Data Analytics and Society

Eleanor Townsley, Nexus director

Katie Walker, coordinator


108 Daniel L. Jones Building
413-538-3010
https://www.mtholyoke.edu/academics/find-your-program/data-analytics-and-society

Overview and Contact Information

Data analytics and society offers an explicit focus on social and historical context, emphasizing critical literacies for data analysis and ethical decision-making. This Nexus focuses on acquiring concrete skills and data and visual literacies in hands-on research application. Students will link courses in data analysis across disciplines to engage with fundamental data literacies for citizenship, in particular visual, communicative and interpretive capabilities in social context. The Nexus in Data Analytics and Society can enhance a range of different majors by adding a concentration in social research and will help students represent their applied analytical skills in problem solving and data analysis.

See Also

Faculty

This area of study is administered by the following Nexus track chairs:

Eleanor Townsley, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Sociology; Director of Nexus

Dylan Shepardson, Robert L. Rooke Associate Professor of Mathematics, On Leave 2023-2024

Requirements for the Nexus

A minimum of 18 credits:

Four 4-credit courses, of which:16
one must be in statistics at the 200 level or higher, from the list of courses approved for this Nexus
one must be in computer science at the 200 level or higher, from the list of courses approved for this Nexus
one must be in an application area (e.g., biology, economics, English, psychology, sociology) at the 200 level or higher, from the list of courses approved for this Nexus
one is an elective course that demonstrates an interest in data science and that may be taken at the 100 level and must be taken before the internship
Note: at least one of these four courses must be an approved 300-level capstone course that goes into depth in statistics, computer science, or a data science application area. Appropriate courses include: COMSC-335, ECON-320, SOCI-316NT, STAT-340 or STAT-344
A substantive internship
COLL-211Reflecting Back: Connecting Internship and Research to Your Liberal Arts Education2
A presentation at LEAP Symposium

Additional Specifications

  • In one of the four courses for this Nexus, students must work intimately with data to explore, visualize, contextualize, and present conclusions.
  • Students who entered the College before fall 2020 may choose to complete the precursor Nexus in Data Science.
  • Nexus students will develop a brief proposal outlining their specific area of focus including a course outline. Students will schedule an advising meeting with a track chair to get approval and complete a Plan of Study form to be returned to the Nexus Program office.

  • The sequence of a Nexus is part of what makes it unique:
    • In preparation for the summer internship or research, students complete courses chosen in consultation with the track chair. If seeking funding through LYNK UAF, students will additionally complete orientation and advising, and online training.

    • COLL-211 is taken after the internship or research project and culminates in a presentation at LEAP Symposium.

Courses Counting toward the Nexus

Courses other than those listed below may count toward the Nexus. Students should consult the Nexus track chair for consideration of courses not on the list.

Astronomy
ASTR-226Cosmology4
ASTR-228Astrophysics I: Stars and Galaxies4
Biological Sciences
BIOL-223Ecology4
BIOL-234Biostatistics4
Computer Science
COMSC-100Computing and the Digital World4
COMSC-106Fundamentals of Applied Computing4
COMSC-133DVData Visualization: Design and Perception4
COMSC-151DSIntroduction to Computational Problem Solving: 'Big Data'4
COMSC-205Data Structures4
COMSC-311Theory of Computation4
COMSC-312Algorithms4
COMSC-334Artificial Intelligence4
COMSC-335Machine Learning4
COMSC-341NLTopics: 'Natural Language Processing'4
COMSC-343Programming Language Design and Implementation4
Economics
ECON-220Introduction to Econometrics4
ECON-320Econometrics4
Environmental Studies
ENVST-200Environmental Science4
Geography
GEOG-205Mapping and Spatial Analysis4
GEOG-210GIS for the Social Sciences and Humanities4
GEOG-320Research with Geospatial Technologies4
International Relations
IR-200Research Methods4
Mathematics
MATH-211Linear Algebra4
MATH-301Real Analysis4
MATH-339PTTopics in Applied Mathematics: 'Optimization'4
MATH-342Probability4
Philosophy
PHIL-180DETopics in Applied Philosophy: 'Data Ethics'4
Psychology
PSYCH-201Statistics4
PSYCH-204Research Methods in Psychology4
PSYCH-310APLaboratory in Social Psychology: 'Community-Based Participatory Action Research'4
PSYCH-310QRLaboratory in Social Psychology: 'Qualitative Research in Psychology'4
PSYCH-330RDLab in Developmental Psychology: 'Laboratory in Romantic Development: Observational Coding Methodology'4
Sociology
SOCI-225Social Science Research and Data Analysis4
SOCI-316STSpecial Topics in Sociology: 'Storytelling Sociology: Data for the People'4
Statistics
STAT-242Intermediate Statistics4
STAT-331Design of Experiments4
STAT-340Applied Regression Methods4
STAT-343Mathematical Statistics4
STAT-344TMSeminar in Statistics and Scientific Research: 'Time Series Analysis'4