2020 Fall
DATA C104 001 - LEC 001
Formerly History C184D/Science and Technology Studies C104D
Human Contexts and Ethics of Data - DATA/History/STS
Margarita O Boenig-Liptsin, Ari S Edmundson
Aug 26, 2020 - Dec 11, 2020
Mo, We, Fr
03:00 pm - 03:59 pm
Internet/Online
Class #:33150
Units:4
Instruction Mode:
Remote Instruction
Asynchronous Instruction
Semester in the Cloud
Offered through
Data Science
Current Enrollment
Total Open Seats:
12
Enrolled: 479
Waitlisted: 2
Capacity: 491
Waitlist Max: 95
No Reserved Seats
Hours & Workload
3 hours of instructor presentation of course materials, 9 to 7.5 hours of outside work hours, and 0 to 1.5 hours of the exchange of opinions or questions on course material.
Final Exam
TUE, DECEMBER 15TH
07:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Other classes by Margarita O Boenig-Liptsin
Course Catalog Description
This course teaches you to use the tools of applied historical thinking and Science, Technology, and Society (STS) to recognize, analyze, and shape the human contexts and ethics of data. It addresses key topics such as doing ethical data science amid shifting definitions of human subjects, consent, and privacy; the changing relationship between data, democracy, and law; the role of data analytics in how corporations and governments provide public goods such as health and security to citizens; sensors, machine learning and artificial intelligence and changing landscapes of labor, industry, and city life. It prepares you to engage as a knowledgeable and responsible citizen and professional in the varied arenas of our datafied world.
Class Description
Data-driven services and artificial intelligence-powered devices now shape the innumerable aspects of our lives. Beneath the surface of these technologies, computational and increasingly autonomous techniques that operate on large, ever-evolving datasets are revolutionizing how people act in and know the world. These new tools, systems, and infrastructures have profound consequences for how we think of ourselves, relate to one another, organize collective life, and envision desirable futures. At the same time as data technologies shape social life, they are products of historical and institutional dynamics, deep-rooted social structures and political cultures that bear the marks of human intentions, interests, and desires.
The final exam for the course will be an open book exam that students will have 3 hours to complete within a 24-hour window of time. The 24-hour window of time will be centered around the official exam date and time assigned to the course.
Class Notes
This course will be conducted entirely on-line. We encourage students to participate in live Zoom lectures during the regular lecture times. These will be recorded and posted to bCourses following each lecture. Discussion sections are an essential and rewarding component of the class and vital to st..
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This course will be conducted entirely on-line. We encourage students to participate in live Zoom lectures during the regular lecture times. These will be recorded and posted to bCourses following each lecture. Discussion sections are an essential and rewarding component of the class and vital to student success. We ask that you select a discussion section time that you can commit to attend synchronously every week on Zoom. Asynchronous participation in section will only be available on a one-time exceptional and individual basis with explicit agreement of GSI and Instructor.
This course is cross-listed with three departments: History, STS and DATA. All enrollments in the class for Fall semester 2020 will be in DATA C104. DATA C104 will count toward the History major.
Instructor bio: Margarita Boenig-Liptsin is a Lecturer in the History Department and the Director of the Human Contexts and Ethics Program in the Division of Computing, Data Science, and Society. She co-designed DATA C104 "Human Contexts and Ethics of Data" with Prof. Cathryn Carson and continues to co-teach the class to a growing and diverse audience. In addition to teaching, she develops the Human Contexts and Ethics (HCE) component of the Data Science Education Program. This work includes translating social science theory and methods for students of all backgrounds, building connections between engineering and social sciences, bringing together faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates at Berkeley into a community of scholars focused on issues of technology and society, and connecting the work of HCE to Bay Area's communities and needs. She is trained in the field of Science, Technology and Society (STS) and holds a PhD in History of Science (Harvard University) and in Philosophy (Université Paris-Sorbonne). Her research examines transformations to human identity and citizenship in relation to information technologies across time and cultures.
Instructor bio: Ari Edmundson received his PhD in History from UC Berkeley in May, 2019. Ari's research has focused on the intellectual history of European philosophy, social, political and legal theory, cybernetics, systems theory, and critical theory. His dissertation analyzed the history of the concept of contingency in modern German intellectual history by examining its role in the work of German sociological systems theorist Niklas Luhmann. It argued that this highly influential and ambiguous concept of contingency evolved from the cross-fertilization of ideas from multiple disciplinary contexts and traditions, including cybernetics, Christian theology, decision theory, German idealism, and legal theory. Since January 2018, Ari has helped teach and develop pedagogy for the Human Contexts and Ethics of Data course at Berkeley. He is currently a Project/Policy Analyst in the Division of Data Sciences and a Lecturer in the Department of History at UC Berkeley.
Readings for this course will be available in bCourses. Readings may change from semester to semester. The previous semester's syllabus is available at http://hce-sts.org/. show less
This course is cross-listed with three departments: History, STS and DATA. All enrollments in the class for Fall semester 2020 will be in DATA C104. DATA C104 will count toward the History major.
Instructor bio: Margarita Boenig-Liptsin is a Lecturer in the History Department and the Director of the Human Contexts and Ethics Program in the Division of Computing, Data Science, and Society. She co-designed DATA C104 "Human Contexts and Ethics of Data" with Prof. Cathryn Carson and continues to co-teach the class to a growing and diverse audience. In addition to teaching, she develops the Human Contexts and Ethics (HCE) component of the Data Science Education Program. This work includes translating social science theory and methods for students of all backgrounds, building connections between engineering and social sciences, bringing together faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates at Berkeley into a community of scholars focused on issues of technology and society, and connecting the work of HCE to Bay Area's communities and needs. She is trained in the field of Science, Technology and Society (STS) and holds a PhD in History of Science (Harvard University) and in Philosophy (Université Paris-Sorbonne). Her research examines transformations to human identity and citizenship in relation to information technologies across time and cultures.
Instructor bio: Ari Edmundson received his PhD in History from UC Berkeley in May, 2019. Ari's research has focused on the intellectual history of European philosophy, social, political and legal theory, cybernetics, systems theory, and critical theory. His dissertation analyzed the history of the concept of contingency in modern German intellectual history by examining its role in the work of German sociological systems theorist Niklas Luhmann. It argued that this highly influential and ambiguous concept of contingency evolved from the cross-fertilization of ideas from multiple disciplinary contexts and traditions, including cybernetics, Christian theology, decision theory, German idealism, and legal theory. Since January 2018, Ari has helped teach and develop pedagogy for the Human Contexts and Ethics of Data course at Berkeley. He is currently a Project/Policy Analyst in the Division of Data Sciences and a Lecturer in the Department of History at UC Berkeley.
Readings for this course will be available in bCourses. Readings may change from semester to semester. The previous semester's syllabus is available at http://hce-sts.org/. show less
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions
Students will receive no credit for DATA C104\HISTORY C184D\STS C104D after completing DATA 104. A deficient grade in DATA C104\HISTORY C184D\STS C104D may be removed by taking DATA 104.
Repeat Rules
Course is not repeatable for credit.
Requirements class fulfills
Meets Historical Studies, L&S Breadth
Meets Philosophy & Values, L&S Breadth
Reserved Seats
Current Enrollment
No Reserved Seats
Textbooks & Materials
See class syllabus or https://calstudentstore.berkeley.edu/textbooks for the most current information.
Guide to Open, Free, & Affordable Course Materials