This course is loosely based on the theme of how to deal with really big data, especially over networks. The topics change from year to year, and the below is subject to change. The course will consist of multiple independent units, covering the major themes of information retrieval (search engines), compression, data summarization algorithms, and coding theory. Although the course will emphasize theoretical foundations, it will definitely be a mix of both theory and practice, and current issues will also be emphasized. The course is meant to show the synthesis of theory and practice; we will often read pairs of papers, one from the "theory community" and one from the "systems community", on the same theme. The course is also meant to promote skills required of graduate students, such as criticial and creative reading and analysis of papers, and research.