What is Data Storytelling?

Dr. Nathaniel Cline

285,474

persons in poverty in San Bernardino County in 2019

285,474

persons in poverty in San Bernardino County in 2019

What is missing?

A quick icebreaker. Context? Is this big or small? Is this a precise count or is there uncertainty? Who is saying this? How is poverty measured?

Agenda

1

Introductions and Overview

2

Example and critique

3

Wrap-up

Course Website

https://datastorytelling23.netlify.app/

Introductions and Course Overview

About me

Prof. Cline, Dr. Cline, or Nate

• Born and raised in MD just outside of DC
• PhD in Economics from the University of Utah
• Research interests in macroeconomics, international political economy, and childcare
• In my spare time I make furniture with handtools!

Contact and office hours

nathaniel_cline@redlands.edu

Schedule an appointment

(or drop by my office T, Th 3pm - 4pm)

Office: Duke 201

Remind students that they can email me if there are no appointments that work for them.

About you

• Preferred name
• Major/emphasis/interest
• Song/artist/music style I should add to the class playlist

Course FAQ

What is data storytelling?

Data storytelling blends skills from design, communication, creative writing, data science, visual arts, and more to explore data and communicate insights.

Do I have to know programming/data science/statistics/etc…?

This course assumes you’ve been through a statistics course and had the equivalent of econ 101. In both cases we will review the material we need, but life will be much easier if you’ve seen it before. This course assumes no prior programming experience

Course FAQ

How do I get an A?

This is a project based course, so in addition to doing the usual stuff (coming to class, handing in short assignments), you’ll get an “A” by getting really really into your project!

Is this an economics course?

Not a traditional one!

Where our class lives

Course Website

Teams

?

Grading

We will learn

• to critically appreciate the data narratives we come across daily
• creative methods and media for communicating data in a truthful, insightful and beautiful way.

We will use the programming language and in particular a cloud based version in positCloud.

Data and the American Dream

This course is framed around the “American dream.”

All of our data sets will somehow relate to this theme.

But… What is the American Dream?

Emphasize that we interpret this term broadly in the course and you shouldn’t be hesitant to critique it

Course outline

Fundamentals

Examples

R and graphic design

Finding data

Exploring data

Racial wealth gaps

The toolbelt of techniques

Core Tools

Grammar of graphics

Amounts and proportions

Themes

Uncertainty

Relationships

Comparisons

Time

Special Topics

Mapping

Text-based data

Creative and interactive graphs

Enhancing graphics

Data Sculptures

Participatory data games

Plus special guests and field trips!

Assignments will be in each of the steps, but students won’t walk through the whole thing until the final project.

Final Project

in teams of 3(-ish)

1. Insightful, data-based story with a clear connection to the “American Dream” broadly interpreted
2. Presentation of that story with a well defined audience and goals
3. Methodology write up
4. Audience assessment tool
5. Presentation of the project to our class

Example and critique

Hans Rosling and life expectancy

Rosling Discussion

1. What data sets are used?

2. How are the data presented?

3. What is the core story the infographic is trying to tell?

4. What works to tell this story and what doesn’t? Should anything be added or removed?

Wrap-up

Review

1

Introductions and Overview

2

Example and critique

To Do

Read

• Chapter 1 in Data Visualization by Kieran Healy
• Chapters 2 and 3 in The Truthful Art by Alberto Cairo (course reserves on Teams)

Do

• Find a data visualization that grabs you (either positively or negatively) and post it with a short summary on our Teams site.