INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL THINKING IN SOCIOLOGY
Spring 2007
Sociology 261-001
Monday 4:30-7:10
Bolton 293
Instructor:
Office:
Hours:
Phone:
E-mail:
Website:
Sociology Dept:
Jamie Harris, Ph.D.
Bolton 766
M: 3:00-4:00; R: 3:00-4:00 or by appt.
229-4629
jmh@uwm.edu
Desire-To-Learn (D2L) link off UWM home page
229-4388 (Fax: 229-4266)
General Comments About this Course
This course is probably of a different type than any of you have taken before. The purpose of this
course is to prepare you for more productive and successful study in other sociology courses you may
take in the future. For this reason, it does not deal with a particular subject matter in the usual sense
but rather focuses on developing your skills and knowledge for conducting research and learning the
necessary tools for studying sociology.
Since this course will deal with subject matter that for most of you is totally unfamiliar, it will require
great effort and dedication, at least in comparison to other 200-level courses. Therefore, you are
strongly advised to make sure you attend every class, pay close attention and participate during
lectures, do the assigned reading before it is covered in class, and complete all of your assignments on
time (see comments on late assignments). Most important: try to avoid getting behind.
I hope the above paragraphs do not seem unduly frightening. It should be made clear that the instructor
believes that almost all of you can succeed in this course, a belief confirmed by past experience.
Anyone possessing minimal skills and aptitude who completes all of the assignments with their best
effort should pass the course usually with a decent grade. This course has been set up in a series of
rather small steps and they are not difficult to climb one at a time.
Course Objectives:
As instructor of this course, I have several course objectives for students beyond mastery of a specific
body of knowledge and these are that you leave the course:
1) with a new confidence in being able to successfully comprehend complex subject matter;
2) as more critical consumers of information;
3) with an understanding of the usefulness of statistics in everyday life.
Course Organization
This course will combine classroom lectures and discussion with homework assignments and lab
exercises (Be sure you know your ePanther ID and password for computer use in lab). The lectures
will be presented using Powerpoint slides which should be accessed on D2L prior to lecture, printed
out (not in lab) and brought to each class. The rationale for providing the lecture slides is to allow you
to concentrate on the class lecture without the burden of having to take lengthy notes.
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The purpose of the course is to acquaint students with the statistical techniques commonly used in the
social sciences and to illustrate how they are used. The following broad areas will be discussed: (1)
Descriptive and Inferential Statistics, (2) Measures of Central Tendency, (3) Measures of Dispersion,
(4) Bivariate Association, (5) The Normal Curve, and, (6) Estimation and Hypothesis-Testing.
Course Requirements
Assignments
Each student is required to hand-in 5 chapter assignments out of 7 that are assigned. Thus you can skip
2 chapter assignments without penalty. Students may do all 7 (and are encouraged to do so) but I will
only count the 5 highest for your grade. In addition, there will be two SPSS lab assignments and
some in-lab exercises. All SPSS assignments and exercises are required. Late assignments will
not be accepted. No exceptions.
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to attend all classes.
Reading
Being prepared for class (reading the assigned chapters) is mandatory. Pop quizzes on chapters may
be given.
Midterms and Final Examinations
Three midterms will be given throughout the semester. Only two midterms (with the highest score)
will be counted (for a total of 50% of your grade) towards your final grade, however every student is
expected to take all four exams. There are no makeup exams for any reason. Absolutely no exceptions
made!!!!!! If for some reason the day of a scheduled exam is canceled for snow or any other reason,
the exam will be given during the next regularly scheduled class session.
Grading is based on the following components:
Assignments 25% (A=9, B=8, etc.)
Midterm I* 25% (A = 90 – 100; <60=F)
Midterm II* 25%
Midterm III* 25%
Final Exam 25% * Only 2 midterms will be counted; The final exam WILL be
included in your final grade.
Required Materials: Calculator with basic functions.
