DIGA609 Policy and Political Analytics (3 cr.)

Prerequisite(s): DIGA605  or equivalent or consent of program director
This course explores integrating location-based analytics with institutional policy-making impacts on stakeholders or public demographics. Demographic and policy analysis is key for understanding decision-making efforts on local, state, or national levels. Course applications and discussions include various topics to include but are not limited to political and policy strategies and impacts on participation in policies or programs, statistical and qualitative analyses of elections, registration, and voter turnout, understanding relationships and impacts of various local, state, and federal agencies, grassroots movements, and advocacy organizations. The course utilizes processes, software, and data requirements necessary to implement technology-based analytics.

Upon completion of the course students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Apply knowledge of principles, theories, and concepts of demographic data to leverage locational intelligence.
2. Articulate the role of political, policy, and demographic data used in decision making.
3. Analyze visual and spatial patterns using statistics and spatial data.
4. Implement strategies to apply data in various applications related to local, state, and federal initiatives.