Statistical data and methods are often posed as a rational, non-narrative construct capable of infusing a universally truthful logic into any situation. For this reason, they have been embedded throughout history into the cores of our basic societal structures such as governments, scientific institutions and economic markets. Statistics are presently most considered for their relatively recent explosion into forms made possible by the Internet and cheaper computing (e.g. artificial intelligence, machine learning, etc.) but even in the context of these opaque, complex applications, data (statistical or otherwise) in its most basic form is nothing more than a piece of information that ultimately takes the shape of the narrative that communicates it. What does it mean to “trust” a data source? What techniques do we need to learn and histories do we need to articulate to extricate the underlying premise of the data that our work - be it political, artistic, scientific or other - fundamentally depends on? And how can we instrument statistical knowledge as a tool for power inversion, that is, how can statistics be applied by civil society in the public interest and for the broader social good? Students will graduate the course with a basic understanding of statistics, their impact on society, their pitfalls as well as their potential for power. **Students must register for both the lecture and discussion section of this course.** [This ULEC is in category 2, Introductions to Social Research.]