Required Text:
Frankfort-Nachmias and Leon-Guerrero. Social Statistics for a Diverse
Society, 4th Edition. Pine Forge, 2005.
Course Policies
Lab Etiquette: Please refrain from eating, drinking, websurfing, and checking email during class and
lab time.
Cell phones: Per department policy, students cannot answer calls during lecture or lab; you may make
calls outside the classroom at the break or after class if necessary.
Changes to syllabus: Students are responsible for any changes in this syllabus which are announced in
class
Misconduct: Any students found guilty of academic misconduct (e.g. cheating, plagiarism) will be
given a grade of “0” on the relevant assignment and disciplined according to the UWM Student
Academic Disciplinary Procedures (see attached list of “University and Department Policies”).
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Class Schedule
1/22
Introduction
1/29
The What and Why of Statistics
Frequency Distributions
Chapter 1, Appendix F, SPSS Demo
Chapter 2 (Skip box 2.1), SPSS Demo
2/5
Statistical Charts and Graphs
Measures of Central Tendency
Chapter 3, SPSS Demo
Chapter 4, SPSS Demo
2/12
Measures of Variability
Chapter 5 (Skip box 5.2), SPSS Demo
2/19
Midterm I: Chapters 1-5
2/26
Cross-Tabulation
Chapter 6, SPSS Demo
3/5
Lambda and Gamma
Regression and Correlation
Chapter 7 pp. 227-234
Chapter 8 pp. 261-281, SPSS Demo
3/12
Regression and Correlation Cont’d.
Chapter 8 pp. 281-293
3/19
Spring Break
3/26
Midterm II: Chapters 6-8
4/2
The Normal Distribution
Building Blocks of Inference
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
4/9
Estimation
Chapter 11
4/16
Midterm III: Chapters 9-11
4/23
Testing Hypotheses
Chapter 12 pp. 403-417
4/30
The Chi-Square Test
Chapter 13
5/7
Open Lab
5/14
Final Exam Chapters 12 & 13
Monday, 4:30-6:30 PM
Assignment Schedule *
All assignments will be completed outside of class and turned-in during class on the day they are due.
Chapter
Problem
Date due
Chapter 2
#4,#12
2/5
Chapter 4
#2,#6
2/12
Chapter 5
#2,#7
(Friday, 2/16) By 5PM in my mailbox
Chapter 6 & 7
#2 in chap 6; #1 in chap 7
3/12
Chapter 8
#2
(Friday, 3/16) By 5PM in my mailbox
Chapter 9 & 11
#4 in chap 9; #12 in chap 11 (Friday, 4/13) By 5PM in my mailbox
Chapter 12 & 13
#5 in chap 12; #12 in chap 13 5/7

2 additional out of class SPSS lab assignments will be assigned as well as several in-class exercises
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College of Letters and Science
Department of Sociology
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/Sociology
UNIVERSITY AND DEPARTMENT POLICIES
Participation by Students with Disabilities
If you need special accommodations in order to meet any of the requirements of this course, please
contact the Student Accessibility Center (SAC) as soon as possible. You can learn more about the SAC
at http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/DSAD/SAC/SAC_Info.htm
Accommodation for Religious Observances
Students will be allowed to complete examinations or other requirements that are missed because of a
religious observance (from UWM Faculty Document #1853 amended). Please let your instructor know
about such absences as soon as possible, and preferably before the day(s) missed.
Academic Misconduct
The university has a responsibility to promote academic honesty and integrity and to develop procedures
to deal effectively with instances of academic dishonesty. Students are responsible for the honest
completion and representation of their work, for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respect of
others' academic endeavors. A more detailed description of Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures
may be found in Regents Policy Statements, UWS Chapter 14 and UWM Faculty Document #1686.
Complaint Procedures
Students may direct complaints to the Department Chair or the Associate Dean for Social Sciences
(College of Letters & Sciences). If the complaint allegedly violates a specific university policy, it may
be directed to the Department Chair, the Associate Dean for Social Sciences (College of Letters &
Sciences), or to the appropriate university office responsible for enforcing the policy.
