Digital and Data Studies (minor)

Program Overview

Harpur College's Digital and Data Studies minor provides an interdisciplinary and hands-on immersion into digital literacy and data-inflected thinking. Drawing cases and applications from a range of disciplines, the minor complements all of Harpur's majors.

Minors

• Digital and Data Studies

Coursework

Some courses to consider in your first year:

• HARP 150 - Coding in Action

  This course aims to teach students, especially those without prior programming experience, to learn the fundamentals of Python. Python is a coding language with a simple, easy-to-learn syntax, emphasizing readability and is a great starter language for non-programmers. We will cover data types and basic Python commands and learn how to create visualizations, conduct analyses, and perform basic web scraping with Python. This course will include discussions, guest lecturers, and hands-on coding practice. Students will gain an understanding of how coding stimulates skills such as problem solving, imagination, and critical thinking. Restriction: Permission of Instructor. Offered every spring. 4 credits. Note: If you have previously taken HARP 150 Coding in Action, you will not receive credit for this course. Levels: Undergraduate

• PHIL 150 - Technology, Ethics, and Policy

  Recent times have seen a dramatic increase in the influence of computing technology, artificial intelligence, algorithms and other technology in our daily lives. This course considers ethical questions raised by this technology and their implications for policy. Topics to be considered include surveillance, the right to privacy, human enhancement, artificial intelligence, fake news, robots, and censorship. Offered regularly in fall. 4 credits. Levels: Undergraduate

• ANTH 200 - Statistics in Anthropology

  An introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics and their use in anthropological problems, with emphasis on their use in biological anthropology. Computer applications in quantitative anthropological research. 4 credits. Levels: Undergraduate

For more information, visit the Digital and Data Studies website.