Communication and Media Studies

Carleton University Winter 2022
Communication and Media Studies
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COMS 4407B
Communication & Critical Data Studies
Tuesdays from 8:35am EST to 11:25am EST
In-Person Delivery (After February 7th, 2022). Until February 7th, classes will be
delivered online in an asynchronous manner.
Instructor: Simon Vodrey
Lectures: Tuesdays from 8:35am EST to 11:25am EST
Lecture Location: TB 342 (after February 7th)
Office: Via Zoom (until February 7th) & 1106 RB/RH (after February 7th)
Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays from 12pm EST to 1pm EST
Email: simon.vodrey@carleton.ca
*Emails will typically be answered within 24 to 48 hours of their receipt.
OVERVIEW
This course examines a variety of theoretical perspectives, ethical problems, and contemporary
issues relevant to communication and data studies. Students will examine the rise of “Big Data”
and “datafication” as socio-technical phenomenon that have become a crucial part of our
communication landscape. This course provides a critical examination of some of the key
elements pertaining to the historical development of data and its usage by various actors within a
variety of settings.
Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
• Have a solid knowledge of the historical origins and evolution of the increasingly
important role that data plays in contemporary society;
• Be well-versed in the manner in which numerous industries and professions have
elevated the use of data and molded data to their purposes — for good or for bad;
• Acquire a thorough grounding in significant case studies and notable controversies
characterizing the use— or misuse — of data;
• Have a firm critical understanding of the larger implications and side-effects resulting
from the increasing tendency to embrace datafication and Big Data.
Prerequisites
Fourth year standing in Communication and Media Studies (including BPAPM related
specializations), or permission of the School of Journalism and Communication.
It is the responsibility of all students to follow the University’s policy and guidance
about COVID-19. Please visit Carleton’s COVID-19 page for the latest updates:
https://carleton.ca/covid19/
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Communication and Media Studies
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Course Material/Readings
Access to the Internet is required for this course. The majority of our readings are available through
ARES, Carleton’s online library reserves, which is accessible through our class’s Brightspace page
(see ‘ARES’ on main page or the links within each weekly module). No textbook is required in this
course. If you have difficulty accessing materials using ARES, please let me know as soon as possible
by email.
Brightspace
This course uses Brightspace which replaced cuLearn as of May 2021.
On our class’s Brightspace page, you will find the following:
o A copy of the course syllabus
o Lecture Slides
o Announcements pertaining to the course
o Instructions for completing course assignments (a.k.a. the Blueprints)
o Links to the readings (via ARES)
CAUTION:
• Students may not record, videotape or photograph any part of the lecture.
• Familiarize yourself with Carleton University’s policy on plagiarism and other
instructional offenses as well as policies on withdrawals and deferrals. In other words,
don’t cheat and don’t plagiarize. For more on what constitutes either of these serious
infractions, visit the following link:
http://carleton.ca/studentaffairs/academic-integrity/
• For your own protection, always keep an original hard copy of all your work. In case
of loss, theft, destruction, dispute over authorship or any other eventuality, it will be
your responsibility to provide a copy of your work.
• Failure to complete the crucial elements of this course (i.e. the big-ticket items) will
hobble your ability to pass this course.
Student Evaluation:
Participation 10% à Ongoing
Term Paper Proposal 25% à February 11th
Term Paper 40% à April 9th
Term Paper Presentation 25% à April 12th
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Participation (10%) – ONGOING
You are expected to do the readings and come to class prepared to talk about the readings. You
should also be willing to share your thoughts on the subject matters discussed in class. In other
words, I want to hear what you think. Your contributions should draw connections between
issues raised in class, both in discussion and our readings, and your observations in the real
world.
*If Carleton University’s January 2022 shift to online only course delivery extends beyond
January 31st, this portion of your grade will be swapped out for a different
assignment/evaluation.
Term Paper Proposal (25%) – Due by email 6pm EST February 11th
After picking a topic of interest, you will write a proposal for a term paper that you will flesh out
later this semester. The Term Paper Proposal covers all elements of planning and executing your
paper from start to finish. Further details about how to successfully complete this project will be
uploaded on Brightspace in February.
Term Paper (40%) – Due by email 6pm EST April 9th
Using your Term Paper Proposal as a roadmap, write a 15-20 double-spaced page (including
bibliography) paper and incorporate relevant course concepts and readings, as well as at least 12
new relevant sources (not counting our assigned readings) into your analysis.
