Syllabus for CJK 415: CJ Stats 1

Syllabus for CJK 415: CJ Stats 1

Texas A&M

University

Central Texas

Class Location:FH 212

Class Hours:MW 9:30 -10:45

Instructor:Floyd Berry, PhD

Office:FH 217G

Office Hours:MW 11:00-5:00

Phone:254.519.5705 (but prefer Bb message)

Email: (but prefer Bb message)

1.0Course Description

Introduction to statistical concepts and techniques that can assist one in evaluating research findings. Techniques include measures of central tendency, variability, and significance, and hypothesis testing using t-tests, and ANOVA. Student will manipulate, analyze, and interpret data using SPSS.

2.0Accessing Blackboard (Bb)

This is a lecture course with online components in Blackboard (Bb). The student accesses Bb on the TAMUCT website. The student may get assistance 24/7 by phone.

3.0Course Objectives

1. Students will recognize the importance of statistical analysis and be able to locate its

position in the research process.

2. Students will be able to select an appropriate statistic for a given set of data.

3. Students will acquire the ability to use, analyze, and interpret statistical tests.

4. Students will learn the basic, technical vocabulary of social statistics.

5. Students will be able to identify the use of statistics in social research.

6. Students will demonstrate calculator proficiency for all statistical formulas.

7. Students will be able to use SPSS for data manipulation, analysis, and interpretation.

8. Students will gain some appreciation for the role of statistics in the research process.

4.0Required Textbook and Calculator

Healey, J. F. (2015). Statistics: A tool for social research (10thed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage.

ISBN: 978-1-285-45885-4

The student is required to use a hand calculator that can compute squares and square roots. The student should not use a calculator that is too technical for the needs of this course. Calculator features on a cell phone will most likely hinder a student’s performance. Most hand calculators that would be ideal for this course cost about $12. The instructor will be unable to assist students with the proper use of the students’ hand calculators; it is the student’s responsibility to use his calculator correctly.

5.0Course Requirements

5.1Exams (540 pts)

The student will take 9 exams. The content of each exam will generally be derived from the previous week’s work. Each exam is valued at 60 points. The student will need a hand calculator and a pencil or pen. The student has a maximum of 40 minutes to take the exam, given immediately after roll call. The exam window closes, however, when the last person submits his exam who was on time at the beginning of the exam period. Thus, if the last person (who was on time) submits his exam in 25 minutes, then the exam window closes. Most exams will not take 40 minutes to complete. The remainder of the class period is devoted to discussing new material in the next chapter. Completed exams are reviewed during the next class period.

5.2Homework (135 pts)

The student shall complete and submit 9 homework assignments that are due at the beginning of the class period (see course calendar for due dates). The assignments shall be written on notebook paper. The student must complete all of the assigned questions to receive credit. Pages torn out of spiral notebooks, leaving jagged edges, will not be accepted. Each homework assignment is valued at 15 points. It is not necessary that the student obtain the correct answers to each question, only that he makes an honest effort to obtain the answer by working the problem.

5.3Class Participation (190 pts)

The student is expected to participate in class discussions. The student earns a point for full attendance on a specific day (appears on time and does not leave early). He earns another point for participating in class discussion. (No points are awarded for the Final Exam, however.) Thus, the student earns 0-2 points on each class day (total of 29 days), which converts into the following grade for class participation in the course:

Points / Grade / Points / Grade
58 / 190 / 28-33 / 80
52-57 / 170 / 22-27 / 60
46-51 / 150 / 16-21 / 40
40-45 / 130 / 10-15 / 20
34-39 / 100 / 1-9 / 10

Note: if the student is tardy (appears in class after roll is caused), it is the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor at the conclusion of class (before leaving the classroom), that he arrived in class and would like to receive some credit for class participation. Failure to notify the instructor will result in an absence for that class day.

5.4SPSS Exercises (130 pts)

There are exercises to complete and submit using SPSS. Each exercise must be converted to a .pdf file, attached to an email on Bb, and submitted to the instructor. Like the homework assignments, it is not necessary that the content of the exercises be correct, only that the student made an honest attempt to complete the exercise. If the SPSS assignment is rejected by the instructor, the student has one week to correct the assignment and resubmit it for credit. No rejected assignments are accepted after one week. SPSS exercises are due according to the Course Calendar. Each of the 13 SPSS exercises is worth 10 points. Only SPSS outputs are needed to complete each SPSS assignment.

