INFO 536: Data Science and Public Interests

This course focuses on the use of modern data science methods to help learners make socially responsible decisions and mitigate harm that arises from issues like bias, discrimination, and threats to one's personal privacy. More and more individuals are needing to make data-driven decisions in a wide variety of contexts including non-governmental organizations, not-for-profit industries, human services, environmental organizations, refugee camps, and more. Students in this class will thus learn about data science and how it can be utilized in contexts where socially-good decisions are desired and emphasized. This active learning class is designed for students who have an interest in the topic but who may have little to no previous experience with data science or programming.