Sociology 360, Lecture 2: Statistics for Sociologists I, Spring 02/03Professor Nora Cate Schaeffer Office Hours: 4438 Social [email protected] Wed 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. (use sign-up sheet 262-2182 at office) or by appointmentTA: Jen Weaver Office hours: 8144 Social [email protected] Wed 2:30-4:00 p.m.263-3857 or by appointmentLectures: 11:00 -12:15, Tuesday and Thursday, Room 4308 Social ScienceLabs: 321: 1:20-3:15 Thursday, 6314 Social Science322: 7:45-9:40 Friday 6105 Social Science(Note: Some lab sessions may be held in the Social Science Microcomputer Lab [SSML],Room 3218 Social Science.)Turn off your cells phones at the beginning of lecture and lab.Course Description: This course introduces you to statistics, with a focus on how they are used insocial research. When you complete this course you should be able to use various tools, includinggraphs and tables, to describe a single variable and to summarize the distribution of a variable usingmeasures of central tendency and spread. In addition, you should be able to use correlation andregression to describe the relationship between a pair of variables. To teach you the basis for statisticalinference, this course discusses the concepts underlying probability sampling, what a samplingdistribution is, and the role of a sampling distribution in statistical inference. You then apply theseconcepts by learning how to test hypotheses about means, proportions, regression coefficients, and pairsof means and proportions; you also learn to calculate the confidence intervals associated with thesetests.Prerequisites: Sophomore standing and basic algebra skills. This is an introductory course, so noprevious experience in statistics is required. Required text: Moore, Davis S. The Basic Practice of Statistics, 2nd edition. New York: W.H. Freeman,1999. (Available at University Bookstore.) There is a website where you view additional supplementary materials and get an extra copy ofthe formula card: http://www.whfreeman.com/bps/If you download a copy of the formula card, review it carefully to make sure that all the “-“ and“^” print.Recommended books (available at University Bookstore): William Notz, Michael Flinger, and Rebecca Sorice. Study Guide for Moore’s The BasicPractice of Statistics. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company, 2000. This book gives anoverview of each chapter in the Moore text and provides detailed solutions to some of theproblems in the textbook. It is not required, but may be helpful for studying. J. Theodore Anagnoson and Richard E. DeLeon. 1997. StataQuest4. Pacific Grove, CA: Duxbury Press. This book provides a small statistical software package that you may install onyour home computer. It is available for those of you who wish to learn to use it on your own. Itis not required, and we will not provide instruction in using StataQuest.Calculators and other materials: You will need a calculator for the homework assignments and theexams. The calculator must be able to compute square roots and powers and have some statisticalfunctions (mean, standard deviation, and correlation) built in. Moore provides some advice andrecommendations. You are responsible for learning how to use the statistical functions on yourcalculator. We do not provide instruction in how to use calculators You will probably also want tobuy some graph paper.Special Arrangements for Examinations. If you have authorization from the McBurney Center forspecial arrangements for examinations, send me an email message so that we may review yoursituatuion. You must send me this email by the end of week 2. Rooms for exams are requested earlyand are very difficult to change.Lectures: Lectures focus on basic concepts and their application. Attendance at lectures is notrequired, but is recorded (see Grading, below). Copies of the transparencies for the first lectures will be provided in class. Copies of theoverheads for later lectures will be available in a coursepack for sale at the Social Science Copy Centeron the 6th floor of Social Science. Be aware that much of the explanation included in the lectures are notincluded on these transparencies. For the exams, you are responsible for what is covered in class,regardless of whether or not it appears on one of the handouts.Preparing for Lectures. You will not usually need to bring your textbook to class. After the first fewtopics, you will need to have your formula card and calculator. Here is one way to study: To preparefor class, read the chapter, just skimming the problems, before it is covered in class. After class, readthe chapter again and do the homework problems and more if you are having trouble. Then read the textof the chapter again to solidify what you learned.Labs: Lab sessions combine instruction with review of the previous week’s homework assignment. Attendance at lab is optional but recommended. Attendance is recorded. (See Grading, below). Labwill meet the first week of class. After the first few topics, you will need to have your formula card andcalculator. TA office hours are intended to provide assistance in addition to -- not instead of -- thatgiven in lab.Examinations: There will be three, non-cumulative, in-class examinations. Tentative exam dates areon the schedule below, but dates may change. You must attend the exam, even if the date is changedfrom the tentative date on the schedule. Location of the examinations will be announced in class. Putyour ID number on your assignments; no names.Examination questions will include true/false questions, multiple choice questions, and open-ended questions that require discussion, data analysis and calculation, or the selection of appropriatestatistical methods. A copy of the quick reference card from the Moore book will be provided for youruse on the exams; you may use this reference card and a calculator, but no other materials for the exam. The quick-reference card has copies of almost all of the formulas covered in the course.Missed and Make-up Examinations. If you have a schedule conflict with an exam you must discuss itin advance with the instructor. If an illness or other unanticipated emergency prevents you from takingan exam, you must contact the instructor as soon as possible. Permission of the instructor is required inorder to take a make-up exam. For the first three exams, a make-up exam will be offered within a weekof the original exam. A comprehensive