Although Dr. Healey lists the steps in your text for completing an SPSS assignment, the first two steps are usually unnecessary, inasmuch as the dataset and SPSS software are already loaded onto lab computers. (The dataset is already loaded onto Bb, and each lab computer has SPSS installed.) The textbook has sections at the end of most chapters that describe the exercise and general procedure to follow in each exercise. The rule of thumb is to “learn by doing.” If the step described does not work exactly as expected, then the student should keep trying. The solution will most likely present itself. Different versions of SPSS may have slightly different formats or wordings.

The student saves his output by clicking on “File,” “Export,” selecting pdf file and location (for location, click on “Browse” and “Desktop”). For FILENAME, use the filename indicated on the Course Calendar (see “Assignments Due” column). For example, for his first assignment, the student notes that the filename is to be SPSS1.pdf. So, the student types SPSS1 for the filename, and the .pdf suffix is automatically added. The student clicks on “Save” and “OK.” The file is now saved to his desktop. The student then sends the instructor an email through Bb, with the file (SPSS1.pdf) attached. Once the SPSS output is sent, the student quits the output file that appears on the screen. To the message, “Save contents of output viewer?”, the student clicks “No,” and quits the GSS (General Social Survey) database file as well.

5.5Academic Honesty Document (5 pts)

During the first week of class, the student is to read the section in the syllabus on Academic Honesty and the material at the Purdue University website regarding plagiarism. The student must sign the document pertaining to Academic Honesty and return it to the instructor by the due date. NOTE: The student will not be allowed to continue in the course without notifying the instructor of his comprehension of this material (signing and submission of document).

5.6Monitoring Bb for Announcements

It is the student’s responsibility to monitor Bb daily for Announcements and Revised Course Calendars. Failure to do so may result in poor scores.

5.7Readings and Exercises

To gain a good understanding and to develop skills related to statistics, the student will need to apply himself on a consistent, regular basis to readings, exercises, exams, and discussions with other students and the instructor. Other resources are available that may also assist the student, such as answers in the back of the textbook for odd-numbered exercises, chapter reviews, and summaries of terms and formulas.

5.8Typo Ferret (optional for extra credit)

The student may earn extra credit (5 points for each discovery) by identifying typos in the textbook and relating this information to the instructor via the email feature on Bb, prior to the class period in which the material is discussed. Any errors in the text that distract from one’s comprehension of the material in a meaningful way are possibilities. Examples might be misspelled words or inaccurate values or formulas. The student must also provide the corrected information that would replace the typo. The student may wish to read the document posted on Bb under Typo Ferret for more information. In the email, the student must include in the subject heading the words “Typo” and the chapter in which the typo was found, such as Typo-Chapter 1.

6.0Grading Rubric and Conversion

6.1Rubric

Points

Exams (9 @ 60) / 540
Homework (9 @ 15) / 135
Class Participation (29 days) / 190
SPSS Exercises (13 @ 10) / 130
Academic Honesty Document / 5
Total: / 1000

