CDS Collaborative Glossary

by Kendall Roark, Assistant Professor (LSIS, Purdue)

The Critical Data Studies Collaborative Glossary was created by students enrolled in Fall 2019 HONR 399 Critical Data Studies (Roark, Day, Zanotti) and CDS-Data Mine Learning Community as part of a semester-long collaborative writing assignment. The instructors drew upon the “keywords” methodology to prompt independent and collaborative writing. Students were introduced to the keyword methodology through supplemental readings and projects (Burgnett and Hendler 2015; FemTechNet CRES Workbook, The Keywords Project - University of Pittsburgh). Instructors drew specifically upon FemTechNet's intersectional approach to keywords methodology where one is called to bring attention to "the multiple axis through which power operates when technology, feminism, and critical race & ethnic studies meet", while critically examining how the meanings of words change over time and shapes our understanding of the world (FemTechNet CRES Workbook). Each week the instructors proposed one or more keywords drawn from that week's assigned reading and asked each student to write and post a short (250-300 word), unique response to the course discussion list. Students were required to offer a brief summary of a debate around the definition or implications of a concept, a deeper dive into the ways in which a particular author/theorist utilized a concept and to critically engage with how the concept related to their own experience/ work. Students were given time in class each week to start building the Collaborative Glossary of Critical Data Studies using the Blackboard Wiki or other collaborative writing tools of their choice. Each group of 4-6 students chose a different set of keywords to work on throughout the semester. While they were able to draw upon previously posted keyword assignments from all of their classmates, all of the final entries are collaboratively written original entries which have undergone further peer and instructor review and copyediting.

Team Editorial Leads: Nikita Gerard, Sarahy Dueñas and Matthew Der

Student Editors: CJ Bruns, Jia-Lin Chen, Hauyuan Chen, Matthew Der, Antonio Domínguez Palomar, Calvin Du, Sarahy Dueñas, Nate Garrison, Nikita Gerard, Jack Harber and Vishnu Kamagere. We would like to thank other class editors who would like to remain anonymous for their contributions.

Instructors: Kendall Roark, Faithe Day and Laura Zanotti