Introduction to Quantitative Analysis for Geographers
Draft Syllabus
GEO 3162C Section 2B31/Geo 6160 Section 2H02 (Room MCCA 1142)
Professor Robert Walker
Room 313 Grinter Hall
phone: 352 392 0494
Class Meetings: T Period 3-4 (9:35-11:30AM) TH Period 4 (10:40-11:30AM)
Final Exam 13E
Office Hours: T 12:00-1:30PM, TH 12:00-1:30PM
Prerequisites:
NONE, although it is recommended that some students complete a basic introductory statistics course prior to enrolling, if they have no background in statistics.
Course Objectives:
1)Provide students with a working knowledge of various statistical techniques used in social science research
2)Provide students with an introduction to several spatial-statistical concepts
The course covers topics including data measurement, descriptive statistics, probability distributions, samples and populations, sampling, hypothesis testing, and inference. It is designed to ensure students gain a fundamental understanding of basic statistical procedures and the scientific methods, insofar as they involve3 statistics and inference. It lays the foundations for intermediate and advanced topics such as multivariate methods, spatial statistics, and econometrics.
Text: James E. Burt et al. Elementary Statistics for Geographers (3rded.)
Student Performance and Grades:
Grading policy: A “curve” will not be applied to labs, exams, or final grades. There is NO extra credit. If you miss an exam or an assignment, you MUST supply a medical excuse. Otherwise you will receive a grade of 0 points. No early final exams for reasons of travel. No assignment of a grade “I” for incomplete.
Lab assignments: Lab assignments may be completed in groups. That said, you MUST provide your own, individual write-up with interpretation. All labs must be turned in as a hard copy. No email, flash-drive, CD, etc. Computer print-out is not acceptable as your “hard-copy” write-up.
Examinations: Laptop computers, cell phones, smart phones, or i-pad devices may NOT be used during in-class exams. Scratch paper will NOT be provided. Bring your own sharpened #2 pencils; they will NOT be provided. You are required to bring a working calculator to the exams; they will NOT be provided. You can only receive partial credit if you show your work. All exams are open-book and open note. The instructor does NOT provide a review session, although study groups are strongly encouraged.
You can earn a possible 500 points.
Your grade is a percentage earned, given as follows:
91.0-100%A
90.0-90.9%A-
87.0-89.9%B+
80.0-86.9%B
78.0-79.9%B-
75.0-77.9%C+
65.0-74.9%C
60.0-64.9%C-
57.0-59.9%D+
50.0-56.9%D
45.0-49.9%D-
00.0-44.9%E
Points are given as follows:
4 take-home labs (25 points each)100 pointsDistribution and due date TBA
Mid-term exam (In-Class)100 pointsDistribution and due date TBA
Mid-term exam (Take home)100 pointsDistribution and due date TBA
Comprehensive Final200 points13E
Grad students are graded as a percentage on 600 points, with 100 point analysis project.
Computation: This is NOT a programming course, and the instructor will NOT provide information in this regard. You must pick up computer and software skills on your own time. All calculations for this course can be done without the use of a computer. At the very minimum, I recommend having a good calculator.
If you plan to take another course in quantitative methods beyond this one, I recommend you use this course as an opportunity to familiarize yourself with some statistical software package such as SPSS, SAS, “R”, etc. Once you move beyond the topics of this class, you will need some computational power. This is a peaceful time to lay some future groundwork.
Tentative Outline of Readings:
Week 1 August 22-26Chapter 1 & 2 (p. 39-60)
Week 2 August 29-Sept 2Chapter 2 (pp. 74-85) & Chapter 3 (pp. 95-116)
Week 3 Sept 5-Sept 9Chapter 3 (118-134)
Week 4 Sept 12-16Chapter 4 (pp. 156-164)
Week 5 Sept 19-Sept 23Chapter 5
Week 6 Sept 26-Sept 30Chapter 5
Week 7 Oct 3- Oct 7Chapter 6
Week 8 Oct 10- Oct 14Chapter 6
Week 9 Oct 17- Oct 21Chapter 7
Week 10 Oct 24- Oct 28Chapter 8
Week 11 Oct 31 – Nov 4Chapter 9
Week 12 Nov 7 – Nov 1110 (pp. 376-408)
Week 13 Nov 14 – Nov 18Chapter 11
Week 14 Nov 21 – Nov 25THANKSGIVING
Week 15 28 – Dec 2Chapter 4 (pp. 164-174)
Week 16 December 5-7Review