Working with data

This topic is covered on Jan 7.

Data science is a world of abundant opportunities. Over recent decades, the field has been transformed by the rapid growth of both computational power and available data. With the proliferation of new technological advances and data opportunities, a social scientist might reasonably ask: where do I begin?

A good place to begin is to first

Choose a question data can answer
Work with data to answer the question

We will first talk about how to ask a good question that data can answer. Then, we will begin preparing our computers with software and tools to answer those questions. Over the quarter, we will develop the skills to ask our own questions and find data to answer them.