This course was co-developed with Anissa Tanweer at the e-Science Institute at UW. The course, themed "Cradle to Grave," aims to sensitize students to the pervasive nature of datafication in daily life. A pivotal aspect of this course is to emphasize how data is constructed and interpreted within specific contexts. Thus, the writing activities in the class and the students' final project underscores the reliance on qualitative/textual interpretations and the critical role of language in shaping our understanding of datafication in the everyday. In the course's first half, students critically examine datafication through various genres and reflective writing exercises, highlighting the significance of considering one's positionality in understanding data's meanings and uses. The second half builds on these insights, as students create a public scholarship zine to demystify (or open the “black box”) of a topic of their choosing. This zine aims to reveal the critical role of interpretation in datafication practices, and features elements such as annotated examples from students' earlier works that illustrate how their reflections and genre-based writings inform their chosen topics/approach. The metaphor of opening the “black box" attempts to encapsulate the objective of crafting a project that engages in critical thinking about dominant assumptions of datafication and helps guide students towards work that can expand participation of datafication use to those most impacted by it. Further details on the course and project are outlined in the provided materials.
“When I grow up I want to be a list of further possibilities” - Chen Chen
Throughout the fellowship I found myself returning to this poem by Chen Chen as it resonated with a conflict I was experiencing: balancing traditional academic writing expectations against a broader objective of fostering diverse epistemological understandings among students. My concern with teaching disciplinary conventions was at growing odds with encouraging students to value and explore different ways of knowing. Through our discussions, I recognized that this conflict was a bit of a red herring, and was reminded of the necessity of creativity and collective action when thinking through writing as knowledge forming. These interactions shifted my perspective from making prescriptive choices for students to facilitating their engagement with multiple ways of knowing that emphasizes the importance of student voice, their agency, and collaborators of knowledge production. The resulting project integrates numerous strategies and activities inspired by discussions within the fellowship. Our work together underscores the significance of writing "in conversation" with others and affirms the potential for such collaborative endeavors to open up further possibilities.