6.2Conversion to Course Letter Grade

Points % Grade

900 – 1000 / 90 – 100 / A
800 – 899 / 80 – 89 / B
700 – 799 / 70 – 79 / C
600 – 699 / 60 – 69 / D
0 – 599 / 0 – 59 / F

7.0Course Calendar1

Date Topics/Activities Readings2 Assignments Due3

1/20 / Academic honesty
Course requirements / Academic honesty/plagiarism readings (see document)
Syllabus
1/25 / Exam 1 (syllabus, academic honesty)
Rules on rounding
Introduction to statistics
Discrete and continuous variables
Level of measurement / H, Prologue (pp xxv-xxxiii)
H, ch 1 / Academic Honesty document is due
1/27 / Homework (ch 1)
Proportions, percentages, percentage change, rates, frequency distributions / H, ch 2 (pp 24-46) / HW1: 1.4
2/1 / Homework (ch 2)
Tables and graphs / H, ch 2 (remaining pages) / HW2: 2.2, 2.4, 2.10
2/3 / SPSS
SPSS1- Producing frequency distributions / H, Appendices F & G
H, pp 63-65 (SPSS1) – “Is There a Culture War in the United States?” / SPSS1
2/8 / Exam 2 (H, Prologue, chs 1-2, Appendices F & G)
Mode, median, percentiles, mean, skewed distribution
Homework (ch 3) / H, ch 3 / HW3: 3.2, 3.4, 3.8, 3.10
2/10 / SPSS2- Producing frequencies and descriptives
Variability / H, pp 88-90 (SPSS2) – “The Typical American”
H, ch 4 / SPSS2
2/15 / Homework (ch 4)
SPSS3- Producing measures of dispersion
SPSS4- Producing ranges and standard deviations
SPSS5- Creating summary variables / H, pp 106-107 (SPSS3) – “Measures of Dispersion”
H, pp 117-118 (SPSS4) – “The Typical American (Revisited)”
H, pp 118-121 (SPSS5) – “The Culture Wars (Revisited)” / HW4: 4.4, 4.14 (4.18 and 4.19 are optional SPSS assignments)
SPSS3, SPSS4, SPSS5
2/17 / Exam 3 (H, chs 3-4)
The normal curve
Z scores
Probability distributions / H, ch 5
2/22 / Homework (ch 5) / HW5: 5.2, 5.10, 5.14
2/24 / Exam 4 (H, ch 5)
Sampling, sampling frames
Sampling distributions
Central Limit Theorem
Standard error / H, ch 6 / Note: There is no HW6 for this chapter
2/29 / Continue with ch 6
3/2 / SPSS6- Producing random samples / H, p 158-159 (6.2)SPSS6 – “Statistical Analysis Using SPSS” / SPSS6
3/7 / Exam 5 (H, ch 6)
Estimation procedures
Bias and efficiency
Alpha (α)
Confidence intervals for means / H, ch 7 (pp 160-169)
3/9 / Confidence intervals for proportions
SPSS7- Constructing confidence intervals / H, ch 7 (remaining pages)
H, pp 174-175 (SPSS7) – “Constructing Confidence Intervals” / SPSS7
3/14 / Spring Break
3/16 / Spring Break
3/21 / Homework (ch 7) / HW7: 7.6 (use 95% C.L.), 7.12, 7.14 (7.19 is optional SPSS assignment)
3/23 / SPSS8-Obtaining descriptives and frequencies for confidence intervals / H, pp 183-184 (SPSS8) – “Estimating the Characteristics of the Typical American” / SPSS8
3/28 / Exam 6 (H, ch 7)
Significance Testing (one sample)
Null and research hypotheses
Test statistics (obtained scores)
Critical scores
One- and two-tailed tests
Type I and Type II Errors
Tests for means / H, ch 8 (pp 185-202)
3/30 / t-tests
Degrees of freedom
Tests for proportions
Homework (ch 8) / H, ch 8 (remaining pages) / HW8: 8.2, 8.4, 8.6, 8.8, 8.12, 8.14, 8.16
4/4 / Continue ch 8 Homework
4/6 / Continue ch 8 Homework
4/11 / Exam 7 (H, ch 8)
Two-sample tests
Pooled estimates / H, ch 9 (pp 216-223)
4/13 / Continue ch 9 / H, ch 9 (pp 216-223)
4/18 / Two-sample tests for means and proportions
Homework (ch 9) / H, ch 9 (remaining pages) / HW9: 9.2, 9.4, 9.6, 9.8, 9.10, 9.12, 9.14 (9.17 is optional SPSS Assignment)
4/20 / Continue with Homework (HW9)
4/25 / SPSS9- Using t tests
SPSS10- Using t tests
SPSS11-Creating variables for t tests / H, pp 226-227 (SPSS9) – “Testing Sample Means for Significant Differences”
H, pp 243-245 (SPSS10) – “Project 1: Exploring the Gender Gap”
H, pp 245-246 (SPSS11) – “Project 2: Using the Compute Command to Explore Gender Differences” / SPSS9, SPSS10, SPSS11
4/27 / Exam 8 (H, ch 9)
ANOVA, sum of squares
dfb, dfw
F ratio, F distribution / H, ch 10
5/2 / Homework (ch 10) / HW10: 10.2, 10.4 (10.11 is optional SPSS assignment)
5/4 / SPSS12-Using ANOVA
SPSS13- Recoding variables / H, pp 258-259 (SPSS12) – “The ANOVA Test”
H, pp 271-275 (SPSS13) – “Why Are Some People Liberal (or Conservative)?” / SPSS12, SPSS13
5/9 / Exam 9 (H, ch 10)

