Syllabus

This syllabus is subject to change. All changes will be announced both in class, on Slack, and on this page.

Course info

Instructor: Victoria (Vic) Sass
Lecture: Mondays & Wednesdays, 9:10-11:20am
Location: Smith 211
Office Hours: Tuesdays 12-2pm on Zoom (link on Slack)
Website: https://vsass.github.io/SOC2211
Contact: We’ll use Slack to communicate with each other and you can directly message me there.2

1 The course website provides access/updates to the syllabus, scheduling changes, assignments, and other course-related materials. Make sure to check the site often to stay up-to-date.

2 The invitation to our private Slack has been emailed to everyone registered for the course.

Overview and learning objectives

This course is intended to provide an introduction to basic statistical techniques used by social scientists to better understand the world. We are all bombarded every day with information from all sorts of sources – television, online media, marketers, news outlets, and regular interactions with other people in a variety of settings. Figuring out how to organize, consolidate, analyze, and understand these data is at the core of the art and science of statistics. Statistics represent a set of tools that are not only useful for us, as citizens, to understand and interact with the social world, but are also extremely useful in a professional sense; mastery of the art of statistics is a great way to enhance your contributions to employers and the community organizations you serve.

The overall objective is to provide you with the ability to use basic statistical tools to critically evaluate data and to be an effective analytical consumer of information. Successful completion of the course will allow you to:

  1. Define real world questions and problems in statistical terms.
  2. Analyze data and solve statistical problems.
  3. Interpret the meaning of statistical solutions in relation to real world issues.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course. This is not a mathematics course, but you are expected to be capable of doing arithmetic and very basic algebra. You will also be expected to be able to think through problems clearly and communicate your results. This course is designed to help you practice these skills.

Required materials

  1. Textbook: Introductory Statistics from OpenStax College
  • The book is available in a wide variety of free online formats via the website linked above. You can use the book in whichever format(s) you like. I recommend that you download the entire PDF so that you always have access to your book.
  • If you prefer a physical book, printed copies at a significantly reduced textbook rate are also for sale here.
  • Although the textbook is completely free, if you have the means, I strongly encourage you to donate to support their efforts to reduce the cost of textbooks.
  1. Calculator: You will need a calculator that can add, subtract, multiply, divide, and take square roots. Bring this device to class every day.

Ungrading and course structure

There is a disconnect between what grades are designed to do and what truly supports student learning.3 In an effort to focus on your education, assignments and quizzes will not receive a letter-grade or points. Rather, as you answer the questions for each assignment, you will also provide your own assessment of how well-prepared you felt to answer that particular question as well as your process for arriving at your final answer. At the core of the philosophy behind ungrading is the fact that each of us possesses the best information about our own learning - both what works and if it’s working. As such, I want you to be in control of reflecting on your own learning process throughout this class.

3 You can read more about the problem with using grades as an assessment for learning here and here.

  • For homework assignments you will receive written feedback from me about whether you’ve sufficiently demonstrated mastery of a topic and if not, where you can find assistance in answering that particular question. You’ll then have a week to revise any answers for re-submission.
  • For quiz assignments you’ll receive a take-home exam that you’ll be given 24 hours to complete. During the next class meeting we will use our time together to go over the questions. If there were any problems you were less sure about, this is a great time to ask questions, and more fully articulate your answers on your assignment before turning in your completed quiz.
Important!

All homework assignments MUST be turned in in-person, during class. No exceptions. In the rare case when you cannot make it to class, first ask a friend or classmate to turn it in on your behalf. If that can’t be arranged, you can turn it in at the next class meeting. Note that late submissions will result in delayed feedback for revisions.

Similarly, quizzes must be revised and resubmitted in-class on the day specified on the schedule. Despite being take-home quizzes, treat quiz revision days as if they were in-class test days. Make-ups will only be scheduled with documented absences.

This class is still being taught within the context of a university that assigns grades so I will be required to assign a final grade at the end of the quarter. What that grade ultimately is will be determined by you through your engagement with your assignment self-assessments, revisions on homeworks and quizzes, participation in class, and the two learning assessment meetings we will have (one during week 5 and another our last week of class)4. During these two one-on-one meetings we will have a chance to discuss your learning process, what’s worked/what’s been challenging, how we can both support the outcomes you desire, and what grade you feel reflects your efforts5.

