Class Meeting Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4-5:15pm
Class Room: Machmer Hall room W-11
Instructor: Ray Caraher (UMass Amherst, Dept. of Economics)
Email: [email protected]
Office Hours: Wednesdays 2-4pm
Office Location: 106 Gordon Hall
Canvas Site: https://umamherst.instructure.com/courses/5398
We are living in the age of Big Data.
In these “data-driven" times, the potential for addressing critical socio-economic issues related to education, health, poverty, climate change, and more is immense. However, it also brings to light serious ethical dilemmas and challenges. Throughout history, data has been a tool for social progress, but also as a means to justify social inequalities and the policies which exacerbate them. The era of Big Data is no different.
This course focuses on the practical applications of Big Data for social scientists and policymakers. We will learn the basic theory and skills for basic analysis of Big Data, and apply them to several of the pressing social problems facing the world today. However, we will also develop a critical perspective on the role of data in society and policy by focusing on historical and recent case studies of how data was used to justify social and economic inequalities.
The course is divided into three modules. The first module is designed to introduce you to some of the historical misuses of data along with the political and ethical complexities associated with the rise of Big Data, Machine Learning, and AI. In the second module, you will gain practical knowledge and hands-on experience with data manipulation and analysis using the R programming language. In the last module, we will explore how Big Data has revolutionized the social sciences. We will delve into recent advancements that have expanded the possibilities of empirical analysis, enabling us to extract valuable insights from vast datasets.