The School of Social Policy & Practice recently announced a new certification program in Applied Data Ethics, Law, and the Social Good for University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School students.
More than a dozen certificate programs are offered to Penn Carey Law students in collaboration with various Penn schools, centers, and institutes. The new program will focus on the use of civic data — data held by government agencies and nonprofit organizations — to work towards social justice and equity, according to the Penn Carey Law press release.
Amy Hawn Nelson, a director of Training and Technical Assistance for Penn's Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy, said in the announcement that she conceived of the program to address a need for training in data sharing, where many policies and procedures are implemented on an ad hoc basis.
“We’ve seen time and again that organizations don’t use data effectively or ethically simply because they don’t know how to do it,” Hawn Nelson said. “Up to now, though, there hasn’t really been any course of study dedicated to the effective use of public data.”
The program will address the growing pace of technological innovation and the inherent difficulties in implementing complex data-sharing systems across various aspects of society. The coursework will comprise of one conceptual prerequisite, one foundational class in Applied Data Ethics, Law, and the Social Good, as well as three other core courses in law, ethics, and the applied use of data for social good.
Hawn Nelson said that the new program has proved to be “surprisingly popular” with students, who then apply their skills to their professional work.
Two other certificates are currently offered by the School of Social Policy & Practice, including the Certificate of Study in Nonprofit Leadership, which is intended for Penn Carey Law students interested in nonprofit careers, and the LGBTQ Certificate, which focuses on specialized courses and fieldwork addressing social service, health care, and the legal and educational needs of LGBTQ+ communities.
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