SOC 3112-001: INTRO TO SOCIAL STATISTICS SUMMER 2012 UNIVERSITY OF UTAH MONDAY, WEDNESDAY 10:45-12:05 LAB: WEDNESDAY 9:45-10:30 Jessie Winitzky, M.S. BEH 110 Office: BEH S 415A Office hours: After class and by appointment Email: [email protected] Course website: http://www.soc.utah.edu/courses/soc3112 COURSE SUMMARY This class introduces you to empirical methods of social science research. Statistics is a set of tools and techniques researchers use to describe and draw conclusions about the world. We begin by studying descriptive statistics including frequency distributions and measures of central tendency and variability. We next study basic inferential statistics and learn how to use sample data to draw conclusions about the population. Finally, we study ways to describe relationships between variables, including measures of association and bivariate regression. COURSE MATERIALS Kentor, J. 2009. Social Statistics. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt. Calculator with square-root function COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING Class attendance are important components to success in this course. Much of the material encountered can be challenging for many students, and it is crucial to tackle issues before they overwhelm you! Please attend office hours and review sessions at the merest hint of difficulty. Your grade will be based on the following requirements: Exams (4)…………….... 30% Homework………………15% Group quizzes (7)..…….. 15% Labs……………………..10% Project………………….. 25% Project plan…………….....5% 100%1) There will be four exams, each worth 7.5% of your grade. They will cover material encountered in class, in the text and in lab sessions. They will be a mix of short answer questions and problems. 2) Homework can be found in the back of each chapter in the text. Assignments are due at the beginning of class in the week following the session in which the chapter was discussed (e.g. if we talk about Chapter 7 on February 28, Chapter 7 homework is due March 7 at the start of class). Homework will not be graded, but turning it in each week is required, as it is a way for you to practice your statistics skills. 3) According to recent educational research, learning is most effective when it occurs in groups. You will take a total of seven quizzes during the course of the semester in small groups, turning in just one per group. This will also function as an exam review, as both quizzes and exams will be presented in similar format. Though I don’t offer makeup quizzes, I drop your lowest score. 4) Labs will help you conceptualize the abstract ideas you will encounter in a more hands-on way. You will learn how to use the statistical computer program SPSS so that you can handle larger datasets and perform more complex analyses. Completing lab assignments and understanding how to use SPSS are crucial for the completion of your final project. 5) The final project is the capstone of this class. You will use the General Social Survey or the World Bank datasets to discover and map relationships between two variables. You will write a 3-5 page paper (double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-pt. font, Times New Roman or something similar; length does not include tables/charts) outlining why you chose to study these two variables and going through the five steps of hypothesis testing. We will discuss this in greater detail as the end of the semester approaches. 6) The project plan is a 1-page outline of which variables you plan to study, why, and which statistical methods you plan to use. LABS The lab segment of this course will help you become proficient at performing statistical analyses of large datasets, and will help you prepare for the final project. There will be four lab sessions during the course of the semester. They meet in BEH S 101 Wednesdays before class (9:45 am). If you miss a lab session, you may do the lab on your own and hand it in during regular class time or via email.CLASS SCHEDULE It should be noted that the following schedule is merely tentative, and may be subject to change. WK DATE TOPIC/ACTIVITY DUE LAB 1 14 May Syllabus, etc. Introduction (Ch 1) Collecting Data (Ch 2) 16 May Organizing Information (Ch 3) Central Tendencies (Ch 4) 2 21 May Variability (Ch 5) HW: Ch 1, 2 23 May Group Quiz Exam review HW: Ch 3, 4 Lab 1 3 28 May Exam #1: Descriptive Statistics HW: Ch 5 30 May Probability Distributions (Ch 6) 4 4 June Estimation (Ch 7) Logic of Hypothesis Testing (Ch 8) 6 June Group Quiz Exam review HW: Ch 6 Lab 2 5 11 June Exam #2: Distributions HW: Ch 7, 8 13 June Testing the Value of 1 Mean/Variance (Ch 9) 6 18 June Group Quiz 20 June Comparing 2 Means/Variances (Ch 10) HW: Ch 9 7 25 June Group Quiz 27 June ANOVA (Ch 11) HW: Ch 10 8 2 July Group Quiz and Exam review Lab 3 4 July No class—Independence Day 9 9 July Exam #3: Hypothesis Testing HW: Ch 11 11 July Bivariate Tables (Ch 12) Project Plan 10 16 July Group Quiz 18 July Regression and Correlation (Ch 13) HW: Ch 12 11 23 July Group Quiz 25 July Project work HW: Ch 13 12 30 July Exam Review Lab 4 1 Aug Exam #4: Relationships Between Variables