Sociological Statistics

Sociology 314
Spring 2012
Class Meetings: MW 10-11:50
Professor:
Amon Emeka

Classroom: KAP 148 & KAP 305(lab)

Office/Hours: KAP 358, Tue & Fri 10-11:30

By now you are aware that doing sociology involves describing social phenomenawhether
exploitation, segregation, overpopulation, industrialization, acculturation, or fornicationand
identifying plausible theories to explain them. Perhaps most importantly, we subject those
theories to empirical testing. By observing a single instance in which a theory does or does not
pan out we may begin to build a case for or against a particular theory and thereby improve our
understanding of how the world works. The most rigorous test of any theory involves
replication under many and varied circumstances to see how broadly it can be applied. For this
reason, sociologists often desire to examine dozens, hundreds, thousands of instances rather than
just examining one. This is a crucial difference between sociology and common sensethe
latter is often based on limited and haphazard observation of the social world. Under the best
circumstances our sociological observations are systematic, numerous, and representative, but
how do we organize and summarize our observations when they run into the thousands or even
millions? STATISTICS!
The value of statistics is, of course, not limited to academic pursuits. Public health professionals
use statistics to figure what medical programs, practices and technologies have the most farreaching positive impacts in target populations. Market researchers use statistics to figure out
who is buying what, as well as when, where, and why they are buying it. Lawmakers use
statistical information to come to conclusions regarding municipal zoning, congressional
redistricting, etc. Many of them use the software program SPSS (Statistical Package for the
Social Sciences) to complete their statistical tasks as will we. The non-academic uses of
statistics make it one of the most marketable skill sets that sociology majors acquire at USC or
anywhere else.
My assumption is that you have some sense of how important statistics are, and my hope is that
you will by the end of this term have a sense of how accessible they areso that you may be
knowledgeable producers and consumers of sociological statistics.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Students shall have achieved the following upon successful completion of this course:
1. Demonstrable understanding of the structure and character of statistical data;
2. The ability to calculate and interpret measures of central tendency and variability in
statistical data;
3. The ability to assess the strength of association between sociological variables;
4. The ability to determine whether observed statistical patterns and associations are
generalizable to the larger social world;
5. Basic competence using statistical and database software such as SPSS and Excel and;
6. The ability to identify and carryout statistical analyses that are most appropriate whatever
sociological inquiry they may undertake.

SOC 314 Sociological Statistics

Fall 2010

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Taking Responsibility for your Education. Familiarize yourself with this syllabus. If, after
having read this document, you remain unclear regarding what is required and/or expected of
you, make it known. You should always know what is going on in the course and there should be
no surprises when you receive your final grade. Take all necessary steps to ensure that you
understand the statistical problems and solutions you are faced with in this course. Make use of
my office hours!
Reading. Nearly all of the readings required for this class are found in:
Levin, Jack & James A. Fox. 2011. Elementary Statistics in Social Research: The Essentials (3rd
Edition). San Francisco: Allyn & Bacon.
You should carefully read each chapter before I lecture on it in-class. Doing so will make the
lectures much easier to follow.
Attendance (30 pts). Of course, all students are expected to attend all lecture and lab sessions.
Attendance will be recorded and figured into your grade. Since lectures and labs will be held at
different locations and on differing days of the week, be sure to check your syllabus everyday
before you head to class. Come to class preparedhaving read the assigned chapter and
equipped with your text book and a calculator.1 THERE IS TO BE NO USE OF PERSONAL
ELECTRONICS OF ANY KIND IN THE CLASSROOM ASIDE FROM A CALCULATOR.
Violation of this rule will result in zero credit for attendance.
Homework (60 pts). As with so many skills, practice makes perfect, when it comes to
statistics. Do all required assignments and do problems that are not required! This will allow
you to hone your skills at your own pace as well as demonstrate your grasp of the material to the
professor and TA in a non-testing situation. (I will show you how to use Microsoft Excel to
check your work so you will be able to easily pinpoint any miscalculations you make in your
handwritten work). Each of the 3 assignments is worth 20 points and their due dates are listed in
the course outline. The value of the assignments is in giving you feedback on your work before
you are asked to do it in an exam setting. They must be handwritten neatly, completely, correctly
and on time. Homework assignments will be collected in class on the day they are due but will
not be counted as late so long they are time-stamped by the sociology office (KAP 352)
receptionist and placed in my mailbox by 4:30 that same day.
Labs (40 pts). There are nine lab sessions over the course of the semester that will consist of a
brief demonstration using SPSS, Excel, and/or PowerPoint and time designated for you to
produce brief written reports based on assigned analyses/activities. Lab exercises are worth 5
points each and will hone the skills you need to incorporate statistical analyses into your
scholarly work. All labs take place in Kaprielian Hall room 327. Lab assignments are due at the
end of the lab period but are not considered late until 4:30 the following day. Be sure to have
your lab time-stamped by the sociology office (KAP 352) receptionist before you place it in my
mailbox.

