Data Analytics and Computation 697DB - ST- Digital Behavioral Data

Algorithms and data increasingly power our private and civic life. Companies, nonprofits, and governments have invested heavily in data mining - the bulk collection of user behavior data from web platforms to understand public opinion and to forecast trends. A lot of fashionable terms, such as artificial intelligence and big data, are being thrown around these days. The public and regulators also become increasingly wary of the dark side of algorithms ? the skepticism has culminated after the Cambridge Analytica scandal and the revelation of alleged foreign propaganda in the US through social media. This course gives a practical understanding of how data mining and algorithms work. You can obtain (1) marketable computational skills in data analytics and visualization and (2) evidence-based critical perspectives on the algorithmic society we live in. This course is offered as part of the new graduate program in Data Analytics and Computational Social Science, and would count towards the technical electives course distribution requirement of the master's degree.

Open to DACSS students. An additional discussion group will also be added for graduate students. Open to DACSS students only. Contact dacss@umass.edu if interested in registering for this course.