Below is information on the schedule followed by the schedule itself for the course, subject to change (check regularly!)
Lesson Plans and Modalities
To view the lesson plan for the day (and to access possible activities/links/etc. for that day’s lesson), click the date in the schedule to navigate to the lesson plan webpage (e.g., click “Tuesday, February 1”). Lesson plans will be live by a few minutes before the beginning of class–though they may sometimes be live a few hours or a day earlier.
Typically (**but not always! check the schedule**) the rhythm of our course meetings will be
- an online synchronous (i.e., at the same time) class meeting on Tuesdays from 2:30pm-3:45pm
- an on-campus, face-to-face class meeting in room TBD on Thursdays from 2:30pm-3:45pm.
The online synchronous meetings will be conducted on Discord where we will do a number of activities and discussions. For the on-campus, face-to-face meetings we will also sometimes use Discord for activities.
Course Schedule
Week 1
Tuesday, February 1
Reading Due: None
Writing Due: None
Topic(s): Introduction to class, getting set up with platforms (i.e., Discord, Blogs@Baruch, Blackboard), syllabus, introductory activity
Thursday, February 3
Reading Due (See Assignment Instructions for Feb 3 on Blackboard>Assignment Instructions>Thursday, February 3):
- “Introduction: Why Data Science Needs Feminism” in Data Feminism (textbook)
- Prompt for Literacy and Numeracy Narrative assignment (in assignment instructions folder for today)
- Grading Contract draft
Writing Due (See Assignment Instructions for Feb 3 on Blackboard>Assignment Instructions>Thursday, February 3):
- Response Post 1 by class time (if you are a poster for today)
- Response Post Comment 1 by class time (if you are a commenter for today)
- Sign up for future Response Posts here
- Fill out this brief survey about ideas for or responses to Grading Contract.
Topic(s): Defining key terms for semester, thinking about your own standpoint, introducing Literacy and Numeracy Narrative, visit from Dr. Belmihoub for participation in study
Week 2
Tuesday, February 8 (**No Class, Friday Schedule**)
Reading Due: None
Writing Due: None
Topic(s): None
Thursday, February 10
Reading Due:
Writing Due:
- Response Post 2 (if you are a poster for today)
- Response Post Comment 2 (if you are a commenter for today)
- Make sure you have your 1-on-1 meeting scheduled with me on February 14, 15, 16, or 17. We will meet in “Office Hours” in our Discord Server (under “Resources” on left side). Sign up here.
- Work on Literacy and Numeracy Narrative due for Feb 17
Topic(s): Power and data, work on Literacy and Numeracy Narrative
Week 3
Tuesday, February 15
Reading Due:
- “Chapter 2: Collect, Analyze, Imagine, Teach” in Data Feminism (textbook)
- Critical Data Set Biography Assignment (Parts I and II)
Writing Due:
- Response Post 3 (if you are a poster for today)
- Response Post Comment 3 (if you are a commenter for today)
- Make sure you have your 1-on-1 meeting scheduled with me on February 14, 15, 16, or 17. We will meet in “Office Hours” in our Discord Server (under “Resources” on left side). Sign up here.
- Work on Literacy and Numeracy Narrative due Feb 17
Topic(s): Asking critical questions of data, choosing a data set
Thursday, February 17
Reading Due: None
Writing Due:
- Literacy and Numeracy Narrative. Submit by Thursday,11:59pm to Blackboard>Submit Assignments>Major Writing Projects
- Research data sets to choose a data set to work with for the semester.
Topic(s): Class cancelled for 1-on-1 meetings
Week 4
Tuesday, February 22
Reading Due:
Writing Due:
- Response Post 4 (if you are a poster for today)
- Response Post Comment 4 (if you are a commenter for today)
- Email Prof. Libertz a link to where you got your data set from and any questions you have about working with it.
