2013/2014
BA-PSTA Statistics and Research Methods
English Title |
Statistics and Research
Methods |
|
Language |
English |
Exam ECTS |
10 ECTS |
Type |
Mandatory |
Level |
Bachelor |
Duration |
One Semester |
Course period |
Autumn |
Time Table |
Please see course schedule at e-Campus |
Study board |
Study Board for BSc/MSc i International Business and Politics,
BSc
|
Course
coordinator |
- Peter Dalgaard - Department of Finance (FI)
|
Main academic
disciplines |
- Statistics and mathematics
|
Last updated on
10-10-2013
|
Learning objectives |
The major goal of the statistics
course is to produce statistically educated students. This means
that students should develop statistical literacy and the ability
to think and reason statistically. The student should become able
to:
- Analyze a research topic - in order to identify available
quantifiable information and formulate questions that can be
answered by processing suitably collected data.
- Use graphical and numerical methods for exploring and
summarizing data on a single categorical or quantitative
variable.
- Describe basic probability and how probability helps us
understand randomness, and explain the concept of a sampling
distribution and how it relates to inference methods.
- Choose and justify appropriate descriptive and inferential
methods for examining and analyzing data and drawing
conclusions.
- Analyze of the association between variables, categorical,
continuous and both, using contingency tables, correlation,
regressions analysis, and analysis of variance.
- Communicate the conclusions of statistical analysis clearly and
effectively, i.e interpret the numerical results in terms of the
original research topic.
|
Examination |
Statistics and
Research Methods:
|
Examination form |
Oral exam based on written product
In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product
must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The
grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and
the individual oral performance. |
Individual or group exam |
Individual |
|
Gruop size for written group assignment: 3-5
students. During the oral exam the examination may involve
questions from the entire curriculum. |
Size of written product |
Max. 15 pages |
Assignment type |
Written assignment |
Duration |
Written product to be submitted on specified date and
time.
20 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade,
and informing plus explaining the grade |
Grading scale |
7-step scale |
Examiner(s) |
Internal examiner and second internal
examiner |
Exam period |
Winter Term |
Make-up exam/re-exam |
Another examination form
Make-up/re-exam when ill at the oral
exam or when the ordinary exam is failed, is an individual oral
exam (20 minutes per student) based upon the same synopsis.
Make-up exam when ill during the writing of the synopsis is a 20
minutes oral exam with 20 minutes open book preparation in the
entire curriculum.
|
|
Course content and
structure |
Statistics is both a science in
itself and a technology with applications in almost every other
branch of science. The course emphasizes conceptual
understanding rather than just instrumental usage of statistical
procedures. The focus is on the interpretation and
understanding of basic statistical methods as applied in
social sciences, business economy and political economy.
The curriculum includes:
· Descriptive statistics, both numerical and graphical.
· The basic laws of probability, and the most important probability
distributions.
· Statistical inference; confidence intervals and significance
tests about hypotheses.
· Analysis of categorical variables using contingency tables.
· Regression analysis; simple, multiple and logistic.
· One-way and two-way analysis of variance. |
Teaching methods |
Lectures w/ discussions, computer
labs, groupwork for synopsis |
Expected literature |
Main book: Agresti A., C. Franklin (2013): “Statistics: The Art
and Science of Learning from Data”, 3rd. ed., Pearson.
Supplementary book: Agresti A. (2007): “An Introduction to
Categorical Data Analysis”, 2nd ed., Wiley. Chapter 2.1-3: Chapter
3.1-2; Chapter 4.1-5. |
Software Package: SAS
JMP |
|
Last updated on
10-10-2013