FACT///.Coding & Reanimnating Data (Python & Javascript)

This event is part of the ‘Feminist Approaches to Computational Technology: Read, Write, Code’ programme,  co-led and co-organised by Dr Cécile Chevalier and Dr Sharon Webb as part of the Feminist Approaches to Technology the network, known asFACT///..FACT///.network was born from a desire to form and support a community around issues related to representation, diversity and inclusion within the broad area of computational practices (e.g. coders, DIY coders, programmers) and thinking. It seeks to create an active network and community that supports and encourage alternative demographics in current digital spaces, environments and practices from which computational thinking is made possible.

Fubara-Manuel/Nelson with Chevalier/Webb

Suze Shardlow (https://suzeshardlow.com/), co-director of Women Who Code London (https://www.womenwhocode.com/london), will lead FACT///.coding’s first workshop series of 2020. Over the course of three sessions, we will work together to complete a project whilst learning and applying the fundamentals of both the Python and JavaScript programming languages. Each session will build from the last. Therefore, it is important that you can commit to attending all three. Our feminist approach to computation means that we are not just coding for coding’s sake, we are interested in critiquing both the means of production (e.g. the process of making) and the outcomes (e.g. the software/object created). This also means that the data and the context of our coding work are important. Therefore, we are delighted to announce that we have teamed up with the Reanimating Data Project, led by Prof. Rachel Thomson, and will be working with the Reanimating Data team to create a chatbot that speaks to the Women’s Risk and Aids Archive (WRAP). WRAP is a valuable and rich dataset that has influenced feminist thinking and writing (see The Male in the Head). Using this data set will help us to question the interaction between the chatbot and the user - who is speaking, the bot or the archive? Is the bot an intermediary to the archive, or a medium to the past? What happens when we re-voice the archive? What technological choices impact the end user’s experience. What happens when a chatbot uses different accents? What are the implications of assigning/assuming the gender of the chatbot, especially given the historical context of the interviews? Can we speak back to the archive and contribute to it?  Participants will have the chance to help frame the development of this feminist chatbot and inform its evolution. Sessions are free but booking is essential and places are limited. Our workshops are open to all but we are particularly interested in supporting womxn new to programming or those with some experience who would like to re-engage with their programming skills. Pre-Requisites: While we assume no prior knowledge, we ask that participants complete online tutorials before the sessions begin in February (details of which to follow). You will need to bring your own laptop (the sessions will be MAC-led) To register, it is to register for all three workshops, however, if you are not able to attend all three, please contact Cécile and Sharon. The three workshops will require some additional time commitments outside of the scheduled hours (e.g. practice, and tasks). This workshop is supported by the CHASE Doctoral Training Partnership, the Sussex Humanities Lab and the Reanimating Data Project. 
The Sussex Humanities Lab is located in the Silverstone Building at the University of Sussex: for a guide to accessibility see: <A HREF="https://www.disabledgo.com/access-guide/university-of-sussex/silverstone" TARGET="_blank" DATA-MSYS-CLICKTRACK="0" REL="nofollow noopener noreferrer">https://www.disabledgo.com/access-guide/university-of-sussex/silverstone</A>

FACT///.Coding & Reanimnating Data (Python & Javascript)

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