Term Paper Presentation (25%) – Due by email 6pm EST April 12th
After completing your Term Paper, you will record a 10-minute presentation of your Term Paper
on a video recording platform of your choosing (e.g. Zoom, Photobooth, Microsoft Teams, etc.).
The goal of this assignment is for you to distill and present the most important points from your
term paper to your intended audience in an interesting and easily digestible manner. In other
words, regardless of whether you further your education in graduate school or you go into the
professional world, presenting complex material to a diverse audience is an essential skill to
foster, and this assignment is geared towards those ends.
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Schedule & Readings
January 11th à Review of the Course & Welcome to COMS 4407
January 18th à From Analog Data to Digital Data
Readings:
• Guo, T. (2015). Spirituality’ as Reconceptualisation of the Self: Alan Turing and
his Pioneering Ideas of Artificial Intelligence. Culture and Religion, 16(3), 269-
290.
• Budiansky, S. (2001). Codebreaking with IBM Machines in World War II.
Cryptologia, 25(4), 241-255.
• Gwynne, R. (2021). A Long Engagement—Railways, Data and the Information
Age. Science Museum Group Journal, 16.
January 25th à Introducing “Big Data” & the “Datafication” of Everything
Readings:
• Kuch, D., Kearnes, M., & Gulson, K. (2020). The Promise of Precision:
Datafication in Medicine, Agriculture and Education. Policy Studies, 41(5), 527-
546.
• Couldry, N., & Yu, J. (2018). Deconstructing Datafication’s Brave New World.
New Media & Society, 20(12), 4473-4491.
• Coddington, M. (2015). Clarifying Journalism’s Quantitative Turn: A Typology
for Evaluating Data Journalism, Computational Journalism, and ComputerAssisted Reporting. Digital Journalism, 3(3), 331-348.
February 1st à Compressing Time & Blurring the Boundary Between Public & Private
Readings:
• Mai, J. (2016). Big Data Privacy: The Datafication of Personal Information. The
Information Society, 32(3), 192-199.
• Hull, G. (2015). Successful Failure: What Foucault Can Teach Us About Privacy
Self-Management in a World of Facebook and Big Data. Ethics and Information
Technology, 17(2), 89-101
• Zhang, Z. (2021). Infrastructuralization of Tik Tok: Transformation, Power
Relationships, and Platformization of Video Entertainment in China. Media,
Culture & Society, 43(2), 219-236.
February 8th à Data, Ethics, & Ethical Lapses
(FIRST IN-PERSON CLASS)
Readings:
• Richterich, A. (2018). Chapter 2: Examining (Big) Data Practices and Ethics. In
The Big Data Agenda: Data Ethics and Critical Data Studies (pp. 15-32).
London, UK: University of Westminster Press.
• Richterich, A. (2018). Chapter 3: Big Data: Ethical Debates. In The Big Data
Agenda: Data Ethics and Critical Data Studies (pp. 33-52). London, UK:
University of Westminster Press.
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• Reed-Berendt, R., et al. (2022). The Ethical Implications of Big Data Research in
Public Health: “Big Data Ethics by Design” in the UK-REACH Study. Ethics &
Human Research, 44(1), 2-17.
February 15th à The Datafication of Health & Urban Planning
Readings:
• Caldera, C, et al. (2021). Cities in Transformation: Computational Urban Planning
Through Big Data Analytics. TECHNE, Vol. 2, 76-81.
• Shapiro, A. (2018). Street-Level: Google Street View’s Abstraction by
Datafication. New Media & Society, 20(3), 1201-1219.
• Thomason, J. (2021). Big Tech, Big Data and the New World of Digital Health.
Global Health Journal, Vol. 5, 165-168.
February 22nd à Reading Week / No Class / Have Fun
March 1st à The Datafication of Business
Readings:
• Fernandez-Rovira, C., et al. (2021). The Digital Transformation of Business:
Towards the Datafication of the Relationship with Customers. Technological
Forecasting & Social Change, Vol. 162, 1-12.
• Sadowski, J. When Data is Capital: Datafication, Accumulation, and Extraction.
Big Data & Society, 6(1), 1-12.
