SOC 3112-010: INTRO TO SOCIAL STATISTICS Summer 2009 UNIVERSITY OF UTAH THURSDAY 6-9 PM Jessie Winitzky, M.S. BEH S 112 Office: BEH S 414 Office hours: Before class and by appointment Email: [email protected] Lab: H 5 pm, BEH S 102 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 and lab 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, labs 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 (9)..…….. 15% Labs……………………..10% Project………………….. 25% Project plan…………….....5% 100%1) There will be three exams, each worth 10% 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 September 23, Chapter 7 homework is due September 30 at the start of class). Homework will not be graded, but is intended as 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. 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. Attending lab, 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.CLASS SCHEDULE It should be noted that the following schedule is merely tentative, and may be subject to change. DATE TOPIC/ACTIVITY LAB DUE 20 May Syllabus, etc. Introduction (Ch 1) No lab 27 May Collecting Data (Ch 2) Organizing Information (Ch 3) Group Quiz #1 Lab 1 HW: Ch 1 3 June Central Tendencies (Ch 4) Variability (Ch 5) Group Quiz #2 Exam Review HW: Ch 2,3 10 Jun Exam #1: Descriptive Statistics No lab HW: Ch 4,5 17 Jun Probability Distributions (Ch 6) Estimation (Ch 7) Group Quiz #3 No lab 24 Jun Logic of Hypothesis Testing (Ch 8) Group Quiz #4 No lab HW: Ch 6,7 1 July Testing the Value of 1 Mean/Variance (Ch 9) Comparing 2 Means/Variances (Ch 10) Group Quiz #5 No lab HW: Ch 8 8 Jul ANOVA (Ch 11) Group Quiz #6 Lab 2 HW: Ch 9,10 15 Jul Exam #2: Hypothesis Testing Exam Review HW: Ch 11, Project Plan 22 July Bivariate Tables (Ch 12) Project Work 29 Jul Regression and Correlation (Ch 13) Group Quiz #7 Lab 3 HW: Ch 12 5 Aug Exam #3: Relationships Between Variables Exam Review HW: Ch 13,