1 Events are subject to minor revision

2H = Healey, Statistics (10th ed.); ch = chapter, chs = chapters, pp = pages

3 All assignments are due at 11:30 a.m., unless otherwise noted

HW = Homework exercises from Healey text (HW1, HW2, etc.). The HW Numeral conforms to chapter numeral.

SPSS = SPSS exercises from Healey text (SPSS1, SPSS2, etc.)

8.0Academic Honesty

TAMUCT expects all students to maintain high standards of personal and scholarly conduct. Students guilty of academic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary action. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an examination or other academic work, plagiarism, self-plagiarism (“recycling”), or collusion. The instructor shall initiate action for each case of academic dishonesty and report it to the Associate Director of Student Conduct. Zero points will be assigned for any course product that violates academic honesty. The student should access this link for more information:

9.0Disability Support

If a student believes that this course may present barriers to learning due to a disability, he is advised to contact Disability Support and Access at (254) 501-5831 in Warrior Hall, Ste. 212. For more information, the student may visit the following website: Any information the student provides is private and confidential. The instructor cannot accommodate an alleged disability unless the student first communicates with Disability Support.

10.0Tutoring

Tutoring is available to all TAMUCT students, both on campus and online. Subjects tutored include Statisticsand Writing (APA). Tutors are available at the Tutoring Center in Warrior Hall 111. Visit and click “Tutoring Support” for tutor schedules and contact information. If you have questions or need to schedule a tutoring session, contact Academic Support at 254-501-5830 or email .

11.0Writing Center

The University Writing Center (UWC) at Texas A&M University-Central Texas is a free workspace open to all TAMUCT students. The UWC is located in Warrior Hall, Rm 416. The Center is open 11 am - 6 pm, Monday-Thursday during the Spring semester. Students may work independently in the UWC by checking out a laptop that runs Microsoft Office suite and connects to WIFI, or by consulting the resources on writing, including all of the relevant style guides. Students may also arrange a one-on-one session with a trained and experienced writing tutor. Tutorials can be arranged by visiting the UWC. Tutors are prepared to help writers of all levels and abilities at any stage of the writing process. Sessions typically last between 20-30 minutes. While tutors will not write, edit, or grade papers, they will help students develop more effective invention and revision strategies.

12.0Late Work

As a rule, make-up work for homework, SPSS exercises, and exams will not be accepted. In rare instances, however, one make-up exam may be offered, but with a 20-point deduction (evidence pertaining to a serious emergency will be considered for such a makeup). In no instance will a make-up be offered for the final exam, and in no instance will a make-up for an exam be given after two weeks from the original exam date. To be considered as a prospect for making up an exam, the student must contact the instructor within 24 hours of having missed an exam for purposes of making it up. A request for make-up, of course, may or may not be granted. The final course grade will be posted within a few days of the final exam; therefore, no incompletes will be awarded for this course. If the student foresees that he will be unable to complete the course, then he should either drop the course or accept the posted grade.

13.0Modification of the Syllabus

This syllabus may be revised in minor ways at the discretion of the instructor. The student is responsible for noting any changes in the syllabus. More than likely, a change in the syllabus will pertain to events in the Course Calendar (sect. 7.0). A Revised Course Calendar will be posted on Bb.

14.0Contact with the Instructor

The student should contact the instructor via the message feature of Bb about any topic or issue that pertains to the course.

15.0Announcements

The student is responsible for checking Bb for ongoing announcements pertaining to the course.