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Social Data Analytics Minor
The Social Data Analytics (SDA) Minor is the only degree program of its kind in Canada to provide the skills to effectively navigate, analyze and communicate “big data” in the social science context. It provides students with a foundation in computational and statistical methods with an emphasis on the privacy, ethical, and societal issues surrounding technology and big data.
SDA is an interdisciplinary minor program. Core courses are taken from:
- Economics
- Political Science
- Philosophy
- Linguistics
Elective courses can be taken outside these disciplines, providing students the opportunity to pursue their areas of interest within the field of social data analytics.
Application Deadline: June 30, 2024
To apply, complete the SDA Application form and email the SDA Advisor to submit your application.
What you'll learn
Students learn to collect, analyze and critically evaluate the large volume of digitized, real-world data derived from and related to human behaviour. They will learn to communicate data-driven insights to the public, scholarly community and policymakers, and they will do so while respecting and upholding the privacy and ethical concerns that have emerged in the big data era.
The program consists of four required courses and 12 units of elective courses. This flexible model allows you to tailor the minor to your interests.
The core courses are:
- Computational Text Analysis (LING or SDA 250)
- Data, Ethics and Society (SDA 270)
- one required stats course (see below)
- the Capstone Project Seminar (SDA 490) where students work in teams to apply their skills to a real-world social or policy problem
SDA Minor Program
Required courses
Students complete at least 15 units as follows:
- LING or SDA 250 – Computational Text Analysis (4)
- SDA 270 – Data, Ethics and Society (3)
- SDA 490 – Capstone Project Seminar (5)
- One of:
- ECON 233 – Introduction to Economic Data and Statistics (4)
- POL 201 – Introductory Quantitative Methods in Political Science (4)
- STAT 203 – Introduction to Statistics for the Social Sciences (3)
- ECON 233 – Introduction to Economic Data and Statistics (4)
Elective courses
Students complete at least 12 units as follows:
- No more than one of:
- CMNS 333 – Digital Policies in a Global Context: Current Issues, Concepts and Analysis (4)
- CMNS 353 – Topics in Technology and Society (4)
- ENGL 363 – Studies in the Digital Humanities: Theory & Practice (4)
- GSWS 399 – Gender, Sex, and Numbers (4)
- POL 318 – Fake News and Alt-Facts: Navigating Post-Truth Politics (4)
- POL 426W – Political Behaviour (4)
- No more than one of:
- ECON 334 – Data Visualization and Economic Analysis (3)
- POL 390 – Data Visualization and Political Analysis (3)
- STAT 240 – Introduction to Data Science (3)
- STAT 310 and STAT 311 – Introduction to Data Science for the Social Sciences AND Data Science Laboratory for the Social Sciences (4)
- Any of:
- ECON 329 – Experimental Economics (3)
- ECON 335 – Introduction to Causal Inference and Policy Evaluation (3)
- ECON 435 – Quantitative Methods (5)
- GEOG 255 – Geographical Information Science I (3)
- GEOG 355 – Geographical Information Science II (4)
- LING 450 – Computational Linguistics (3)
- PHIL 315 – Formal Methods in Philosophy (3)
- POL 315 – Intermediate Quantitative Methods (4)
- POL 488 – Topics in Empirical Research Design and Analysis (4)
- STAT 302 – Analysis of Experiment and Observational Data (3)
- STAT 360 and STAT 361 – Advanced R for Data Science AND Laboratory for Advanced R for Data Science (3)
- STAT 452 – Statistical Learning and Prediction (3)
How to Apply
Application Deadline: November 1 2023
Please complete the SDA Application form and email the SDA Advisor to submit your application.
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