Data and the Body

When, why, and how do we seek to produce data about the human body? This seminar course offers a sociological introduction to the relationship between the body and information technologies, examining the ethics, politics, and consequences of bodily datafication. Units will examine medical, military, scientific, and consumer technologies, as well as the data-intensive techniques and global markets shared between them. We will work to understand how data practices have constructed our knowledge of human difference, as well as how histories of bodily inquiry have shaped contemporary practice in information science. For their final project, students will have the opportunity to develop either a research paper or an artifact which critically engages with the production, use, or interpretation of some form of body data. This course is suitable for students interested in digital health and wearable technologies; the political economy of personal data; and/or the social study of science, technology and medicine.