The calculator does not have to be fancy; it just has to have square (x2) and square root () keys.

SOC 314 Sociological Statistics

Fall 2010

Study Replication (50 pts). One of the most important functions of social scientists in any
society is to gauge change (or stagnation) in that society over time. This being true, it is
important that we replicate older studies every so often to see whether and to what extent things
have changed since the study was last carried out. In that spirit, each student is required to locate
a paper or book chapter whose conclusions rest on General Social Survey data (see
http://sda.berkeley.edu/archive.htm for info on and access to these data) and whose publication
date is in or BEFORE the year 2000 and replicate the study to the best of his/her ability. Each
student will produce a research paper that:
1) summarizes the research questions, research hypotheses, and research findings and
conclusions of the original (pre-2000) study,
2) discusses problems with the study and/or reasons why the results from that study may or
may not be supported when more recent data are analyzed,
3) explains, in detail, how he/she replicated the study (what data, what variables, what
recodes, what problems, what statistics, etc.),
4) displays and describes the replication results,
5) concludes by comparing the results of the replication to those from the original study and
discussing possible reasons for differences and/or similarities between the two sets of
results.
Over the course of the semester you will learn about the General Social Survey, 1972-2008 data
set and data analysis techniques that will allow you to do all of this. It will not be easy, and I
encourage all of you to track down an interesting article soon and start talking to myself and/or
Michela Musto about whether a replication of the study is realistic.
The Study Replication must not exceed 2,000 words in length and must be submitted via
turnitin AND in hard copy to my mailbox in KAP 352 by 10:00AM on Monday, May 7th.
Exams (150 pts). There are three in-class exams that will each account for 50 points of your
grade. They will be comprised of conceptual (multiple choice) and computational questions but
will not require a great deal of memorization of statistical formulas most relevant formulas will
be provided on the exam. It is most important that you know when and how to employ concepts
and formulas discussed in lectures and practiced in labs. Exams will also require the use of a
calculator with square root and squaring keys. Even when wrong answers are reached partial
credited may be granted if you have chosen the appropriate formula and worked through the
problem completely. Exams will take place in class (KAP 148) on Wednesday, Feb 9,
Wednesday, Mar 23, and Wednesday, Apr 27. There will be no make-up exams.
Post-Exam Credit. You may earn back up to one-third of the points you miss of any of the three
exams. If, for example, you score a 35 out of 50 (C-) on the exam, you missed 15 points and can
earn up to 5 points back pushing your grade to 50 (B-). To earn these points back you must write
a brief paragraph for each question you missed on the exam.

For conceptual/multiple choice questions, you must write a brief paragraph that defines
the misunderstood concept on the basis of the textbook or lecture definition and explain
how the answer you marked is not in accordance with that definition and how the correct
answer is.

SOC 314 Sociological Statistics

Fall 2010

For computational questions, you will write a brief paragraph pinpointing any
computational mistake(s) you made during the exam and then perform all calculations
correctly making sure to show your work. If you chose the wrong formula or statistical
procedure you must write a brief paragraph explaining why the formula or procedure you
chose is inappropriate and why another in more appropriate then re-do the problem using
the correct formula or procedure.

Calculations may be handwritten but all paragraphs (as described above) must be typewritten.
You must also clearly number all paragraphs and computations in accordance with the exam
question missed. You must submit your paragraphs and computations along with your original
exam in class no later than one week after you receive your graded exam.
This is an opportunity to push your exam grade considerably higher, but more importantly it is an
opportunity for you the LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKESone of the most important lessons
in school and in life!
Late Work Policy. Late work submitted no more than 24 hours after the deadline will be docked
one full grade (10%) and may receive no written feedback. Written assignments submitted more
than 24 hours after the deadline listed in the syllabus will receive no more than half credit.
GRADING
Attendance
Homework (3 assignments 20 pts each)
Labs (8 exercises 5 pts each)
Study Replication
Exams (3 exams 50 pts each)
TOTAL
A
AB+
B
B-

302 to 330 pts.