Grade Appeal Procedures
A student may appeal a grade on the grounds that it is based on a capricious or arbitrary decision of the
course instructor. Such an appeal shall follow the established procedures adopted by the Department
and College. These procedures are available in at the following website
http://www.uwm.edu/letsci/grievance_procedure.pdf or in writing from the Department Chair or the
Associate Dean for Social Sciences (College of Letters and Sciences). A more detailed description of
the Grade Appeal Policy may be found in UWM Selected Academic and Administrative Policies, Policy
#S-28 and UWM Faculty Document #1243.
Sexual Harassment
Sexual Harassment is reprehensible and will not be tolerated by the University. It subverts the mission
of the University and threatens the careers, educational experience, and well-being of students, faculty,
and staff. The University will not tolerate behavior between or among members of the University
community which creates an unacceptable working environment. A more detailed description of Sexual
Harassment Policy may be found in UWM Selected Academic and Administrative Policies, Policy #S36.1 and UWM Faculty Document #1605.
Discrimination Against Students
No student may be denied admission to, participation in or the benefits of, or discriminated against in
any service, program, course, or facility of the [UW] system or its institutions or centers because of the
student's race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, disability, ancestry, age, sexual orientation,
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pregnancy, marital status, or parental status. A more detailed description of the policy may be found in
UWM Selected Academic and Administrative Policies, Policy #S-49.7.
Book Royalties
In accord with Department of Sociology policy, the royalties from the sale of faculty-authored books to
students in their classes are donated to a UWM Foundation/Sociology Account to support future awards
and activities for UWM students in Sociology.
OTHER UWM POLICIES THAT AFFECT THE CONDUCT OF A COURSE
Attendance
The Department expects students to attend class regularly, but any specific attendance requirements are
established by the instructor and made clear to the class during the first week of class. Students are
responsible for getting notes or assignments for any classes they may have missed. Instructors may
have additional requirements for exams that may be missed.
Incompletes
You may be given an incomplete if you have carried a course successfully until near the end of the
semester but, because of illness or other unusual and substantiated cause beyond your control, have been
unable to take or complete the final examination or to complete some limited amount of course work.
An incomplete is not given unless you prove to the instructor that you were prevented from completing
the course for just cause as indicated above.
Undergraduates are required to complete a course marked incomplete during the first eight weeks of the
next semester (excluding summer sessions). An extension to the end of the semester is possible if
extenuating circumstances prevent you from completing the required course work during the first eight
weeks. Extensions must be recommended by the instructor and approved by the dean of your school or
college. If you do not remove the incomplete during the first eight weeks of the next semester, the report
of I will lapse to F. Audits will lapse to U. Credit/No Credit will lapse to No Credit.
A more detailed description of the Incomplete Policy may be found in UWM Selected Academic and
Administrative Policies, Policy #S-31 and UWM Faculty Documents #1558 and #1602. Also, a
description of this policy may be found at www.uwm.edu/ugbulletin/AcademicInfo.html#DD
Final Examinations
All final examinations will be given during the time assigned in the final examination schedule
(published in the Schedule of Classes). The time of a final examination for an individual or a class may
be changed only with the prior approval of the Dean.
Safety
In some class settings (e.g., classes with labs or field trips), the instructor will present safety guidelines
and procedures. These procedures must be followed carefully to insure your safety and the safety of
your fellow classmates. Failure to follow safety procedures may result in disciplinary action.
Financial Obligation
The submission of your registration form and your subsequent assignment to classes obligates you to
pay the fee-tuition for those classes or to withdraw your registration in writing no later than the date
specified in the Schedule of Classes. It is important to both you and the University that you make
payment on time. Please note that some classes in the Department have special course fees, and every
student in the class is required to pay this fee. A complete description of UWM fee policies may be
found in the Schedule of Classes.
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