About Us

What is critical data studies?

Critical Data Studies is an emerging, interdisciplinary field that addresses the ethical, legal, social, cultural, epistemological and political aspects of data science, big data and digital infrastructures.

What is the Purdue Critical Data Studies Collective (CDS)?

The Critical Data Studies Collective (CDS) at Purdue University is a multidisciplinary community of scholars dedicated to examining these issues and advancing conversations in the field. As a collective, we are committed to feminist, antiracist and decolonizing pedagogies and practices. 

At CDS, our goals are to:

• Create opportunities for public dialogue on key issues in critical data studies
• Advance research in the field and cultivate opportunitites for scholarly collaborations
• Promote student and faculty learning across campus through curriculum development and new learning initiatives

What We Do

Teach-Ins & Monthly Seminar Series

Our Teach-Ins and monthly seminar series creates opportunities to engage the larger campus community, which forms an essential component of our work. These events take on a variety of formats including roundtable discussions, panel presentations, and scholar and artist-led workshops that address key issues in critical data studies. Previous topics have ranged from responses to the COVID-19 global pandemic, ethics education in data science, to issues of privacy and critical technology, as well as the uses of big data in political elections, and more. 

Public Lecture Series

CDS at Purdue works to advance public dialogue on the challenges posed by big data and digital infrastructures through our public lecture series, which brings leading scholars in the field to Purdue University. Previous guest speakers have included, Dr. Safiya Noble, the author of Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism, and Dr. Virginia Eubanks, the author of Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.

Curriculum Development & Teaching Initiatives

CDS faculty teach a variety of courses in Critical Data Studies and strive to cultivate new teaching and learning initiatives across campus.

The CDS Syllabus is a resource for critical approaches to data science and technology that advance social justice within higher education. It foregrounds materials on data feminism, data justice, decolonized data, and data for Black lives among others to serve as a reading list for university members and broader publics.

In addition, we collaborated with the Honors College, Purdue Libraries & School of Information Studies, African American Studies and the Department of Anthropology in leading the CDS-Data Mine Learning Community, which was a living, learning-community for undergraduates, regardless of major, that helped students think critically about the role of data science in society.