1 Soc3112-090 Social Statistics (Online) Fall 2010 University of Utah http://uonline.utah.edu Instructor: Kelin Li, PhD student Office: 419 BEH S Email: [email protected] or via Blackboard Vista/WebCT Office hours: by appointment Course Summary Statistics is the science researchers make effective use of numerical data relating to groups of individuals, so that we can describe and draw conclusions about the world. This course introduces students to empirical methods of statistics in conducting social science research. It covers three parts: descriptive statistics, testing hypothesis, and inferential statistics. After this course, you should be proficient in major statistical techniques, you will be able to use SPSS to handle larger datasets and make graphs, in order to analyze and understand diverse social issues. Some of the materials encountered can be challenging for students, and math, formulas, and calculations cannot be avoided, so it is important to make sure that you are not falling behind in our schedule, though an online environment provides a more flexible pace. More about Online Class This class is basically running on the platform of Blackboard Vista (also known as Web-CT). Every student is expected to take an active role in this setting. •••• For general information, check http://uonline.utah.edu/jsps/students/index.jsp. •••• Blackboard Vista/Web-CT is one major platform for this class. Announcements, class notes, discussions, homework and lab assignments, quizzes, grades, etc. are all posted here. It is also the gateway for Wimba virtual classroom. Students are encouraged to post questions and thoughts here instead of sending me a private email, so that other students may participate in discussion. •••• Wimba Classroom is a live, virtual classroom where visual/audio tools are used. Here students are able to participate by either talking or text typing. Some presentations are also recorded and you can get access to them anytime later. Though it is not required, students may have headphone prepared if you want to talk with other participants in the Wimba classroom. •••• There is a web component accompanied by Kentor’s text at http://webcom. grtxle.com/socialstats Course Text & Materials Kentor, J. 2009. Social Statistics. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt. (ISBN#9780757569654) Calculator (with square-root function)2 Course Requirement and Grading 1) Exams: there will be three handwritten exams (calculators allowed), each worth 20% of your grade. They will be a mix of short answer questions and problems. You will be allowed 3 hours for each exam, proctored at the University of Utah campus or one of its extension sites at Bountiful, Murray, Park City or Sandy. You need first register for each exam online, and go to the testing center during the week of the exam. Out-Of-Area students living far away from the above exam locations may contact the UOnline Exam Coordinator (801-585-5819) and they will help you set up Out-Of-Area Proctored Exams. • for help to register exams http://uonline.utah.edu/jsps/students/index.jsp • testing centers info http://uonline.utah.edu/jsps/general/selectMaps.jsp 2) Quizzes: there will be three online quizzes posted on WebCT before exams during the semester. Quizzes are designed to review major concepts, help you practice for exams, and familiarize you with my testing methods. They are open book and open note, and working with other students is encouraged. Students who work in groups can submit one assignment with the names of each student. 3) Homework: practicing problems is essential to improve your statistical skills. Every week there will be homework for each chapter posted on the class website, together with the lab assignment. They will not be graded, but are part of your final grade and are good for you to practice and prepare for quizzes and exams. Students who treated homework seriously did much better in exams. 4) Labs: you will learn how to use the statistical analysis software SPSS so that you can handle larger datasets and perform more complex analyses. Note that students enrolled in the online class are not required to attend lab meetings on campus, though you are more than welcome to do so. Instead, you may do the exercises yourself, save your output, and email them to me. To get access to SPSS: you can use the CSBS Virtual Lab, available at http://apps.csbs.utah.edu ; another way is to use campus computers. Ordinarily, all quizzes, homework, and lab assignments should be completed sometime within the following week in which it is due. The deadline is 12 p.m. (noon) Monday. Your final grade is based on your homework and lab assignments (20%), quizzes (20%), and exams (60%). This course fulfills the Quantitative Reasoning (QB) or Quantitative Intensive (QI) requirement of the University of Utah. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services and activities for people with disabilities. If you will need accommodations in the class, reasonable prior notice needs to be given to the Center for Disability Services, 162 Olpin Union Building, 581-5020 (V/TDD). CDS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. All written information in this course can be made available in alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability Services.3 Academic Integrity and Plagiarism Academic misconduct, including plagiarism, is a serious offense. The following regarding academic integrity and plagiarism is taken from the University of Utah’s Student Code: “Academic misconduct” includes, but is not limited to, cheating, misrepresenting one's work, inappropriately collaborating, plagiarism, and fabrication or falsification of information, as defined further below. It also includes facilitating academic misconduct by intentionally helping or attempting to help another to commit an act of academic misconduct. Course Outline and Reading Schedule Week 1 8/23-8/27 Chapter 1: Introduction & Chapter 2: Collecting Data Week 2 8/30-9/3 Chapter 3: Organizing Information Week 3 9/6-9/10 Chapter 4: Central Tendencies Week 4 9/13-9/17 Chapter 5: Variability Week 5 9/20-9/24 Exam #1 Week 6 9/27-10/1 Chapter 6: Probability Distribution Week 7 10/4-10/8 Chapter 7: Estimation Week 8 10/11-10/15 No Class (Spring Break) Week 9 10/18-10/22 Chapter