DS 2003 · Fall 2026

Communicating with Data

Visualization, storytelling, and design for data science

Instructor

Dr. Sarah Groves

Meets

Mon/Wed/Fri · Aug 24 – Dec 7

Tools

Python · pandas · matplotlib

Course site

Canvas (assignments & grades)

Everything for the course lives in the schedule below: lecture, in-class activity, lab, readings, and deadlines for each day, grouped by week. Items marked Canvas link to the course's Canvas site and are only visible if you're logged in and enrolled; everything else on this page is public.

Schedule

Class	Lecture	In-Class Activity	Lab	Readings	Deadlines
Week 1 · Aug 24–28 — Unit 1: Exploratory — visual building blocks (marks, channels, style)
Mon	No class
Class 01 Wed	Introduction	—	—	—	Pre-test & survey
Class 02 Fri	Pre-Lab 1: Python setup	—	Lab 0: environment setup	—	—
Week 2 · Aug 31 – Sep 4
Class 03 Mon	Why we visualize	Getting Around NYC	—	—	—
Class 04 Wed	Data types & models	Simpson's Paradox	—	The visualization zoo	—
Class 05 Fri	—	Sketching workshop	Lab 1: pandas & DataFrames	—	Project 1 assigned
Week 3 · Sep 9 & 11
Mon	No class (Labor Day)
Class 06 Wed	Encodings	—	—	—	—
Class 07 Fri	—	—	Lab 2: Matplotlib & Simpson's paradox	—	Project 1 topic & dataset picked
Week 4 · Sep 14–18
Class 08 Mon	Effectiveness & chartjunk	—	—	—	—
Class 09 Wed	Scales & color	—	—	—	—
Class 10 Fri	—	—	Lab 3: advanced Matplotlib	—	—
Week 5 · Sep 21–25
Class 11 Mon	Perception	—	—	—	—
Class 12 Wed	Gestalt principles	—	—	—	—
Class 13 Fri	—	Peer review	Lab 4: EDA I (async)	—	Project 1 checkpoint
Week 6 · Sep 28 – Oct 2
Class 14 Mon	Task abstractions & activity theory	—	—	—	—
Class 15 Wed	Taxonomies	—	—	—	—
Class 16 Fri	—	—	Lab 5: EDA II	—	—
Week 7 · Oct 7 & 9
Mon	No class (Fall break)
Class 17 Wed	Graphs, networks & trees	—	—	—	—
Class 18 Fri	—	—	Lab 6: alluvial diagrams & graphs	—	—
Week 8 · Oct 12–16 — Unit 2: Explanatory (storytelling) — media literacy, composing & critiquing
Class 19 Mon	—	EDA presentations	—	—	—
Class 20 Wed	—	EDA presentations	—	—	—
Class 21 Fri	Data as art / storytelling	—	—	—	Project 1 due
Week 9 · Oct 19–23
Class 22 Mon	Storytelling	—	—	—	—
Class 23 Wed	Data journalism & deceptive plots	—	—	—	Project 2 assigned
Class 24 Fri	—	—	Lab 7 (async — family weekend)	—	—
Week 10 · Oct 26–30
Class 25 Mon	Infographics	—	—	—	—
Class 26 Wed	Infographics II	—	—	—	—
Class 27 Fri	—	Final project introduced	Lab 8: decompose an infographic	—	Project 2 proposals due
Week 11 · Nov 2–6
Class 28 Mon	Data quality	—	—	—	—
Class 29 Wed	Ethics & rhetoric	—	—	—	—
Class 30 Fri	—	Infographic challenge + critique	Lab 9	—	—
Week 12 · Nov 9–13
Class 31 Mon	Science visualizations	—	—	—	—
Class 32 Wed	Data journalism	—	—	—	—
Class 33 Fri	—	—	Lab 10: Plotly infographics	—	—
Week 13 · Nov 16–20
Class 34 Mon	Interaction taxonomies	—	—	—	—
Class 35 Wed	Plotly	—	—	—	—
Class 36 Fri	—	Plotly widget challenge / Tableau track	Lab 11	—	—
Week 14 · Nov 23–27
Class 37 Mon	Communicating uncertainty	—	—	—	—
Wed	No class (Thanksgiving)
Fri	No class (Thanksgiving)
Week 15 · Nov 30 – Dec 4
Class 38 Mon	—	Draft presentations	—	—	—
Class 39 Wed	—	Draft presentations	—	—	—
Class 40 Fri	—	Draft presentations	—	—	—
Week 16 · Dec 7 — Final week
Class 41 Mon	—	Final presentations	—	—	Project 2 due

Classes are numbered sequentially from the top (not reset per week). Built from the department's internal planning sheet — double-check dates and details, and note that lecture slides aren't linked yet (add them as the matching files are ready). Weekly quizzes and exit tickets happen as usual but are left off this public page entirely, since it's more than an instructor's private notes should say.