Topic(s): Asking critical questions of data and data sets: counting and classification, data and consequences
Thursday, February 24
Reading Due: None
Writing Due:
- Part I of Data Set Critical Biography. Submit by **SUNDAY** at 11:59pm to Blackboard>Submit Assignments>Major Writing Projects.
Topic(s): Asking questions of data sets, data and consequences
Week 5
Tuesday, March 1
Reading Due: None
Writing Due:
- Part II of Data Set Critical Biography. Submit by 11:59pm to Blackboard>Submit Assignments>Major Writing Projects.
Topic(s): Data and consequences, cleaning and managing data
Thursday, March 3
Reading Due:
Writing Due:
- Response Post 5 (if you are a poster for today)
- Response Post Comment 5 (if you are a commenter for today)
Topic(s): Data Cleaning and Analysis
Week 6
Tuesday, March 8
Reading Due: “Chapter 5: Unicorns, Ninjas, Wizards, and Rock Stars” in Data Feminism (textbook)
Writing Due:
- Response Post 6 (if you are a poster for today)
- Response Post Comment 6 (if you are a commenter for today)
Topic(s): Data Cleaning and Analysis, Genres
Thursday, March 10
Reading Due:
Writing Due:
- Response Post 7 (if you are a poster for today)
- Response Post Comment 7 (if you are a commenter for today)
Topic(s): Standpoints in Data Analysis and Writing
Week 7
Tuesday, March 15
Reading Due:
- Choose one of three data journalism pieces from USA Today, FiveThirtyEight, and Buzzfeed News. Read it and be prepared to discuss what intrigued you most as a reader, why, and how moments of quantification were accessible to you.
Writing Due:
- Proposal for Data-Driven Argument. Submit by 11:59pm on Blackboard>Submit Assignments>Proposal: Data-Driven Argument. The prompt for the assignment is also on Blackboard as an attachment under where you submit.
Topic(s): How Do Data Journalists Make Data Interesting?; Genre; Distributions, Variability, Making Histograms
Thursday, March 17
Reading Due:
- “Chapter 6: The Numbers Don’t Speak for Themselves” in Data Feminism (textbook)
Writing Due:
- Response Post 8 (if you are a poster for today)
- Response Post Comment 8 (if you are a commenter for today)
Topic(s): Communicating Context, Expressing Your Interpretation
Week 8
Tuesday, March 22
Reading Due: None
Writing Due: None
Topic(s): Writing about methods
Thursday, March 24
Reading Due:
- Chapter on amplification from Rhetorical Style by Jeanne Fahnestock (just pages 390-405) (Blackboard>Course Documents>Additional Readings)
Writing Due:
- Response Post 9 (if you are a poster for today)
- Response Post Comment 9 (if you are a commenter for today)
Topic(s): Making Comparisons, Amplification
Week 9
Tuesday, March 29
Reading Due: None
Writing Due: None
Topic(s): Quantitative Comparisons, Rhetorical Strategies in Data-Driven Writing
Thursday, March 31
Reading Due: None
Writing Due:
- Half or First Draft: Data-Driven Argument. Submit by 11:59pm to Blackboard>Submit Assignments>Half or First Draft: Data-Driven Argument. Prompt for assignment also in same location as attachment.
- Bring a version of your draft to class for a peer review activity.
Topic(s): Drafting, planning, revision
Week 10
Tuesday, April 5
Reading Due:
- “Redesign” by Park (Blackboard)
- “Principles of Accessible Design” NCDAE
- “Basic Color Theory.”
Writing Due:
- Response Post 10 (if you are a poster for today)
- Response Post Comment 10 (if you are a commenter for today)
Topic(s): Design and accessibility
Thursday, April 7
Reading Due: None
Writing Due [CAN SUBMIT THIS UP TO APRIL 28]:
- Proposal: Campaign for Circulation (prompt on Blackboard>Submit Assignments>Proposal: Campaign for Circulation. Click on prompt under Campaign for Circulation Proposal). This proposal can cover any, but not necessarily all, of the following:
- Some possible goals for your campaign
- How it will be data-driven: what sorts of statistical information might it cite? How will claims be backed by data in some of the campaign pieces? How will numbers or data analysis be communicated in impactful ways? Etc.
