10/28 Essay: Think about an area of study or field you care about (outside of your formal assignment topic), maybe the major you intend to choose. Based on what you read and know about data science and its related areas (data analysis, stats, and ML), briefly (1-2 paragraphs) write about how you think these disciplines could possibly be used in your field (it’s okay to think ambitiously). If methods are already being used, what are they and to what extent (if you know)? If you are a prospective data science major, what ideas do you have for how data science could be used in ways you believe they are currently not?

My current major is International Relations and based off of my knowledge on data analysis, stats and machine learning, these disciplines could possibly largely impact the wide field of IR. It could do so in the sense that it could help governments and world leaders predict important political events such as a coup d’etat, sectarian violence or even genocide. This is essential and quite important because it can better prepare leaders for what lies ahead of them as they make sure to protect both their citizens and their country. A lot of data analysis incorporated in the field of international relations is applied by the use of predictions which are extracted from previous data found in wikileaks or even articles based on international affairs.

That said, because they are mostly based on predictions, these analytics cannot be used for more heavy situations in times of war, during secession or for a diplomatic spat. Social media also plays a large role in helping political leaders and policy makers predict important political events. It helps create a sort of early warning system to those that need to be quickly informed about a certain issue and also identifies the countries that may be at risk in any type of situation. Aside from helping prevent a mass protest, organized crime, state repression or massacre, data analysis and machine learning also benefit international relations by helping one better understand the differences and similarities between GDP growth, inflation figures, unemployment, or even crisis. These examples can also be used in support of AI and drones.