Recitation sections are at the end of each week. Assignment are due after recitation during the week indicated in the table.
| SES # | TOPICS | KEY DATES |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1: Introduction | ||
| 1 | Course overview; epistemological foundations; math review | |
| 2 | What's in a number?; basic numeracy; measurement | |
| Week 2: Planning numbers; descriptive statistics | Problem set 1 due | |
| 3 | The use of numbers in planning | |
| 4 | Variables; samples and populations; measures of central tendency | |
| Week 3: Talking about distributions | ||
| 5 | Measures of variability | |
| Lab 1 | Computer lab #1: getting to know Stata (or R); data management | |
| Week 4: Asking and answering questions with data | Written assignment 1 due | |
| 6 | Exploratory data analysis and visualization | |
| 7 | Logic, experiment, and the scientific method | |
| Week 5: Probability and the normal curve | Problem set 2 due | |
| 8 | Basic probability | |
| 9 | The normal curve; sampling | |
| Week 6: Inferential statistics | ||
| 10 | Estimates and confidence intervals | |
| 11 | The idea of a statistical test; non-parametric tests | |
| Lab 2 | Computer Lab #2: exploratory data analysis | |
| Week 7: Computers and data | ||
| 12 | Midterm exam | |
| 13 | Statistical software; data management | |
| Week 8: Introduction to bivariate/multivariate data | ||
| 14 | Cross-tabulations; χ2 tests | |
| 15 | Scatterplots; correlation; cause and effect; confounding variables | |
| Lab 3 | Computer Lab #3: Statistical tests; scatterplots | |
| Week 9: Simple regression | Written assignment 3 proposal due | |
| 16 | Simple regression | |
| 17 | The assumptions of regression analysis | |
| Week 10: Multivariate regression | ||
| 18 | Multivariate regression | |
| 19 | Review/slack; presentation and graphs | |
| Week 11: Particulars of planning data and questions | Written assignment 2 due | |
| 20 | The census | |
| Lab 4 | Computer lab #4: Regression; computer clinic | |
| Week 12: Dealing with dollars; making decisions | ||
| 21 | Talking about money | |
| 22 | Decision trees, expected utility, cost-benefit analysis | |
| Week 13: Review; slack; additional critical thinking | Written assignment 3 due | |
| 23 | Predictions and uncertainty; representing risk | |
| 24 | Return to research design; review | |