The course is about ethical issues related to the use of big data. It also considers social processes involving diverse actors who interact with digital platforms, produce and store big data, and analyse those data. Issues related to individual privacy, anonymity, and confidentiality are discussed. Unique ethical concerns that arise from the production of big data are scrutinized, including representativeness, sample selection, non-human and bad faith actors, and the reproduction of social biases through AI and machine learning. Social research and organizational decision-making processes that rely on big data are critiqued on this basis. The course also investigates the motivations, of organizations collecting and making use of big data directly or indirectly for profit and decision-making. These issues are explored through contemporary case studies.
Big Data: Social Processes and Ethical Issues
7.5 creditsBig Data: Social Processes and Ethical Issues
Autumn 2025, Full-time, Norrköping
Starts:
Autumn 2025
Start date:
01 December
End date:
18 January
Place of study:
Norrköping
Pace of study:
Full-time
Level:
Second cycle
Teaching form:
On-Campus
Education Time:
Day-time
Education Language:
English
Course offering id:
LIU-46016
Number of Places:
7
Specific requirements
- 180 ECTS credits passed including 90 ECTS credits within one of the following areas humanities, social-, cultural-, behavioural-, natural-, computer-, or engineering-sciences
- English corresponding to the level of English in Swedish upper secondary education (Engelska 6)
Exemption from Swedish
Selection
Tuition fees
SEK 11100 - NB: Applies only to students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
If you have questions about the course, contact us
Cory Robinson, course director
Madelene Töpfer, course administrator
Jonas Johansson, study adviser