Thank you for your support and contribution to our Seminar. We will return this fall with four events, followed by a series of workshops on climate change in the spring.
Upcoming events for fall 2021 include a discussion of Canay Özden-Schilling’s new book The Current Economy: Electricity Markets and Techno-Economics, and a talk by Sandra Laugier on how data figures as ordinary aesthetics in TV shows. We will also be hearing about various digital humanities projects at Johns Hopkins, specifically the Black Beyond Data project, headed by Jessica Marie Johnson, Kim Gallon, and Sasha White, as well as Chris Cannon and Thomas Lippincott’s recent work on primary sources, computational intelligence, and discovering connections between fields.
Sawyer Seminar: Precision and Uncertainty in a World of Data
The Sawyer Seminar on Precision and Uncertainty in a World of Data is organized by the Departments of Anthropology and the History of Medicine and the Center for Medical Humanities and Social Medicine at Johns Hopkins University. Throughout its two-year run (2019-2021), the Seminar will explore questions around what kinds of ethical and social issues are new about our Big Data moment, what has carried over from the past, and what kinds of methods and approaches might help us extend our understanding of this moment’s specificity.
On this website, you can find more information about the Seminar directors and staff, our schedule of events, notes on our past events, and resources that help explore data and society. We hope for this website to serve as an archive for what we have learned over the course of the Seminar, as well as a gateway for resources on data and society that will outlive the Seminar’s run. We encourage you to check out our latest events, projects, and commentary below:
Sponsor Institutions:
- 12.8.21 | Primary Sources, Computational Intelligence, and Discovering Connections Between FieldsDecember 8, 2021, 7-9:00 pm EST Tom Lippincott (digital humanities, Johns Hopkins University) Chris Cannon (english and classics, Johns Hopkins University) Combining the depth and flexibility of… Read more “12.8.21 | Primary Sources, Computational Intelligence, and Discovering Connections Between Fields”
- 11.15.21 | Sandra Laugier, “The Fact and Fiction of Television”When Cavell’s “The Fact of Television” was published in Daedalus in 1982, it was still very much one among “themes out of school”. Since the early 1980s, however,… Read more “11.15.21 | Sandra Laugier, “The Fact and Fiction of Television””
- 10.15.21 | The CURRENT ECONOMY: a book discussion with Canay Özden SchilllingThe second Sawyer Seminar event of the semester will be a panel discussion of Canay Özden-Schilling’s new book, The Current Economy: electricity markets and techno-economics. In addition to… Read more “10.15.21 | The CURRENT ECONOMY: a book discussion with Canay Özden Schillling”
- 9.17.21 | Black Beyond Data: Combating Racial Injustice through the Digital HumanitiesOur first event of the semester will feature Kim Gallon (Associate Professor of History, Purdue University); Jessica Marie Johnson (Assistant Professor of History, Johns Hopkins); Sasha White… Read more “9.17.21 | Black Beyond Data: Combating Racial Injustice through the Digital Humanities”
- UPCOMING EVENTS for 2021-22We are excited to announce the series of events planned for the 2021-2022 academic year! Links for registration will be available both via the Sawyer Seminar email… Read more “UPCOMING EVENTS for 2021-22”
- 11/20/20 In Utero Exposure to Industrial Disasters: A Case Study of the Bhopal Gas TragedyThe Sawyer Seminar hosted a discussion on November 20th, 2020 with Professor Prashant Bharadwaj (UC San Diego Economics) presenting a case study, while Professor Shareen Joshi (Georgetown… Read more “11/20/20 In Utero Exposure to Industrial Disasters: A Case Study of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy”
- Concepts and Data: An Interdisciplinary WorkshopConcepts and Data: An Interdisciplinary Workshop brought together scholars from the fields of anthropology, philosophy, political science, and computer science to explore a range of questions regarding the epistemological and social consequences of digitalization, big data, visualization, and measurement.
- 9/18/20 Spyware and Predictive Policing: The Merging of Historic and Big DataDiscussion Notes by Heba Islam New York Times Bureau Chief for Mexico Azam Ahmed and Johns Hopkins Sociology Instructor Dr. Stuart Schrader, in a discussion moderated by… Read more “9/18/20 Spyware and Predictive Policing: The Merging of Historic and Big Data”
Header Images (Art Works) Credit:
Rachel Ara. “This Much I’m Worth (The Self-evaluating Artwork): Korean Version” in Vertiginous Data at National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea. Photo taken by Sumin Myung.
Sylvee Kim. “Trinity: Finance-Credo-Spirituality” in Vertiginous Data at National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea. Photo taken by Sumin Myung.
Danilo Zamboni. “PerspectivischeExplosionszeichnung” in Zugang für Alle: São Paulos Soziale Infrastrukturen at Pinakothek der Moderne, München, Germany. Photo taken by Sumin Myung.
Nam June Paik. “Video Chandelier No. 1” at Nam June Paik Art Center, Seongnam, South Korea. Photo taken by Sumin Myung.
Soyo Lee. “TV Garden: Notes” in Ecological Senses at Nam June Paik Art Center, Seongnam, South Korea. Photo taken by Sumin Myung.
Precision and Uncertainty in a World of Data 