FALL 2001 Wednesday 4:30-7:10 Krug 209

Prof. David J. Armor
Finley 201B        ext. 32260
Home:  540-987-9712
darmor@gmu.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION
 The course is designed as a graduate-level introduction to statistical analyses commonly used in the policy sciences.   Topics include descriptive statistics, sampling theory, probability distributions, estimation and significance testing, contingency tables, linear bivariate regression and correlation, and multiple regression.  The course will also provide an introduction to statistical analysis using sophisticated computer systems.  The course work will include readings from a textbook and some handouts, two lab sessions for an introduction to computer processing, homework, a midterm, and a final examination.  The course grade will be based on homework (1/4), midterm (1/4), and a final exam (1/2).
 

PREREQUISITES
 Since the course is an advanced but introductory treatment, no specific prerequisites are necessary, but good facility with college-level algebra is essential and an undergraduate course in basic statistics is very helpful.  This course is not required for PhD students who have recently taken a graduate-level statistics course that covered the topics above at the level of the Agresti and Finlay text.
 

REQUIRED TEXT

Alan Agresti and Barbara Finlay, Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences, Prentice Hall, 3rd Edition, 1997
 

Lecture Topics and Readings

AUG 29  INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS AND COMPUTER PROCESSING
   Chapter 1 plus handout

SEPT 5  SAMPLING AND MEASUREMENT
   Chapter 2

SEPT  12  DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS
   Chapter 3
   Homework  #1 (homeworks due at beginning of next class)

SEPT 19  PROBABILITY THEORY & DISTRIBUTIONS
   Chapter 4

SEPT 26  STATISTICAL ESTIMATION; COMPUTER LAB
   Chapter 5

OCT 3  COLUMBUS DAY RECESS

OCT 10  SIGNIFICANCE TESTING
   Chapter 6
   Homework #2

OCT 17  TWO-GROUP TESTS
   Chapter 7
 
OCT 24  CONTINGENCY TABLES
   Chapter 8
   Midterm (covers topics through Oct 10)

OCT 31  BIVARIATE REGRESSION & CORRELATION;  COMPUTER LAB
   Chapter 9
   Homework #3—includes computer run (due following week)

NOV   7  INTRODUCTION TO MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS
   Chapters 10 & 11

NOV 14  MULTIPLE REGRESSION & CORRELATION
   Chapter 14

NOV 21  MULTIPLE REGRESSION CONTINUED; LOGISTIC
   Chapter 15
Homework #4—includes computer run (due following week)

NOV 28  SURVEY OF ADVANCED MULTIVARIATE TECHNIQUES
   Chapter 16 plus handout on additional multivariate techniques

DEC 5  COURSE REVIEW
 

DEC 12  FINAL EXAM