Course Schedule
This schedule will definitely change over the course of the semester. Please continue to check back for updates.
Topic 1: Science Communication
Examining the importance of evidence-based communication, including the role of science communication in a democratic society.
Introduction to science communication
These readings introduce two different moments in the history of science communication: early arguments for why the public should understand science, and current debates about how science communication research and practice should move forward
- Thomas, G., & Durant, J. (1987). Why should we promote the public understanding of science? Scientific literacy papers, 1, 1-14. Link
- Druckman, J. N., Ellenbogen, K. M., Scheufele, D. A., & Yanovitzky, I. (2025). An agenda for science communication research and practice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(27), e2400932122. Link
- Stilgoe, J., Lock, S. J., & Wilsdon, J. (2014). Why should we promote public engagement with science?. Public understanding of science (Bristol, England), 23(1), 4-15. Link
- Simis MJ, Madden H, Cacciatore MA, Yeo SK. The lure of rationality: Why does the deficit model persist in science communication? Public Underst Sci. 2016 May;25(4):400-14. Link
Communicating science in politicized environments
In politicized environments, science communication is complicated by conflicting values, interests, and social identities. Communicators must balance accuracy with transparency while remaining attentive to the broader political context.
- ClimateTalk: Science and Solutions | Susan Joy Hassol | TEDxUMontana. 2015. Link
- T. Bolsen, J. N. Druckman, Do partisanship and politicization undermine the impact of a scientific consensus message about climate change? Group Process Intergr. Relat. 21, 389-402 (2018). Link
- E. Merkley, D. A. Stecula, Party cues in the news: Democratic elites, Republican backlash, and the dynamics of climate skepticism. Br. J. Polit. Sci. 51, 1439–1456 (2021) Link
- L. Van Boven, P. J. Ehret, D. K. Sherman, Psychological barriers to bipartisan public support for climate policy. Perspect. Psychol. Sci. 13, 492–507 (2018). Link
- M. Vlasceanu et al., Addressing climate change with behavioral science: A global intervention tournament in 63 countries. Sci. Adv. 10, eadj5778 (2024). Link
Communication is a dialog: public participation in science
Communication is a dialog, not a monologue. This means we must consider how everyday people engage with science, not just receive information from it. One way this happens is through citizen science or participatory science, where members of the public take part in scientific processes in various ways. These efforts can serve different purposes—such as addressing gaps in scientific knowledge or influencing research priorities—and they can also be sites of negotiation, debate, and even contestation over what counts as valid knowledge.
- Fan, F. ti, & Chen, S. L. (2019). Citizen, Science, and Citizen Science. East Asian Science, Technology and Society: An International Journal, 13(2), 181-193. Link
- Van Wart, S.J., Lanouette, K., Parikh, T.S. (2020). Scripts and counterscripts in community-based data science: Participatory digital mapping and the pursuit of a third space. Journal of the Learning Sciences. Link
- Reincke, C. M., Bredenoord, A. L., & van Mil, M. H. (2020). From deficit to dialogue in science communication: The dialogue communication model requires additional roles from scientists. EMBO reports, 21(9), e51278. Link
- Nadkarni, N. M., Weber, C. Q., Goldman, S. V., Schatz, D. L., Allen, S., & Menlove, R. (2019). Beyond the deficit model: The ambassador approach to public engagement. BioScience, 69(4), 305-313. Link
Topic 2: Data
An overview of data types, schemas, metadata, provenance, and potential sources and consequences of data bias.
Data fundamentals
- Gitelman, L. & Jackson, V. (2013). Introduction: Raw data is an oxymoron. In L. Gitelman (Ed.), Raw data is an oxymoron (pp. 1-14). MIT Press. Link
- Available through the Ramsey Library: Chapter 1. Conceptualising Data. Kitchin, R. (2014). The data revolution: Big data, open data, data infrastructures and their consequences. Sage. Link
Lab 1: Concepts in Data Organization
Bias, Categorization, and Classification
This meeting will focus on the sources and consequences of data bias, with a particular emphasis on the role of social constructs in data collection and analysis.
- [49:30] Video: “The Trouble with Bias” (2017, Dec) - Kate Crawford Link
- [33:22] Video: Noble, S. U. (2019, July). Imagining a future free from the algorithms of oppression [Conference keynote]. Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL 2019), Florence, Italy. Link
- [24:16] Video: Thorn, Abigail (2021, July). Social Constructs (YouTube Video). Philosophy Tube. Link
- D'Ignazio, C., & Klein, L. (2020). 6. The numbers don't speak for themselves. Data feminism. Link
Topic 3: Data Visualization
An overview of data visualization principles and techniques.
What is the purpose of data visualization?
Intro to the purpose of data visualization, and the principles of graphical excellence and graphical integrity.
- Chapter 1: Graphical Excellence, In The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. Tufte.
- Chapter 2: Graphical Integrity, In The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. Tufte.
Visualization Dos and Don'ts
What to do / not to do when creating data visualizations.
- Chapter 3: Sources of Graphical Integrity, In The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. Tufte.
- Chapter 4: Data-Ink and Graphical Redesign, In The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. Tufte.
- Chapter 5: Chartjunk, In The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. Tufte.
Perception
Psychological principles that influence how we perceive data visualizations.
- Perception in Visualization. Christopher G. Healey. Department of Computer Science, North Carolina State University. Link
- Durand, F. (2002, July). Perceptual and artistic principles for effective computer depiction [Course materials]. SIGGRAPH 2002, San Antonio, Texas. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Link
Topic 4: Visualization Tools & Technologies
An overview of tools and technologies for creating interactive visualizations.
Introduction to Tableau
Tableau Continued
HTML + GitHub Lab
HTML Continued
Fall Break - No class
Intro to CSS and Responsive Design
Lab 4: CSS
The goal of this lab is to get you familiar with CSS layout techniques.
Lab 4 Continued
Today will will spend some time working on the lab and creating a homepage. You will also be sharing out your HW3 Presentations.
CSS Flourishes
An overview of some techniques to add visual interest to your website.
Topic 6: JavaScript
An overview of design principles and techniques for creating effective visualizations.
Intro to JavaScript
An overview of JavaScript and its use in web development.
Lab 5: JavaScript DOM Manipulation
Working with Data + JavaScript Libraries
Lab 6: Build an Interactive Chart + Map with Javascript
'Data wrangling' + Spreadsheet Integration
Symposium - No class
Topic 7: Special Topics
An overview of design principles and techniques for creating effective visualizations.
Thanksgiving Break - No class
Final Project Workday + Peer Feedback
We will spend the day workshopping drafts of the final project with your peers.
3PM: Final Project Presentations