Introduction to Statistics

Course Topics

Schedule

Unit	Topic	STA	PNA	MtM
I	Descriptive statistics	1.2; 1.3; 1.4	1, 4, 5, 6	1, 2
II	Statistical relationships	2.1–2.7	14, 15	3
III	Producing data	3.1–3.4	2, 3	4
IV	Probability	4.1–4.5	7, 8	5
	Midterm Exam (Thu Oct 17)
V	Sampling distributions	5.1–5.3	7,8	6
VI	Inference	6.1–6.4	10	7
VII	Inference for distributions	7.1–7.2	11	8, 9
VIII	Simple linear regression	10.1	17	10
IX*	Less simple regression	11.1–11.2	20	11, 12
	Final Exam

*️ If time allows.

Book Abbreviations

You can use any book you wish (although I encourage you to make sure its style suits you):

STA Moore, David S., George P. McCabe, Bruce A. Craig. Introduction to the Practice of Statistics. W.H. Freeman and Company. Any edition 6th or newer is sufficient.
PNA Meier, Kenneth, Jeffery Brudney, and John Bohte. Applied Statistics for Public and Nonprofit Administration. Cengage. Any recent edition is fine
MtM Favero, Nathan. Statistics Minus the Math: An Introduction for Social Sciences (https://minusthemath.com)

A Word on Reading

Reading in a statistics class is different from a substantive class. You should generally keep up with readings, but you are not expected to thoroughly digest them by the day we cover them in class. The textbooks serve as an additional resource to lectures and help you understand the material more effectively. They may also cover detail we don’t emphasize in class (and vice versa).

Each book has its strengths:

STA Introduction to the Practice of Statistics: traditional, more math-heavy, detailed.
PNA Applied Statistics for Public and Nonprofit Administration: focused on applied public administration, still detailed. Sequenced differently.
MtM Minus the Math: conceptual, common-language, intuition-focused, but light on probability and detail.

You may use any as your primary reference. If you need more depth, consult STA or PNA. If you want lighter or more intuitive explanations, lean on MtM. STA is the “default” text for the class - the one the syllabus was built around. PNA has lots of good examples from Public Administration, but the content sequencing is more intuitive in STA, so we follow that order.

We will cover the above material in sequence, with particular readings recommended for each day announced in class (and in slides) ahead of time where appropriate. In general, if you need to prioritize, make sure to focus on your weekly assignment first, and readings second.