Introduction to Data Science (BSc)

What is data science? This class will give you a first introduction to this interdisciplinary field. We start with an epistemological perspective on the interplay of reality, data, models and knowledge in the period from the 17th until the 20th century. While this was going on, practical demands from taxation, criminality and hygiene pushed the envelope of how noisy empirical evidence translates into firm knowledge. In the 21st century the scale in which certain types of data have grown meant that modelling paradigms shifted from explanatory to purely predictive. In all this we show how this has shaped the field of data science. 

1. Historical appreciation of data science
2. Being able to interface with various data structures
3. Perform exploratory analysis of data
4. Translate data analysis into knowledge

In presence

1. Weekly lectures (1hr)
2. Weekly tutorials (1hr)

Midterm (40%)

Final (60%)