Dear All,

Does anyone offer a short course on statistics for non-quantitative
graduate students focused on their ability to read and understand work
that presents statistics?

I am an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, where not only
do we not require any quantitative methods courses for our grad
students, we also have not offered any for a couple of years. We do
offer a research methods and design course, stats at the undergrad level
and a qualitative methods class. This is expected to change soon.

In the meantime, some of the grad students have asked the faculty if it
was possible to offer a short 1 or 2 week statistics class targeted at
those students with little or no statistics experience. These students
either do not have sufficient interest to take a semester- long course
or are already ABD. They envision a course that will be geared towards
empowering them to better understand the polisci readings that employ
quantitative methods. So, the class would probably emphasize reading and
statistical literacy over completing problem sets or running analyses
and turning in write-ups. Perhaps the class might augment the research
design course and help them think about how quantitative analysis might
prove useful in their own research? Cover a few techniques to display or
analyze data? Call the class "T-tests for theorists" or a stats "boot
camp" much like other departments' math boot camps (except, skip the math!).

If you are aware of any such classes, have a syllabus, or just have a
few suggestions, please let me know.

Yours,
Renan Levine

--
Renan Levine
Department of Political Science
University of Toronto
[log in to unmask]
http://individual.utoronto.ca/renan
(416) 978 - 0743

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