π Schedule
π Course Outline & Readings
| Unit | Topic | STA | PNA | MtM 1e | MtM 2e |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Descriptive statistics | 1.2; 1.3; 1.4 | 1, 4, 5, 6 | 1, 2 | 1, 2 |
| II | Statistical relationships | 2.1β2.7 | 14, 15 | 3 | 3, 4 |
| III | Producing data | 3.1β3.4 | 2, 3 | 4 | 9, 10 |
| IV | Probability | 4.1β4.5 | 7, 8 | 5 | 7 |
| Midterm Exam | |||||
| V | Sampling distributions | 5.1β5.3 | 7, 8 | 6 | 8 |
| VI | Inference | 6.1β6.4 | 10 | 7 | 5 |
| VII | Hypothesis Testing | 7.1β7.2 | 11 | 8, 9 | 6 |
| VIII | Simple linear regression | 10.1 | 17 | 10 | 11.1 |
| IX* | Less simple regression | 11.1β11.2 | 20 | 11, 12 | 11.2 |
| Final Exam |
* If time allows.
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). Note that MtM comes in two online editions, the first edition (1e) and the second edition (2e). 2e is the better book, but still not finalized, so if the typos bother you, read 1e. Just make sure that youβre clear which edition youβre reading.
ποΈ Class Schedule
We do not have a formal daily schedule for topics - we move through them in the order prescribed above, and they take as much time as they take to get through. That said, there are a few dates you should be aware of:
- August 25: First Day of Class
- September 24: No Class (Reilly Away)
- October 8: Midterm Review Session (Time TBA)
- October 13: No Class (Fall Break)
- October 15: Midterm Exam (In Class)
- October 23: Practicum 1 Due
- November 24 & 26: No Class (Thanksgiving Break)
- December 8: Last Day of Class
- December 11: Practicum 2 Due
- TBD: Final Exam (Pending Central Schedule)
You can subscribe to the class schedule in your calendar software of your choice:
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Class sessions appear on Tuesdays and Thursdays during class time; assignment deadlines appear as all-day events on the day they are due.
π A Word on Reading
Reading in a statistics course is different from a substantive course. 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 details we donβt 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 βdefaultβ 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.