Introduction to Data Science for Social Impact

Catalog description

Students will be introduced to the current uses of data science in social work and social policy through the analysis of case studies in the areas of child welfare, homelessness, and criminal justice. Through these case studies, students will develop a clear understanding of data science tools for data discovery, prediction, and causal inference, as well as the ethical framework in which projects are developed and applied. The class will cover social stewardship in data science for social impact, including confidentiality, ethics, unequal impact, bias awareness and algorithmic fairness. This is a required class for students pursuing a Certificate in Data Science for Social Impact (DSSI). As such, this class will motivate students to identify areas of interest and sources of data for a research project to be developed in their second year, once they have acquired a more in-depth knowledge of data science techniques.