Social Data Analytics (SODA) is an interdisciplinary major designed to prepare students for careers that use “big data” or “social data” to tackle social and political problems. Big data or social data is information about what people do, think, and feel gathered from cell phones, social media and objects fitted with sensors that capture moment to moment changes among people and in the physical world. These data have great potential to improve community organization, public health, and international development and conflict management – to name just a few applications – but using it effectively requires careful research design and particular techniques that form a unique area of study.
SODA teaches students to use the increasingly vast stores of information generated from social media, mobile devices, and other technologies that capture moment-to-moment changes in human behavior. Students learn data analysis and AI-powered techniques and how to apply them to develop reliable answers to questions about the social and political world.
Why Study SODA?
Businesses and governments increasingly need employees who can handle, analyze, and communicate with large and complex datasets, who also understand how to use AI responsibly. The SODA major combines the technical skills of a data science degree with the social science knowledge to apply those skills to real problems. This unique combination prepares graduates for careers in data analytics, AI-driven research, public policy, technology, consulting, and beyond.
The SODA major combines political science courses with courses in statistics, mathematics, information science, and computer science. It develops the skill set necessary to think critically about “big” data in relation to specific real-world problems. This includes understanding what the data is and where it comes from, as well as how to handle it and how to use it to derive and test hypotheses about the social and political world. SODA majors will gain practical experience working with data through a capstone project or participation in faculty research.
The SODA major is a Bachelor of Science degree and thus does not require courses in a language other than English. The degree program is highly structured and students benefit from close work with an advisor, particularly if they wish to study abroad. Ideally, students begin the foundational courses for the SODA major during their freshman year. AP courses in calculus, computer science, and American Government are recommended.
What Makes SODA Different from a Data Science Degree?
Data science provides tools for exploring data, but it doesn’t tell you what to look for or whether what you find is meaningful. AI and machine learning can surface patterns at scale, but interpreting those patterns requires substantive knowledge. SODA gives students both the technical toolkit—including AI and machine learning methods—and the social science context to draw real-world meaning from data.