Data Visualization and Communication

Undergraduate / Graduate

This course introduces Data Science minors to best practices for presenting and communicating quantitative data. Principles of data visualization include the use of colors and negative spaces, drawing attention to important details, repetition of design motifs, appropriately using figures and tables, and combining different scales in a single figure. The course also discusses how to avoid common distortions resulting in misleading plots and figures and how to effectively communicate findings. Examples are chosen from a variety of fields, such as the biological sciences, the social sciences, and the media.