Introduction to Statistics & Statistical Software (400-0-20)
Topic
Introduction to Probability and Statistics
Instructors
Quincy Thomas Stewart
Quincy Thomas Stewart is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Northwestern University. He completed his undergraduate training at Norfolk State University, earned his graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. Professor Stewart is interested in the dynamic processes that create inequalities in socioeconomic status, health, and mortality. He has published on quantitative methods for studying inequality and estimating mortality, as well as on racial and ethnic disparities in socioeconomic status, health, and mortality. Stewart's current work includes analyzing theories of racial inequality using agent-based models, examining the role of disease prevalence in mortality outcomes, and studying racial disparities in a range of outcomes including attitudes, socioeconomic status, and health.
Meeting Info
University Hall 118: Mon, Wed 2:00PM - 3:20PM
Overview of class
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the basic concepts of quantitative methods as they relate to social scientific research, and lay the foundation for more advanced graduate-level courses in multiple regression, regression models for categorical dependent variables, computational simulations, social networks, event-history analysis, etc.
Required Math Refresher **BEFORE** the quarter starts - contact instructor for details and schedule.
Learning Objectives
Students in the course will learn to: use graphs, tables, and measures of central tendency and spread; explain random sampling using probability concepts; explain what a sampling distribution is and give a rudimentary explanation of its role in inferential statistics; calculate and explain confidence intervals; test hypotheses about means, proportions, and pairs of means and proportions; test the hypothesis of independence in a contingency table; compute and interpret correlations and regressions for pairs of variables; and use R statistical software to perform basic statistical analyses.
Teaching Method
lecture and discussion
Evaluation Method
Weekly homework assignments; take-home quizzes; final program
Class Materials (Required)
Levine, David M. and David F. Stephan. 2004. Even You Can Learn Statistics: A Guide for Everyone Who Has Ever Been Afraid of Statistics. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Wickham, Hadley and Garrett Grolemund. 2017. R for Data Science: Visualize, Model, Transform, Tidy and Import Data. Sebastopol, CA: O'Reilly.
Yau, Chi. 2022. R Tutorial: An R Introduction to Statistics. www.r-tutor.com.
Class Notes
Math Refresher starts two weeks prior to quarter. Registered students will be notified when the dates are scheduled.
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Sociology/MORS PhD Students
Associated Classes
LAB - Parkes Hall 222: Thurs 11:00AM - 11:50AM