• Bukovina, J. (2016). Social Media Big Data and Capital Markets—An Overview.
Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Vol. 11, 18-26.
March 8th à The Datafication of Politics
Readings:
• Kreiss, D., & McGregor, S. C. (2018). Technology Firms Shape Political
Communication: The Work of Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter and Google with
Campaigns During the 2016 U.S. Presidential Cycle. Political Communication,
35(2), 155-177.
• Hersh, E. D. (2015). Chapter 2: The Perceived Voter Model. In Hacking the
Electorate: How Campaigns Perceive Voters (pp. 24-44). Cambridge, UK:
Cambridge University Press.
• Cotter, K, et al. (2021). “Reach the Right People”: The Politics of “Interests” in
Facebook’s Classification System for Ad Targeting. Big Data & Society, JanuaryJune, 1-16.
March 15th à The Datafication of Surveillance & Policing
Readings:
• Westerlund, M., Isabelle, D. A., & Leminen, S. (2021). The Acceptance of Digital
Surveillance in an Age of Big Data. Technology Innovation Management Review,
11(3), 32-44.
• Shapiro, A. (2019). Predictive Policing for Reform? Indeterminacy and
Intervention in Big Data Policing. Surveillance & Society, 17 (3/4), 456-472.
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• Sandhu, A., & Fussey, P. (2021). The “Uberization of Policing”? How Police
Negotiate and Operationalise Predictive Policing Technology. Policing & Society,
31(1), 66-81.
March 22nd à The Datafication of Warfare
Readings:
• Dunlap, Jr. C. J. (2014). The Hyper-Personalization of War: Cyber, Big Data, and
the Changing Face of Conflict. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Vol.
15 (108-118).
• Gartzke, E. (2013). The Myth of Cyberwar: Bringing War in Cyberspace Back
Down to Earth. International Security, 38(2), 41-73.
• Weber, J. (2016). Keep Adding. On Kill Lists, Drone Warfare and the Politics of
Databases. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 34(1), 107-125.
March 29th à Workshop
April 1st à Workshop
Submission and Return of Term Work
Appealing a Grade
Should you wish to dispute a mark, please provide to the instructor who marked your
assignment one typed, double-spaced page responding to the instructor’s comments on
your assignment explaining what mark you think is more appropriate and why. The
written request must be received via email within one week after the assignment is
returned. Keep in mind that “A” grades are awarded for superior (and not merely
sufficient) performance. An “A” grade requires much hard work and dedication.
Late Assignments/Extensions
Late assignments will be penalized 1/3 letter grade per day (i.e. A to A-) for each day that
they are late, including weekends. Assignments will not be marked if they are received
more than 7 days (including weekends) after the assignment is due.
Extensions will only be provided in exceptional and unavoidable circumstances. Poor
time management or planning is not a valid circumstance. To gain an extension, students
must email the instructor at least 24 hours in advance of when the assignment is due. To
get a late assignment extended after the fact, students must submit one typed, doublespaced page explaining the reason for missing the deadline and one relevant piece of
original documentation (such as an official doctor’s note). The written request must be
received by email within one week after the scheduled due date.
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Grading
Standing in a course is determined by the course instructor, subject to the approval of the faculty
Dean. Final standing in courses will be shown by alphabetical grades. The system of grades used,
with corresponding grade points is:
Approval of final grades: Standing in a course is determined by the course instructor subject to
the approval of the Faculty Dean. This means that grades submitted by an instructor may be
subject to revision. No grades are final until they have been approved by the Dean.
Carleton E-mail Accounts
Please use your Carleton University e-mail accounts for all emails related to this class. All email
communication to students from the Communication and Media Studies Program will be via
official Carleton University e-mail accounts.
Statement on Student Conduct
As part of a learning community, it is our responsibility to contribute to an engaging, inclusive,
and safe learning environment. During all class-related activities, please engage in respectful and
courteous communication, follow the Student Rights and Responsibilities Policy, and avoid
discrimination and Harassment. Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated in this class.
Do not cut and paste, screen shot, share course content, or post the words of your classmates,
TA, or Instructor outside of class without permission. All work submitted in this course must be
uniquely your own. When submitting assignments and/or completing exams, you are expected to
articulate responses in your own words rather than cutting and pasting from course materials
without permission, which is a form of plagiarism.
