noise: Data Science

Signals in the noise: Data Science. In this
course, you will learn the fundamentals of how to
ask and answer questions through the analysis of
quantitative data. Data science has become
increasingly important as organizations, both
commercial and nonprofit, are becoming "data
informed" (a more accurate expression than "data
driven"). Data science can also be a helpful tool
for artists and activists who need to interpret
complex patterns described by others or enable you
to uncover patterns in data that speak to your
specific areas of interest. Through a set of
lectures and hands on exercises, you will become
familiar with the basics of data collection,
descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, and
modeling data to describe simple patterns. We will
also look at how models can remove "noise" and
amplify the "signal" when data contains latent or
obscured patterns. We cover the basics of data
visualization and introduce a couple platforms to
get started with data analysis. Throughout the
semester we will look at the history of data
analysis within the natural and social sciences,
consider issues that arise from the era of "Big
Data", and finally see how politicians,
businesses, non-profits and artists can harness
and contribute to these methods. A major part of
the course will be conceiving of and working on
your own individual or small group project. Each
project will ask and attempt to answer a question
will data. You will present your question, lead
the class in discussions on ways to approach
finding answers and ultimately present what you
discovered. The formats in which these questions
and answers are presented are almost limitless as
you may choose among infographics, models (of many
types), sonifications, and even performances.