Berkeley Changemaker: Algorithms, Public Policy, and Ethics

This course will cover a broad range of topics on the use of predictive and related algorithms in public policy. This will include specific case studies, how data are used in these tools, their possible benefits relative to status quo procedures, and the potential harms and ethics surrounding their use (e.g. issues of algorithmic bias). The course will include instruction on both concepts and methods. Students will learn how to critically think and communicate about the use of algorithms in public policy (and related topics) through a conceptual and theoretical lens, through illustrative case studies, through data science applications and exercises, and through collaborative group work in addition to individual assignments.