Introduction

Computation and the systems that leverage it can never be detached from the social, political and economic milieus in which they are designed, produced and deployed. The Critical Computing Initiative brings together faculty from the natural and social sciences, the humanities and professional schools at Yale to prepare students to better understand the social and political contexts surrounding computation, data and digital media. By critical, we mean to orient ourselves around a deep, evidence-based analysis of the existing social structures, ideologies, and practices surrounding computational development. We examine its applications in society, and foster a deeper understanding of what computing is and could be.