Data Ethics and Activism in Practice

Current faculty: Stacy Wood

Description: Data Ethics is a broadly understood and broadly interpreted set of tools and concepts that calls attention to the consequences, impact, design, implementation and rhetoric around data and its uses. This course will focus on topics that are both urgent and practical, foregrounding real-world examples and highlighting the work of activists that use and/or push against the use of data in their work. This course will provide basic literacies around understanding, using and managing data but focuses primarily on understanding complex data ecosystems.

Course Objectives:

1. Gained an in-depth understanding of the legal, policy and ethical dimensions of big data, predictive analytics, machine learning and automated decision-making technologies through a variety of sources and diverse perspectives.
2. Developed critical and reflective thinking skills that apply knowledge gained to the world around you and in new settings and to new issues.
3. Conceived and designed a project that addresses an urgent issue in our data driven society which will have value and utility beyond the course.
4. Gained an awareness and familiarity with a variety of data activist communities and organizations throughout Los Angeles, CA.

Year taught: 2021