East Tennessee State University s1

Spring 2011 Social Statistics East Tennessee State University SOAA 3350 TR 2:15-3:35, Rogers-Stout 328

Instructor: Dr. Joseph Baker Office: Rogers-Stout 223F Office hours: Tuesday 3:30-5 PM; Wednesday 2-4; otherwise by appointment E-mail: [email protected] Website: https://faculty.etsu.edu/bakerjo Phone: 439-6648

Teaching Assistant: Eric Anderson E-mail: [email protected] Office hours: 1-2 on Tuesday and Thursday in Rogers-Stout 218

Overview

Objectives: Learn to understand, evaluate, and think critically about the use of statistics

Learn the appropriate application of statistics to research in the social sciences

Understand the assumptions, mathematical calculations, and principles that undergird the use of statistics in social scientific research

Learn the basics of quantitative data analysis with SPSS

Facilitate the discovery and application of critical thinking skills in understanding human sociality and institutions; in other words, to improve the process of knowledge acquisition, consumption, and production, rather than simply transmitting a pre-existing body of knowledge

Expectations: You are responsible for your learning. You are expected to have read the assigned material before class. Maintain mutual respect for all involved in the class – learning is collaborative. Ask questions! Often the greatest barrier to learning statistics is fear of the math involved, or an intimidation that comes from seeing the use of seemingly complex statistics. Do not let these issues keep you from learning. Instead, be willing to ask for help. Do assignments on time. Keep up with schedule changes and the current state of the class.

Text: Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences, 4th edition by Alan Agresti and Barbara Finlay Readings: Supplemental readings are provided online Electronic devices—including but not limited to cell phones, laptops, PDAs, spectrometers, etc. are not permitted in class. Use of phones during assignments or tests is considered cheating. Seriously, don’t talk, text, type, tweet or anything else these newfangled phones can do during class.

Grading A = 92-100, A- = 90-91.9, B+ = 88-89.9, B = 82-87.9, B- = 80-81.9, C+ = 78-79.9, C = 72-77.9, C- = 70-71.9, D = 60-69.9 F = 59.9 and under

All grades for specific assignments, exams, or the project will be given on a scale of 0 to 100%. Homework and assignments: 30% of final grade homework average x .3 Exams (mid-term and final): 50% of final grade exam average x .5 Final Project: 20% of final grade  project grade x .2

Assignments: Throughout the course there will be many homework assignments. These range from questions at the end of chapters in the book, to exercises posted online (D2L), to successful completion of SPSS assignments. In class quizzes may also be given over the assigned reading.

Exams: There will be two exams, a mid-term and a final. The final will not be cumulative in the traditional sense, but information at the end of the course builds directly on knowledge from the beginning. Review sessions will be held before each examination. Calculators can be used on the exams.

Final Project: Each student will complete a final project to demonstrate their understanding of the concepts learned during the course. The final project will be an 8-10 page research report. While a data set will be provided, the subject, theory, analysis, and results will be done independently. Details about this project will be provided during the semester, but work will be done in individual sections throughout the course, then put together in a more comprehensive paper at the end. Final projects that are turned in late will automatically be marked a full grade lower for each day they are late. For example, an A quality project turned in two days late would receive a C.

Extra Credit: There will be no extra credit assignments available in this class. However, students who do not miss class will qualify for extra credit to the effect that: 0 or 1 absence = 2% (2 points) added to the final grade and 2 absences = 1% (1 point) added to the final grade. Missing more than 25% of the scheduled class period will result in automatic failure. Schedule The schedule given is tentative and can be altered at any point. You will be informed if and when changes to the schedule need to be made. If you miss a class, then check online for updates. You are expected to have read the relevant material by the date listed (i.e. Chapters 1 and 2.1-2.2 by the time we come to class on Thursday; Chapters 2.3-2.5 and 3 by next Tuesday).

Week 1 (1/13) Topic: Syllabus and introduction

Week 2 (1/18 and 1/20) Topics: Basic concepts Reading: Chapters 1 and 2.1-2.2

Week 3 (1/25 and 1/27) Topics: Sampling; descriptive statistics; Measures of central tendency (mean, median, mode) Reading: Chapters 2.3-2.5 and 3

Week 4 (2/1 and 2/3) Topics: Probability distributions; standard deviation and error Reading: Chapter 4

Week 5 (2/8 and 2/10) Topics: Intro to inferential statistics; point estimation; Significance tests Reading; Chapters 5 and 6

Week 6 (2/15 and 2/17) Topics: Review Assignment: Mid-term Exam on 2/17

Week 7 (2/22 and 2/24) Topics: Measures of Association – Means; Contingency tables Reading: Chapters 7 and 8

Week 8 (3/1 and 3/3) Topics: Contingency tables Reading: Chapter 8 Assignment: Literature review for project due on 3/3

Spring Break  No Class on 3/8 or 3/10

Week 9 (3/15 and 3/17) Topics: Bivariate regression and correlation Reading: Chapter 9 Week 10 (3/22 and 3/24) Topics: Multivariate relationships Reading: Chapters 9.6 and 10

Week 11 (3/29 and 3/31) Topics: Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) Reading: Chapter 12.1-12.3

Week 12 (4/5 and 4/7) Topics: Multiple Regression Reading: Chapter 11

Week 12 (4/12 and 4/14) Topics: Extensions of Multiple Regression Reading: Chapters 13 and 14

Week 13 (4/19 and 4/21) Topics: Logistic Regression Reading: Chapter 15

Week 14 (4/26 and 4/28) Topics: Review for final Assignment: Research project due on 4/28

Final Exam: Tuesday May 3rd, 10:30 AM

Academic Integrity

Cheating in any form will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to, copying homework, using notes during an exam, falsifying research, and plagiarizing material. Cheating in any form will result in failure for the course.

I want to know what YOU know. The point of this class is to teach you the practice of sociology —to do so you must decide to engage the material to the best of your abilities. Your knowledge and experience from the class will be directly related to the amount of effort you put in.