Summer 2021  |  SOC 3811 Section 001: Social Statistics (81436)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
Completely Online
Class Attributes:
UMNTC Liberal Education Requirement
Online Course
Times and Locations:
Summer Session 10 wk
 
06/07/2021 - 08/13/2021
Tue 03:30PM - 05:20PM
Off Campus
UMN REMOTE
Enrollment Status:
Open (33 of 35 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
This course will introduce majors and non-majors to basic statistical measures and procedures that are used to describe and analyze quantitative data in sociological research. The topics include (1) frequency and percentage distributions, (2) central tendency and dispersion, (3) probability theory and statistical inference, (4) models of bivariate analysis, and (5) basics of multivariate analysis. Lectures on these topics will be given in class, and lab exercises are designed to help students learn statistical skills and software needed to analyze quantitative data provided in the class. prereq: Credit will not be granted if credit has been received for Soc 5811 (Soc 5811 offered Fall terms only). Undergraduates with strong math background are encouraged to register for 5811 in lieu of 3811. Soc Majors/Minors must register A-F.
Class Notes:
This lecture is completely online. On Tuesdays, the lecture will meet in a synchronous format at the scheduled time. The remaining lecture material will be available online in an asynchronous format. The lab sections are also completely online and synchronous. Click this link for more detailed course information: http://classinfo.umn.edu/?leves026+SOC3811+Summer2021
Class Description:

What does "data" mean to you, and what can it say about society as a whole? How can you describe, display, analyze, and interpret data to study social topics? And how can you employ these skills to make sound judgements about what's out there in the world? These questions guide our understanding of how to use statistics in this course. While we keep an eye towards sociology in the syllabus, you can also apply this course towards other fields, including non-profit and policy research, journalism, marketing, public health, law, business, and more. Throughout the course, we discuss the practical application of statistical methods as well as the caveats that come with it. While there are no exams, you are expected to complete hands-on learning exercises each week as well as three larger assignments that will develop your statistical and inferential toolkit.


This course will cover: (1) descriptive statistics; (2) cleaning and transforming data; (3) probability theory, population inference, and sampling techniques; (4) principles of causal inference; and (5) data visualization.


Credit will not be granted if credit has been received for Soc 5811 (Soc 5811 offered Fall terms only). Undergraduates with strong math background are encouraged to register for 5811 in lieu of 3811. Soc Majors/Minors must register A-F.
Grading:

45% Data Project Assignments

27% Lab Exercises

28% Lecture Participation & Activities
Class Format:

In Summer 2021, we will meet virtually only. The Tuesday lecture period and the labs will be synchronous. The Thursday lecture period will be asynchronous and can be done at any time between Tuesday lecture periods. Both the Tuesday lectures and labs depend on your participation; attending will not only be part of your grade, but also a way to get practice with help from other students, your professor, and your TA.


50% Lecture and individual/group activities

50% Computer Labs
Workload:

10-35 pages reading per week; weekly lab/lecture exercises; 3 data assignments.
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/81436/1215
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
13 February 2021

ClassInfo Links - Summer 2021 Sociology Classes

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