Policies
Prerequisites
CP 101 reserves seats for CED and Data Science majors and minors; others can enroll with the permission of the instructor. No prior statistics coursework is assumed. This class provides a foundation to pursue further undergraduate data science courses at UC Berkeley. For Urban Studies, CP 101 satisfies one of the four additional City Planning courses for Upper Division Urban Studies Core. For the City Planning minor, CP 101 satisfies one of the four additional City Planning courses for Upper Division courses under List 1. For SED, CP 101 can count as an Upper Division outside SED major for Fall 2016 admits and later.
Course Requirements
All computer assignments will involve the use of data and software available online or through campus IT, and you will need access to your own computer. We’ll be teaching labs for both PC and Mac users. Students will be expected to have a working knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite - specifically Excel, PowerPoint, and Word - for this course. Students are welcome to explore the use of open software interfaces, such as the R language for statistical computing, the RStudio package, and the QGIS project; however, please check with the graduate student instructor before using any alternative software. Labs will be offered to introduce students to Excel, Carto, WordPress, and Python programming, as well as census data websites.
Grading & Assignments and Reading
Students will be expected to read a number of articles/chapters/etc. prior to lecture and lab sessions. For ten sessions, students are asked to submit response questions online on our class bCourses site. We will randomly call on students in each class to discuss questions. Students will be expected to attend and actively participate in one class per week. They will take two midterm quizzes and one lab midterm; complete three group projects; and have the option of a final presentation. Grades will be assigned as follows:
| Activity | Grade |
|---|---|
| Assignment 1 (Neighborhood Profile) | 15% |
| Assignment 2 (Story Map) | 15% |
| Assignment 3 (Final Project) | 25% |
| Midterm Quiz #1 | 5% |
| Lab Midterm | 15% |
| Midterm Quiz #2 | 10% |
| Reading Response Questions | 7.5% |
| Class Participation | 7.5% |
| Extra Credit: Final Presentation | Up to 3 points |
Reading Responses
Students are expected to respond to ten different sets of class readings by submitting at least three questions that demonstrate a high level of awareness and react critically to concepts and analyses presented by the readings and could be used to prompt an in-class discussion. Each question should respond to a different reading unless fewer than three readings are assigned. Only the class sessions marked with a * are available for questions; these are the sessions with more theoretical or critical readings, rather than technical texts. During each class, the instructor will randomly select one or more of the questions to read and discuss during the lecture. Questions should be posted by midnight the day before class to the bCourses discussion thread for the lecture (e.g., February 24 for February 25 class).
Assignments
All assignments will be conducted by groups of two students (with more allowed for Assignment 3). For the first two assignments, groups will be assigned randomly by the instructors, who will match students from technical or STEM majors with environmental, social science, or humanities majors (to the extent possible). In the first two assignments (Neighborhood Profile and Story Map), students will explore the phenomenon of neighborhood change through in-depth analysis of census and economic data, as well as story-mapping. The Neighborhood Profile will be a document of 8-10 pages (1.5 spaces), plus appendices (submitted online in Word or as a PDF). The Story Map will consist of an interactive online map, with significant explanatory text.
For the third assignment, students will explore a research question of their own choosing, using big data and/or open data portals, as well as analysis and visualization techniques learned in class. Students may select their own partners for this project, with up to three students per group. This deliverable should include either an online project or a narrative of 15-20 pages (1.5 spaces), including references in proper format. Students will submit a one-page description of their research question and approach in the beginning of April and work closely with the instructors to develop a methodological approach. The semester will culminate with short (5-7 minute) presentations of Assignment 3 (during reading week); this presentation is optional and will be for extra credit.
Exam
There will be a short multiple choice midterm quiz held during the second module to assess student learning of course topics; a midterm lab held after the second module focusing on analytic techniques taught in the first two months of class; and a second midterm quiz held during the third module (a take-home short essay focused on data ethics). The quizzes will be based on the class readings and lectures. The lab midterm will be based on the lab exercises and assignments, with a focus on analytic skills.
Class Format, Attendance and Participation
Lectures and labs for CP 101 will generally be pre-recorded and available asynchronously. The teaching team will try to post lectures and labs for the week by Monday night at the latest.
Synchronous lectures and labs will take place at the regularly scheduled times. Lectures will consist of about 30 minutes of announcements and discussion, followed by optional help sessions when assignments are due. Students are expected to attend at least one class session per week (we will take attendance). In addition to attending, students are expected to actively contribute to class discussions and ask questions. One way to enhance your participation grade is to contribute to the Lecture Discussion on bCourses for the date of the lecture with some questions or observations for us to talk about in class. Participation will be evaluated by instructors based on a combination of attendance, observed engagement and participation, and the bCourse discussion forum.
There are eleven computer labs, which will be pre-recorded as tutorials. Lab attendance is optional but strongly recommended. Lab session time will consist of troubleshooting tricky software issues through live demos and one-on-one help sessions.
We will be using Piazza for class discussion. The system can get you help fast and efficiently from classmates and the teaching team. Rather than emailing questions to the team, I encourage you to post your questions on Piazza. Find our class signup link here.
Course Materials
CP 101 has one required book and one optional book. We expect you to purchase the book at the student store, or via an online bookseller. There is no course reader. All readings that are not part of the required book will be posted to the CP 101 bCourses. Also, please see the Resources tab on the top navigation bar of this course website, for a variety of resources related to the course.
Required: Singleton, Alex, Seth Spielman, and David Folch. 2018. Urban Analytics. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Optional: Wheelan, Charles. 2013. Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data. W. W. Norton & Company.
Lecture slides and other course materials will be posted on the CP 101 bCourses site.
Statement on Academic Integrity
Any test, paper or report submitted by you and that bears your name is presumed to be your own original work that has not previously been submitted for credit in another course. You may use words or ideas written by other individuals in publications, websites, or other sources, but only with proper attribution. If you are not clear about the expectations for completing an assignment or taking an exam, be sure to ask a course instructor.
You should also keep in mind that as a member of the campus community you are expected to demonstrate integrity in all of your academic work and be evaluated on your own merits. The consequences of cheating and academic misconduct — including a formal discipline record and possible loss of future opportunities — are not worth the risks.
Statement on Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
If you have been issued a letter of accommodation from the Disabled Students Program (DSP), please see the course lead instructor as soon as possible to work out the necessary arrangements. If you need an accommodation and have not yet seen a Disability Specialist at the DSP, please do so as soon as possible.
If you would need any assistance in the event of an emergency evacuation of the building, the DSP recommends that you make a plan for this in advance. (Contact the DSP access specialist at 643-6456.)
A resource for all accommodations and resources can be found on the EVCP’s website, bCourses under Academic Policies, and this link. It includes Classroom Climate, Academic Integrity and Honor Code, Academic Accommodations, and Support Resources (Basic Needs Center, Center of Support and Intervention, Counseling and Psychological Services, Disabled Students’ Program, Path to Care, and Social Services at University Health Services), and Conflict resolution.
Statement on Scheduling Conflicts
Please notify course instructors by the second week of the term about any known or potential extracurricular conflicts (such as religious observances, graduate or medical school interviews, or team activities). We will try our best to help you with making accommodations, but cannot promise them in all cases.