Data and Human Space

NYU Abu Dhabi | F22 | CDAD-UH 1033EQ | TuTh 1535 - 1650 |

C2 W008

OH Tu (1415-1515, in person & virtual), Th (1900-2000, virtual only)

This course counts both as a quantitative (Q) and an experimental (E) requirement for the Core.

A crowdsourcing initiative for geolocating items in Gallica, Gallicarte (French National Library).

Course description

Societies have traditionally used maps to represent, even construct, the spaces in which we live and the territories over which we assert control. But what becomes of the map in the (post-) digital age? Has our relationship to human space changed in our data-rich world? What places of the world are mapped more fully? Are we unknowingly mapmakers by virtue of walking around with smart devices on our person? How do maps reinforce biases of the past? Can they be used for social justice? How can they help us tell stories about our past and our life trajectories? This course explores the specific role that technology can play in our understanding of both historical and contemporary map making. Through regional and global examples of urban culture mapping, the course allows students to interact with, and interpret, data within familiar environments. In addition to seminar discussion of readings and audiovisual materials, the course has a hands on lab and project-based learning component using OpenStreetMap, ArcGIS online, ESRI Storymaps and R Markdown notebooks. The course assumes no prior computer skills, but a willingness to explore new technologies is essential for success.

In the F22 semester, we will be doing work on three projects with a geospatial dimension, assessing bias in global OpenStreetMap data, modeling data from the Zanzibar Gazette (1899-1909), and participating in a citizen science project about languages in public space.

Previous iterations of this syllabus can be found at wp.nyu.edu/dhs, sites.google.com/nyu.edu/dhs-f2020 and sites.google.com/nyu.edu/dhs-s2021/ and https://sites.google.com/nyu.edu/dhs-f2021.

This syllabus is provided as an open educational resource with a CC BY-SA-NC 4.0 International license. If you reuse it, in part or in whole, please cite it.

Suggested Citation:

NYU Abu Dhabi. (2022). CDAD UH-1024Q: Reading Like a Computer course syllabus. Abu Dhabi, UAE: David Joseph Wrisley.