4 Specifics on how to prepare for these 5-minute meetings will be provided later in the quarter.

5 Note: participation in class and submitting revisions are both required if you expect to assign yourself an A in this course.

6 If something comes up and you cannot make it to class, message me as soon as possible on Slack telling me why you were unable to make it to class.

For this process to work effectively we are both required to attend every class and participate in ways that engage your learning6. This means you are expected to complete and submit all homework and quiz assignments (with revisions if applicable). I will do my best to meet you where you are when you come to class and I ask that you engage in class and with assignments in ways that prioritize your learning.

Absence Policy

In rare cases where you are unable to participate in a class session, you can make up the absence by writing a 1-page reflection essay about the course readings, lecture slides, and activities you missed that day.

Schedule

Week Date Topic Required Reading Due
1 Monday
June 23rd		 ▪ Introductions to the course
▪ Overview of statistics
▪ Producing data: surveys and sampling		 Syllabus
Chapter 1 (sections 1.1 - 1.2)
1 Wednesday
June 25th		 ▪ Frequency tables
▪ Graphical techniques		 Chapter 1 (sections 1.3 - 1.4)
Chapter 2 (sections 2.1 - 2.4)
2 Monday
June 30th		 ▪ Measures of central tendency
▪ Measures of variability		 Chapter 2 (sections 2.5 - 2.6)
Chapter 2 (sections 2.7 - 2.8)		 Homework 1
2 Wednesday
July 2nd		 ▪ Probability and probability distributions
▪ Normal distributions		 Chapter 3 (sections 3.1 to 3.3)
Chapter 4 (section 4.1)
Chapter 5 (section 5.1)
Chapter 6 (sections 6.1 to 6.2)
3 Monday
July 7th		 ▪ Sampling distributions
▪ Central limit theorem
▪ Logic of inference		 Chapter 7 (sections 7.1 & 7.3) Homework 2
3 Wednesday
July 9th		 ✍️🙋💡 Quiz 1
4 Monday
July 14th		 ▪ Estimation: confidence intervals for means
▪ Estimation: confidence intervals for proportions		 Chapter 8 (sections 8.1 to 8.2)
Chapter 8 (section 8.3)		 Homework 3
4 Wednesday
July 16th		 ▪ Hypothesis testing for one sample Chapter 9 (sections 9.1 to 9.6)
5 Monday
July 21st		 ▪ Hypothesis testing for two samples Chapter 10 (sections 10.1 to 10.3 plus 10.5) Homework 4
Learning Assessment Reflection
5 Wednesday
July 23rd		 Individual Learning Assessment Meetings
6 Monday
July 28th		 ✍️🙋💡 Quiz 2 Homework 5
6 Wednesday
July 30th		 ▪ Two-way tables and chi-square Chapter 11 (sections 11.1 to 11.3)
7 Monday
August 4th		 ▪ Scatterplots and correlation Chapter 12 (sections 12.1 to 12.3)
7 Wednesday
August 6th		 ▪ Bivariate regression
▪ Inference for regression		 Chapter 12 (section 12.4 and 12.5) Homework 6
8 Monday
August 11th		 ▪ Multivariate regression Primer for multivariate regression
8 Wednesday
August 13th		 ▪ Review Session Homework 7
9 Monday
August 18th		 ✍️🙋💡 Quiz 3 Learning Assessment Reflection
9 Wednesday
August 20th		 Individual Learning Assessment Meetings

Accessibility and accommodations

Your experience in this class is important to me. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please communicate your approved accommodations to me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course. If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), you are welcome to contact DRS at 206-543-8924, uwdrs@uw.edu, or through their website. DRS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, me (your instructor), and DRS. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law.

Religious accommodations

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW's policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form.

Academic honesty

Students are expected to abide by established regulations on student conduct. Any student found in violation of rules of student conduct will be removed from the class in accordance with state policy and appropriate disciplinary action will be pursued.7

7 You can read more about the University of Washington Student Code here.

Basic needs statement

If you find yourself in need of health services, housing, food, or other basic resources, please use the resources listed below and/or visit the Resources page on the Sociology Department’s website. If you feel comfortable doing so, please contact me about any other unmet needs so that we can brainstorm other resources. Concerned with your own safety or the safety of others? Call SafeCampus at 206-685-7233


Feedback

If you have feedback on any part of this course or the classroom environment I want to hear it! You can message me directly on Slack or send me an anonymous message here.