Statement on Plagiarism
Please be careful to avoid plagiarism and other Academic Integrity violations. The Carleton
University Senate defines plagiarism as “presenting, whether intentionally or not, the ideas,
expression of ideas, or work of others as one’s own”. You can find more details here:
https://carleton.ca/registrar/wp-content/uploads/Academic-Integrity-policy-June-2021.pdf
Examples of plagiarism can include the following:
o Reproducing or paraphrasing portions of someone else’s published or unpublished
material, regardless of the source, and presenting these as one’s own without proper
citation or reference to the source;
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o Submitting a take-home examination, essay, laboratory report or other assignment
written, in whole or in part, by someone else;
o Using ideas or direct, verbatim quotations, or paraphrased material, concepts, or ideas
without appropriate acknowledgment in any academic assignment;
o Using another’s data or research findings;
o Failing to acknowledge sources through the use of proper citations when using another’s
works and/or failing to use quotation marks;
o Handing in “substantially the same piece of work for academic credit more than once
without the prior written permission of the course instructor in which the submission
occurs.”
Declining Online Imaging and Recording Statement
This course may include classes or sessions that use video conferencing platforms, such as
Zoom, MS Teams and BigBlueButton. This raises some important privacy considerations that all
students should know. You are not required to turn your camera on and may decide to turn it on
or off at any time. Students are not permitted to take photographs, screenshots, or record other
students, TAs, or instructors unless they obtain explicit permission from the professor and all
other students well in advance of the session. Classes or sessions will not be recorded by the
instructor.
Requests for Academic Accommodation
You may need special arrangements to meet your academic obligations during the term. For an
accommodation request the processes are as follows.
Pregnancy obligation: write to me with any requests for academic accommodation
during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for
accommodation is known to exist. For more details visit the EIC’s website:
https://carleton.ca/equity/
Religious obligation: write to me with any requests for academic accommodation during
the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is
known to exist. For more details visit the EIC’s website: https://carleton.ca/equity/
Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: The Paul Menton Centre
for Students with Disabilities (PMC) provides services to students with Learning
Disabilities (LD), psychiatric/mental health disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), chronic medical conditions, and
impairments in mobility, hearing, and vision. If you have a disability requiring academic
accommodations in this course, please contact PMC at 613-520-6608 or
pmc@carleton.ca for a formal evaluation. If you are already registered with the PMC,
contact your PMC coordinator to send me your Letter of Accommodation at the
beginning of the term, and no later than two weeks before the first in-class scheduled test
or exam requiring accommodation (if applicable). After requesting accommodation from
PMC, meet with me to ensure accommodation arrangements are made. Please consult the
PMC website for the deadline to request accommodations for the formally-scheduled
exam (if applicable) at https://carleton.ca/pmc/
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You can visit the EIC’s website to view the policies and to obtain more detailed
information on academic accommodation at https://carleton.ca/equity/
Survivors of Sexual Violence
As a community, Carleton University is committed to maintaining a positive learning, working
and living environment where sexual violence will not be tolerated and where survivors are
supported through academic accommodations as per Carleton’s Sexual Violence Policy. For
more information about the services available at the university and to obtain information about
sexual violence and/or support, visit: carleton.ca/sexual-violence-support
Accommodation for Student Activities
Carleton University recognizes the substantial benefits, both to the individual student and for the
university, that result from a student participating in activities beyond the classroom experience.
Reasonable accommodation must be provided to students who compete or perform at the
national or international level. Please contact your instructor with any requests for academic
accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for
accommodation is known to exist. https://carleton.ca/senate/wpcontent/uploads/Accommodation-for-Student-Activities-1.pdf
Student Supports
There are many supports for student across campus. Please see below for supports that might be
helpful for you.
The Centre for Student Academic Support (CSAS): Need support with your learning
goals? CSAS may be able to help. Visit CSAS on the 4th floor of MacOdrum Library or
online at carleton.ca/csas. CSAS offers academic assistance with:
• course content
• academic writing
• skills development
Carleton Health and Counselling Services: https://carleton.ca/health/
International Students Support Office (ISSO): https://carleton.ca/isso/
Centre for Indigenous Initiatives: https://carleton.ca/indigenous/students/
Ojigkwanong Indigenous Student Centre:
https://carleton.ca/indigenous/students/ojigkwanong-indigenous-student-centre/