Course Title: Advanced Computing for Policy
Course Number: INAF6659U
Teaching Assistant (TA): Roberto Zuniga Valladares, [email protected]
Semester and Year: Spring 2025
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: Computing in Context (INAFU6006)
Meeting Date/s Times: Lecture Wednesdays 11am-12:50pm, Recitation (a.k.a. lab) TBD.
Academic calendar.
Meeting Location: [Determined by SIPA Academic Affairs. Preview IAB classrooms here.]
Instructor’s Office Hours: [Faculty must hold office hours at least 2 hours per week. SIPA
Academic Affairs ([email protected]) handles the scheduling of shared
office space for adjunct faculty.]
Course Description:
In Computing in Context, students “explore[d] computing concepts and coding in the context
of solving policy problems.” Advanced Computing for Policy goes deeper, giving students a
better understanding of computer science fundamentals, moving them beyond “beginners”.
That code will then be applied to data, using Python and packages like pandas. Students will
also learn how data works in a broader context through use of APIs, databases, and cloud
services, culminating in building a complex end-to-end data system. These foundational
computing and data skills will prepare students for more advanced data science coursework
at SIPA.
Course Overview:
[Optional to provide more detailed information from the Course Description.]
Grading:
● Attendance: 10%
● Technical assignments: 50%
● Reading responses: 20%
● Final Project: 20%
Communication with the instructors is paramount. The instructors are happy to be flexible
with requests for extensions made before the deadlines. Work that is not submitted by the
due date without advance notice and permission from the instructor will be deducted 5% for
every day it is late.
Additional assignment scoring details:
● Syntax errors: -10 points
● Incomplete Steps / Steps with logic errors: -2 to -5 points
● Unattempted Steps: -10 points
Attendance:
Attending class is mandatory, but most importantly, important. Learning programming
requires commitment from the part of the student and the skills are built out of practice. If
you miss an experience in class, you miss an important learning moment and the class misses
your contribution.
Missing class counts as an absence, regardless of the reason or notifying the instructor(s)
beforehand. Missing more than 20 minutes of a class session will be treated as an absence.
The first absence is treated as a “freebie”, each subsequent absence will result in a 1%
deduction from the overall grade.
If you do miss class, we trust that it’s for a good reason. If you’re sick, please use that freebie
and stay home and rest.
You are responsible for getting caught up on what was covered in class. You may want to ask a
classmate for notes.
Readings:
See the details and links in the schedule below. Books, which are either open access and/or
will be placed on Course Reserves:
● Article 19, Knodel, M., Uhlig, U., Oever, N. ten, & Cath, C. (2020). How the Internet
Really Works: An Illustrated Guide to Protocols, Privacy, Censorship, and Governance
(Illustrated edition). No Starch Press.
● LeMay, M. (2022). Product Management in Practice (2nd edition). O’Reilly Media.
● Sweigart, A. (2020). Automate the boring stuff with Python: Practical programming for
total beginners (2nd edition). No Starch Press.
● Wufka, M., & Canonico, M. (2023). Overview of Cloud Computing. Overleaf.
For each set of readings/podcasts/videos, you will be asked to submit a reflection/questions
to demonstrate that it was completed and prompt discussion.
Week-by-week list of class topics:
Week Topic Homework due
1 Data structures none
2 Databases 1. Course Setup
2. Listen to 50 Things That Made the Modern
Economy: Compiler
3. Read Automate the Boring Stuff, chapter 5
4. Data Modeling assignment
3 Complex data 1. Go through Learn SQL
transformations 2. Database assignment
3. Read Pandas Crosstab Explained
4. Read Calculating Streaks in Pandas
5. Read Analyzing Pronto CycleShare Data
with Python and Pandas
4 Abstraction 1. Reshaping assignment
5 Organizing code 1. Refactoring assignment
6 Privacy 1. Listen to 50 Things That Made the Modern
Economy: Public Key Cryptography
2. Read How the Internet Really Works, pages
46-51
3. Read Alexa Takes the Stand: Listening
Devices Raise Privacy Issues
4. Read Study Reveals Extent of Privacy
Vulnerabilities With Amazon’s Alexa
5. Read Amazon Echo Dot | Privacy & security
guide
6. Optional: Read Alexa and Third Parties’
Reasonable Expectation of Privacy
7. Optional: Read The Privacy Risks of Your
Smart Speaker
7 Algorithms 1. Read A simple way to anonymize data with
Python and Pandas
2. Read Stitch Fix Algorithms Tour
3. Read How the Internet Really Works,
Chapter 8 (pages 67-73)
8 APIs 1. Fast and Slow assignment
2. Watch:
a. What Are APIs?
b. APIs, Conceptually
c. Understanding And Using REST APIs
d. Let’s Look at Some Data
9 Automated testing 1. Read World’s First Computer Bug
2. Read What is Software Testing?
10 Data engineering 1. Unit Testing assignment
11 Infrastructure / cloud 1. Pipeline assignment
computing 2. Listen to Cracking the Cloud_Open
3. Read Overview of Cloud Computing,
Chapters 1-2
12 Web development 1. Cloud Function assignment
13 Automation 1. Web Form assignment
2. Read Automate the Boring Stuff, chapters
to be determined
14 Professional software 1. Final Project
engineering practices
SIPA Academic Integrity Statement:
The School of International & Public Affairs does not tolerate cheating or plagiarism in any form.
Students who violate the Code of Academic & Professional Conduct will be subject to the Dean’s
Disciplinary Procedures.
Please familiarize yourself with the proper methods of citation and attribution. The School
provides some valuable resources online; we strongly encourage you to familiarize yourself
with these various styles before conducting research. Cut and paste the following link into your
browser to view the Code of Academic & Professional Conduct and to access useful resources
on citation and attribution: http://bulletin.columbia.edu/sipa/academic-policies/
Violations of the Code of Academic & Professional Conduct should be reported to the Associate
Dean for Student Affairs.
SIPA Disability Statement:
SIPA is committed to ensuring that students registered with Columbia University’s Disability
Services (DS) receive the reasonable accommodations necessary to participate fully in their
academic programs. If you are a student with a disability and have a DS-certified
accommodation letter, you may wish to make an appointment with your course instructor to
discuss your accommodations. Faculty provide disability accommodations to students with DS-
certified accommodation letters, and they provide the accommodations specified in such
letters. If you have any additional questions, please contact SIPA’s DS liaison at
[email protected] or 212-854-8690.