295 to 301 pts.
288 to 294 pts.
267 to 287 pts.
262 to 266 pts.

C+
C
CD+
D

30 pts
60 pts
40 pts
50 pts
150 pts
330 pts
256 to 261 pts.
236 to 255 pts.
229 to 235 pts.
223 to 228 pts.
196 to 222 pts.

COURSE OUTLINE
Mon, Jan 9

Introduction to the Course

KAP 148

Wed, Jan 11

Statistics: What are they good for?

READING: Ch.1

KAP 148

Mon, Jan 16

NO CLASSES Labor Day

Wed, Jan 18

LAB #1 Introduction to the General Social Survey

READING: Davis and Smith (1992: 1-26)

KAP 305

Mon, Jan 23

What is average? Measures of Central Tendency

KAP 148

SOC 314 Sociological Statistics

Fall 2010

READING: Ch. 3
Wed, Jan 25

Average is Unusual! Measuring Variability

READING: Ch.4

KAP 148

Mon, Jan 30

LAB #2 Introduction to SPSS

READING: Ch. 2

KAP 305

Wed, Feb 1

Exactly How Different Are You? Calculating z

READING: Ch. 5

KAP 148

Fri, Feb 3

Homework #1 due at 4:30PM in KAP 352

Mon, Feb 6

REVIEW SESSION

KAP 148

Wed, Feb 8

EXAM I

KAP 148

Mon, Feb 13

LAB #3 Recoding Variables in SPSS

READING: Data and Methods Section of your chosen study

KAP 305

Wed, Feb 15

Introduction to Inferential Statistics

READING: Ch. 6

KAP 148

Mon, Feb 20

NO CLASSES Presidents Day

Wed, Feb 22

Sociologic: How We Set Up the Big Questions

READING: Ch. 7

KAP 148

Mon, Feb 27

LAB #4 Univariate Displays of Data

READING: Results/Findings Section of your chosen study

KAP 305

Wed, Feb 29

Identifying Statistically Significant Differences

READING: Ch. 7

KAP 148

Mon, Mar 5

Association by design or by chance? Chi-Square

READING: Ch. 9

KAP 148

Wed, Mar 7

LAB #5 Comparing Means and Distributions in SPSS

Homework #2 due at 4:30PM in KAP 352

KAP 305

Mon, Mar 19

REVIEW SESSION

KAP 148

Wed, Mar 21

EXAM II

KAP 148

Mon, Mar 26

Introduction to Correlation
READING : Chapter 10

KAP 148

Wed, Mar 28

Analysis of Variance
READING: Ch. 8

KAP 148
5

SOC 314 Sociological Statistics

Fall 2010

Mon, Apr 2

LAB #6 Bivariate Displays of Data

KAP 305

Wed, Apr 4

Predicting Outcomes with Linear Regression

READING: Ch. 11

KAP 148

Mon, Apr 9

LAB #7 Correlation and ANOVA in SPSS

READING: Ch. 13

KAP 305

Wed, Apr 11

Finding Net Effects with Multiple Regression

READING: Allison, P. Multiple Regression: A Primer, Ch. 1

KAP 148

Mon, Apr 16

LAB #8 Multivariate Regression in SPSS

READING: Allison, P. Multiple Regression: A Primer, Ch. 2

KAP 305

Wed, Apr 18

LAB #9 Polishing Your Displays of Data

Homework #3 due at 4:30PM in KAP 352

Mon, Apr 23

REVIEW SESSION

KAP 148

Wed, Apr 25

EXAM III

KAP 148

Mon, May 7

Study Replication Due at 10AM

KAP 355

KAP 305

DATES TO REMEMBER:
Jan 19

Lab #1 due

Mar 21

EXAM II

Jan 31

Lab #2 due

Apr 3

Lab #6 due

Feb 3

Homework #1 due

Apr 10

Lab #7 due

Feb 6

Exam I Review

Apr 17

Lab #8 due

Feb 8

EXAM I

Apr 18

Homework #3 due

Feb 14

Lab #3 due

Apr 19

Lab #9 due

Feb 28

Lab #4 due

Apr 23

Exam III Review

Mar 7

Homework #2 due

Apr 25

EXAM III

Mar 8

Lab #5 due

May 7

Study Replication Due

Mar 19

Exam II Review

*Syllabus may change at the professors discretion.