Data is rhetorical: it is a tool used to reveal information, to argue for particular truths, and to make meaning out of complex social and political relations. One tool for approaching our entanglements with data is data justice, bringing social justice into conversation with data practices to think about data’s impacts. In response, we turn to rhetoric to help us better plug into what data justice means for the world around us. This summer, our class will work together to produce podcast episodes that examine a data justice controversy of your choice.
Class goals will be divided across three broad categories: rhetorical attunement to data, research, and composition for advocacy. As we dive into understanding the rhetoricity of data, we’ll build analytical and compositional skills that will allow us to advocate for more transparent, equitable data practices. With a podcasting team of 2-3 classmates, you’ll examine a current social question or issue tied to data justice. Along the way, you’ll develop research and composition skills that will help bring arguments to life. We’ll discuss academic writing, journalism, and art, asking big questions about power in our datafied society, and we’ll work together to consider what data justice looks like from diverse perspectives. Audio skills are not a prerequisite for this class. If you’re interested in technology, passionate about justice, or eager to sharpen your writing skills, you already have much to contribute.
Assignments and Grading
Major Assignments (65% of final grade)
- Final Podcast (30% of final grade): Podcasting teams will record and edit a 15–20-minute podcast episode that discusses their chosen data justice controversy.
- Rhetorical Analysis Paper (20% of final grade): Individually, students will analyze a set of texts related to data justice. Students will have the opportunity to revise their papers with instructor feedback.
- Episode Plan (15% of final grade): Podcasting teams will create a plan for their podcast that reflects the research already done in the Group Annotated Bibliography and Rhetorical Analysis Paper.
Minor Assignments (35% of final grade)
- Listening Journals (20% of final grade): Four times total, students will write a 200-word listening journal entry examining the rhetorical features of a podcast related to data justice.
- Sound Collage (5% of final grade): Students will use GarageBand (Mac), Audacity (PC), or another audio editing application to create a personal audio soundscape.
- Group Annotated Bibliography (10% of final grade): Podcasting teams will develop an MLA-style annotated bibliography tied to their chosen data controversy.
Texts
Textbooks for purchase (from the University Co-Op or elsewhere):
- Becoming Rhetorical, Jodie Nicotra, Cengage Learning, 2018.
- Out on the Wire, Jessica Abel. Crown, 2015.
Free required resources:
- UNC Chapel Hill Writing Center Website
- All other readings available in Canvas
