Welcome

Welcome to Big Data and the Rhetoric of Information. This is a course taught one time only as part of the ENG/COM 395 offering that addresses emerging issues in rhetoric and digital media.

Course Description

This class explores the ways that individuals, businesses, governments, and non-profit organizations increasingly use big data to form arguments about society, make decisions, and generate profits. We will pay particular attention to the ways in which the self and society shape and are shaped by our changing understanding and use of big data by examining topics such as data visualization, social network sentiment analysis, and privacy. Throughout this course we will work to understand the function and limits of rhetoric in the age of big data.

This Website

Our class will be using this website to host our discussions and reflections on emerging issues related to big data. As part of the course, students will also be developing lesson plans that address some of the major issues related to big data. These lessons will be made available on this site through the Lessons link in the menu and are available for modification and use in other courses.

You can also browse our full syllabus here: COM ENG 395 Big Data 2016 Syllabus.