Readings
These articles come from six-part series titled, An examination of W.E.B Du Bois’ data visualizations for the 1900 Paris Exposition (Links to an external site.)by Jason Forrest. (Links to an external site.) The articles have been added to Canvas to improve readability but the source is provided here. (Links to an external site.)
Warning: The readings and figures contain statistics and accounts of racialized violence, sexual violence, and language that is outdated such as the term “Negro” or referring to people as “Colored”. The author of the articles states, “The word “Negro” will appear frequently in this series. It’s not a word I take lightly. It is the term Du Bois references throughout this phase of his career and I think it’s best to honor and contextualize his use of language for this article.”
1. The Exhibit of American Negroes (see google drive link No.1 .pdf below)
An introduction to the 1900 Paris Exposition which discusses a few notable charts that focus on history and population growth.
2. Data Journalism and the Scientific Study of “The Negro Problem” (SEE GOOGLE DRIVE LINK BELOW)
Places this body of work within Du Bois’ larger sociological focus and continues the exploration (Links to an external site.) of many of the charts from the exposition with a focus on education, literacy, and occupation.
3. Exploring the Craft and Design of W.E.B. Du Bois’ Data Visualizations (SEE GOOGLE DRIVE LINK .PDF BELOW)
A detailed examination of how Du Bois drafted his charts, a consideration of this work as a precursor to modernism, and the discussion of a series of charts on land ownership and value.
4. Style and Rich Detail; On Viewing an Original Du Bois Chart (SEE GOOGLE DRIVE LINK BELOW)
Discoveries on viewing an original chart and further exploration of Du Bois’ more innovative charts dealing with occupation, business, and poverty.
5. Du Bois as Social Scientist and the Legacy of “The Exhibit of American Negroes” (SEE GOOGLE DRIVE LINK No.5 .PDF BELOW)
We Will Discuss Du Bois’ body of work from this period and his frustrations with social science despite widespread attention.
6. The Exhibition as a Whole: An Exciting Discovery (SEE GOOGLE DRIVE LINK No.6 .PDF BELOW)
To close out the series I’ll present a very exciting discovery I’ve made and will present each chart in sequence.
All the charts in The Exhibit of American Negroes (SEE GOOGLE DRIVE LINK BELOW)
You may select any of the data visualization present from this collection.
Task
After you read through the articles (or alternatively watch the full video presentation by Jason Forrest), select one graphic (from All the charts in The Exhibit of American Negroes/ BIS 232 A Su 21/ Introduction To Data Visualizati .pdf) by W.E.B. Du Bois and analyze it as a data visualization for its content.
Write an analysis of the visual that is 2–4 pages long (Double spaced, 12 point font, 1-inch margins, APA format with citations) that considers the context, preception, interpretation, and comprehension. Your writing should honor the work, unpack the elements of the image by showcasing your visual literacy, and provide constructive critiques as needed.
- Watch the above video
- Read the six articles linked above
- Select one graphic to focus on from the list for “all the charts in The Exhibit of American Negroes.pdf”
- Write your analysis of the image
- Add your name, date, and title to your document.
- Add the image to your document
- Add appropriate sources for the graph
- Include a description of the graph (1 – 2 paragraphs)
- Write your analysis about the context, perception, interpretation, and comprehension of the display (1 – 2 paragraphs each)
- Once you have completed your writing about the artifact, upload a Word document (.docx).
Some things to consider:
- Context
- Who is the audience for the visuals?
- What was the purpose of the visual?
- What kinds of measurement scale was likely used for the data?
- What was the source of the data being presented, if known?
- Perception
- What does it show?
- What pre-attentive attributes were used to represent the data? You may discuss color, position, length, font, angle, and others attributes, but you should include all elements.
- What things are different sizes?
- How do things compare?
- How are relationships shown?
- Interpretation
- What is good or bad about the graphic?
- Are the visuals meaningful or insignificant?
- Are patterns unusual or as expected?
- How are colors, fonts, and themes used to create a feeling or impression?
- Comprehending
- What does the graph mean to you?
- What is the main message?
- What story is the visual telling?
- What have you learned from the visual?
- What actions does it make you want to take?
Google drive link for Data: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/17iFu5DUBmp…
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