Keeping the human in the digital

challenges of technology and transdisciplinarity in data-intensive worlds

Abstract

In this presentation, Anderson will share some of the design principles that have informed a data science program that draws on theory and practice straddling the humanities, social science and computational disciplines. The first two years of this program’s operation reveal insights about opportunities for transdisciplinary approaches to tackle ‘wicked’ problems. In the MDSI, students tackle large, complex data challenges within a human-centred data science program. Students are encouraged to develop a critical mind that thinks ethically and systemically about the uses of data and analytics and to embrace the ambiguities and uncertainties (both present and emerging) that working with data “in the wild” entails. Engaging with the analytical, ethical and creative challenges of data science practice foregrounds social concerns about data and technology.