- Who are the audiences for this campaign? Why?
- What kinds of texts do you want to write about? Why?
- Which texts will you write up as your two “prototypes” and why?
- How will one of the prototypes incorporate data visualization?
- How would the texts reach your audiences? What are some ideas for the plans for that?
- Any questions you have
Topic(s): Traditional data visualization: Tables and Charts
Week 11
Tuesday, April 12
Reading Due: None
Writing Due: None
Topic(s): Charts
Thursday, April 14
Reading Due (can mostly skim, click and look around): None
Writing Due:
- Bring in your drawing from class on April 12!!
- Second Draft: Data-Driven Argument. Submit by 11:59pm to Blackboard>Submit Assignments>Second Draft: Data-Driven Argument.
- Cover Letter of at least 250 words. Submit by 11:59pm to Blackboard>Submit Assignments>Second Draft: Data-Driven Argument (You can add it as a second attachment to upload along with your second draft).
Topic(s): Non-traditional visualization
Week 12
Tuesday, April 19
***Spring Break***
Reading Due: None
Writing Due: None
Topic(s): None
Thursday, April 21
***Spring Break***
Reading Due: None
Writing Due: None
Topic(s): N/A
Week 13
Tuesday, April 26
Reading Due:
- “Composing for Recomposition: Rhetorical Velocity and Delivery” by Jim Ridolfo and Dànielle Nicole DeVoss(click through each part at top of menu bar)
Writing Due:
- Response Post 11 (if you are a poster for today)
- Response Post Comment 11 (if you are a commenter for today)
Topic(s): Rhetorical Velocity and Data-Driven Rhetoric
Thursday, April 28
Reading Due: None
Writing Due:
- Download the public (i.e., free) version of Tableau to your device. You’ll have to set up an account to do this.
[CAN SUBMIT THIS UP TO APRIL 28]:
- Proposal: Campaign for Circulation (prompt on Blackboard>Submit Assignments>Proposal: Campaign for Circulation. Click on prompt under Campaign for Circulation Proposal). This proposal can cover any, but not necessarily all, of the following:
- Some possible goals for your campaign
- How it will be data-driven: what sorts of statistical information might it cite? How will claims be backed by data in some of the campaign pieces? How will numbers or data analysis be communicated in impactful ways? Etc.
- Who are the audiences for this campaign? Why?
- What kinds of texts do you want to write about? Why?
- Which texts will you write up as your two “prototypes” and why?
- How will one of the prototypes incorporate data visualization?
- How would the texts reach your audiences? What are some ideas for the plans for that?
- Any questions you have
Topic(s): Tableau Workshop
Week 14
Tuesday, May 3
Reading Due: None
Writing Due: None
Topic(s): Affordances of Different Modes
Thursday, May 5
Reading Due: None
Writing Due:
- Schedule: Campaign for Circulation. by 11:59pm. Blackboard>Submit Assignments> Half or First Draft: Campaign for Circulation.
Topic(s): Affordances of Different Modes
Week 15
Tuesday, May 10
Reading Due: None
Writing Due:
Topic(s): Work on Campaign, Goals for Future
Thursday, May 12
Reading Due: None
Writing Due:
- Campaign for Circulation. Submit by 11:59pm to Blackboard>Submit Assignments>Major Writing Projects
Topic(s): Work on Campaign
Week 16
Tuesday, May 17
Reading Due: None
Writing Due: None
Topic(s): Wrap-up
FINALS WEEK
Assignments Due by 11:59pm on Tuesday, May 24:
- Final Reflection
- Any submissions for grade boosts (see grading contract)