Data Justice
Information, analytics and computing for social change
Introduction
Data Justice (DJ) provides students an opportunity to interrogate the biases that are built into information collection, design, and analysis. Students explore how specific values are coded into datasets, algorithms, AI-driven systems, machine learning models, and other sociotechnical systems. They gain advanced data-related skills that will serve them in a wide variety of careers that aim to make the world a better place through information.
By the conclusion of the program, students will be able to:
- Employ justice-centered approaches to equitable computer and data sciences;
- Analyze how cultural values, power, and privilege are encoded into technologies;
- Critique the sociopolitical values of data structure and algorithmic design;
- Analyze ways that computing and data science have been used as a catalyst for positive social change; and
- Develop a computing identity that intersects with personal identity factors.
DJ Scholars enters its second academic year in 2025-26. The program is sponsored by the University of Maryland’s College of Information, a top-ranked research and teaching college in the field of information science.
In the College of Information, faculty, staff, students, and partners are expanding the frontiers of how information and technology are accessed and used in a rapidly evolving world. We are combining principles of information science with cutting-edge technology to foster access to information, improve information interfaces, and expand how information is used in an evolving world.
Throughout all of our endeavors, the College of Information is committed to utilizing information and technology for good – to connect communities, empower individuals, and create opportunities.
Colloquium and Lecture Topics
- How do you use information?
- What is the info you need to change the world?
- What has produced the digital divide?
- How are digital identities different from personal identities?
- How can we achieve information justice?
The Data Justice program will be an excellent opportunity for undergraduate students interested in information science, computer science, the social sciences, journalism, business, policy, and more.
Other Learning Opportunities
In addition to colloquium and supporting courses, DJ students will choose three 1-credit electives from a group of courses focused on building technical computing and data science skills. Course titles include:
- Making Twitter Bots
- Solving Puzzles and Riddles with Computation
- Comic Books and Machine Learning
- Emergent Experiences through Technology
Off-campus excursions to information-related sites, such as the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the Agricultural Library in Beltsville, MD, will foster community and encourage examination of information in the community (in physical location, cyberspace, and institutions created for the management and best use of information).
Curriculum Overview
Data Justice is an 18-credit program that includes a required course on algorithmic bias (INST204S); a series of colloquium courses on the topics of the digital divide, digital identities, and information justice; a set of supporting courses drawn from the College of Information’s 100- and 200-level courses on relevant current issues; a set of short supporting courses focused on technical computing and data science skills; and a practicum (CPDJ240 Service Learning) in which students will undertake a project with a community partner related to data justice.
The following table represents a typical two-year curriculum, but individual schedules will vary. Details about courses and requirements can be found on the Data Justice Citation Checklist.
| SEMESTER | COURSE | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | CPDJ 100: Colloquium I | 1 credit |
| INST204S: Designing Fair Systems (DSHS, SCIS) | 3 credits | |
| Semester 2 | CPDJ 101: Colloquium II | 1 credit |
| Semester 3 | CPDJ 200: Colloquium III | 1 credit |
| Semester 1, 2, 3, or 4 | INST 388: Maker Movement Approach to Computing INST 388: Maker Movement Approach to Computing INST 388: Maker Movement Approach to Computing |
1 credit 1 credit 1 credit |
| Semester 1, 2, 3, or 4 | Supporting Course (var. Gen Ed) Supporting Course (var. Gen Ed) |
3 credits 3 credits |
| Semester 4 | CPDJ 240: Service-Learning Practicum | 3 credits |
Sponsoring College
Office Address
1101 Centreville
Office Phone
TBD
Faculty
News and Notes, Etc.
A Terp Fossil Hunt, Just Down the Street
Liam Driver ’27 shouted in excitement as he picked up a shard of rock out of orange clay and ironstone on an exposed gray hillside.As his classmates gathered around him, he held out his hand, revealing a sliver of bone in the center of his palm. “That blueish part is what gave it away” as a fossil, he said.It might have been part of a now-extinct species of lungfish 115 million years ago that, per its name, could also breathe outside of the water. It’s one of many animals and plants that once thrived in a lush early Cretaceous waterway that’s now an unassuming excavation site, tucked away at the end of a long drive of warehouses and office buildings in Laurel, Md.
A Tour to Thank Terp Teachers
Sara Tatum '18, a Science, Technology and Society alum, was one of three outstanding teachers in the area who the University of Maryland's College of Education recognized in a daylong blitz during national Teacher Appreciation Week (May 5-9); it did the same last year, and is making this an annual tradition.Waving pom-poms and blasting the Maryland Victory Song, representatives from the University of Maryland College of Education and the life-size Testudo mascot had come to surprise her at Bladensburg High School, where she teaches. math, with balloons, a bag of College of Education-branded swag, and a $1,000 check—along with their gratitude.
Scholars Emerge as Finalists for Maryland Medallion Society Awards
The Maryland Medallion Society is a community of students who have shown exceptional leadership and integrity. These students are also the finalists for the University’s top two prestigious awards: the University of Maryland Model Citizenship Prize and the Wilson H. Elkins Award.This year, several College Park Scholars alumni were finalists for the top two awards – Jhennifer Celestino Alva (Global Public Health), Lily Fleischmann (Public Leadership), Sarang Han (Science and Global Change), Erika Holdren (International Studies), Abigail Manga (Public Leadership), and Kaitlyn Zhou (Public Leadership).
Scholar Awarded 2025 NOAA Hollings Scholarship
Three University of Maryland sophomores, including a College Park Scholar, are recipients of 2025 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ernest F. Hollings Scholarships, one of the nation’s highest honors for exceptional students in STEM fields.The scholarships provide up to $19,000 in financial support, professional development opportunities and a paid summer internship at any NOAA facility across the U.S. With this year’s recipients, UMD’s total number of Hollings Scholars since 2008 rises to 49.
Three Scholars Named ODK Top Ten Freshmen
Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) is a nationally recognized leadership honor society. The Sigma Circle of Omicron Delta Kappa Leadership Society annually recognizes the Top Ten Freshmen of the University of Maryland.
Strengthening Communities, a Course at a Time
Civic Engagement Across the Curriculum at UMD (CEAC at UMD), a pilot professional development program, supported 12 instructors, including several College Park Scholars program directors and staff, from seven schools and colleges as they integrated community-focused strategies and experiences into more than 20 courses serving over 1,000 students, in disciplines as varied as art, kinesiology and sociology, during the fall and spring semesters. College Park Scholars in the CEAC at UMD 2024-25 Cohort: