The home page for Public Policy 503/Political Science 328 is http://fhss.byu.edu/PolSci/Goodliffe/503/. Check the home page often for announcements, corrections, etc. The home page (and this syllabus) have links to assignments and other hand outs.
I will hold office hours on Monday and Wednesday 1:00-3:00 p.m. I am also available at most other times if you make arrangements with me. I encourage you to come by for any reason whatsoever.
You should check your email regularly (as well as the class web page) for updates, announcements, corrections, etc. You are responsible for any announcements made in class even if you did not attend. I suggest that you exchange phone numbers and/or e-mail addresses with other students in the class.
This course explores the fundamental concepts of research design and empirical analysis, with a heavy emphasis on econometrics.
This course is designed to help you
The course will be run primarily as a lecture. However, I actively encourage questions, interruptions, cries for help, protests of disbelief, etc. You will never be penalized for participating--even when this takes the form of vague complaints like, "I've got no clue why we are doing this stuff!" I urge--indeed, I expect--you to take advantage of the chance to talk with me during office hours.
This is the first course in the statistical methods sequence in the Public Policy Masters Program. For graduate students, the prerequisite is calculus (Math 112 at BYU). For undergraduates, PlSc 200 is a prerequisite for this course. PlSc 200 teaches basic statistical concepts, as well as writing and research techniques. This course builds on those concepts and assumes you know those techniques. Please see me if you have not had the appropriate prerequisite.
Weekly Assignments |
45% |
Midterm Exam |
20% |
Final Exam |
35% |
All assignments are due at the beginning of class. If you cannot make it to class, please leave the assignment with the department secretaries (in the Political Science office--745 SWKT) before class begins. I will deduct 20 points per day (including weekends) for late assignments (on a 100 point scale). That said, I am a reasonable person; if you anticipate a problem with submitting an assignment when it is due, speak to me before the assignment is due so that we can try to work out an alternative arrangement.
To understand statistics, you must use statistics. To facilitate understanding, there will be weekly assignments that may include any or all of the following:
Some of the assignments will be more extensive projects. You may work together on assignments (in groups of two or at most three), but you must write up your answers separately. However, if you use other persons' work, or make changes to your own work without inquiring or understanding what you did incorrectly, then you are trying to get a grade using someone else's knowledge. Giving or receiving answers in this manner is not permitted in this course. If you do not learn how to analyze or solve problems on your own, you will have difficulty on the exams. Generally, weekly assignments will be posted on the web on Wednesdays. I have reserved the computer lab in 109 SWKT Tuesday nights 6-9 p.m. for your convenience.
There is a midterm and final exam. These are both take-home exams that you will have one week to finish. They will require you to solve problems similar to those in the weekly assignments. You are not allowed to consult with anyone on these take-home exams (except the instructor). The final exam will cover material for the whole semester. The final exams may be picked up in the Political Science office (745 SWKT) after they are graded. The exams will be discarded at the end of the Winter 2002 semester.
I include the following information from the BYU 2001-2002 Undergraduate Catalog which guides how I grade and determine workload:
| A | Excellent |
| B | Good |
| C | Satisfactory |
| D | Minimum passing |
| E | Unacceptable |
Putting these two statements together, the university expects an "average student" to work "much more" than 9 hours a week to receive an 'A' (= "excellence") in a 3 credit-hour course. This is my expectation as well.
This workload has been affirmed by President Bateman in two of his recent devotional addresses. On 7 September 1999, he stated, "It takes approximately three hours of study outside class for every hour in the classroom. If you take 15 hours of credit, you should allocate upward of 45 hours for study per week." On 19 September 2000, he advised, "Study daily--at least three hours for every hour in class."
(See the graduate version from the BYU 2001-2002 Graduate Catalog here.)
There is one required book that is available for purchase at the bookstore (or any number of on-line bookstores; see TextbookLand.com or AllBookStores.com or Campusbooks4less.com for a listing of bookstores and comparison of prices):
The second (earlier) edition of the Agresti and Finlay text is on reserve at the Lee Library.
There will be other readings available to photocopy in the Department of Political Science office (745 SWKT) mailboxes in a box marked "PPol 503 Readings." All readings should be read before class for full understanding of the subject material.
There is another statistical book that is strongly recommmended for purchase (see also TextbookLand.com or AllBookStores.com or Campusbooks4less.com):
Although the title may discourage the serious reader, the Gonick & Smith book is an excellent introduction to statistics, particularly for those who find statistics dull and opaque. It also has the distinct advantage of being correct, even in the details (which is not always the case with such books). It is also on reserve at the library.
Most Fridays will be spent in the FHSS Computer Lab 102 SWKT. We will learn how to do basic statistics in Excel, and how to do basic and advanced statistics in SPSS (I have placed a few books on reserve at the library). I expect all students to have a working knowledge of the Windows operating system (i.e., what backslashes mean, how to use a mouse, how to use pull-down menus, etc.). If you do not have such knowledge, take some time to get familiar as soon as possible. It will not only benefit you in this class, but other classes and jobs. Of course, if you are already familiar with spreadsheets and statistical programs, this will also help you.
Please arrive in the Computer Lab before class starts to start up the computer and have everything ready to go when class starts.
From the Academic Honesty section of the BYU Honor Code: "The first injunction of the BYU Honor Code is the call to `be honest.' Students come to the university not only to improve their minds, gain knowledge, and develop skills that will assist them in their life's work, but also to build character. `President David O. McKay taught that character is the highest aim of education' (The Aims of a BYU Education, p. 6). It is the purpose of the BYU Academic Honesty Policy to assist in fulfilling that aim.
"BYU students should seek to be totally honest in their dealings with others. They should complete their own work and be evaluated based upon that work. They should avoid academic dishonesty and misconduct in all its forms, including but not limited to plagiarism, fabrication or falsification, cheating, and other academic misconduct." Read the full version here (parts attached to the original syllabus).
A colleague (Professor Mitch Sanders of Florida State University) has already explicated these issues specifically for political science. Please read here (also attached to the original syllabus).
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in an educational program or activity that receives federal funds. The act is intended to eliminate sex discrimination in education. Title IX covers discrimination in programs, admissions, activities, and student-to-student sexual harassment. BYU’s policy against sexual harassment extends not only to employees of the university but to students as well. If you encounter unlawful sexual harassment or gender based discrimination, please talk to your professor; contact the Equal Employment Office at 378-5895 or 367-5689 (24-hours); or contact the Honor Code Office at 378-2847.
Brigham Young University is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere which reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability which may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the Services for Students with Disabilities Office (378-2767). Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by the SSD office. If you need assistance or if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established grievance policy and procedures. You should contact the Equal Employment Office at 378-5895, D-282 ASB.
Class starts at 8:00 a.m. I realize that this is early. Please arrive on time to class so that we may end on time.
Note: AF=Agresti and Finlay; GS=Gonick & Smith.
Date |
Topic |
Readings |
Exams |
|---|---|---|---|
September 5 |
Introduction and Overview | AF:1; GS:1 |
|
7 |
Measurement | AF:2.1-2.2 | |
10 |
Sampling | AF:2.3-2.5; GS:6 |
|
12 |
Central Tendency | AF:3.1-3.3; GS:2 |
|
14 |
Computer Class |
|
|
17 |
Variance | AF:3.4-3.6 |
|
19 |
Probability | AF:4.1; GS:3 |
|
21 |
Computer Class |
|
|
24 |
Probability Distribution | AF:4.2; GS:4-5 | |
26 |
Sampling Distribution | AF:4.3; GS:6 |
|
28 |
Computer Class |
|
|
October 1 |
Central Limit Theorem | AF:4.4-4.6 |
|
3 |
Point Estimation | AF:5.1 | |
5 |
Computer Class |
|
|
8 |
Confidence Intervals | AF:5.2-5.6; GS:7 | |
10 |
Hypothesis Tests | AF:6.1-6.4; GS:8 |
|
12 |
Computer Class |
|
|
15 |
t Distribution | AF:6.5-6.8 |
|
17 |
Comparing Means | AF:7.1-7.3; GS:9 | |
19 |
Computer Class |
|
|
22 |
Dependent Samples | AF:7.4-7.6 | |
24 |
Crosstabs | AF:8.1-8.3 | Midterm Exam Distributed |
26 |
Computer Class |
|
|
29 |
Tests of Association | AF:8.4-8.8 | |
31 |
Bivariate Regression | AF:9.1-9.3; GS:11 | Midterm Exam Due |
November 2 |
Computer Class |
|
|
5 |
Regression Inference | AF:9.4-9.5 |
|
7 |
Regression Assumptions |
AF:9.6-9.7 | |
9 |
Computer Class |
|
|
12 |
Multiple Regression | AF:11.1-11.3 | |
14 |
Inference | AF:11.4-11.9 | |
16 |
Computer Class |
|
|
19 |
Dummy Variables | AF:12 |
|
NOTE! 20 |
Interaction Terms | AF:13 (11.5) |
|
21 |
No Class--Thanksgiving |
|
|
23 |
No Class--Thanksgiving |
|
|
26 |
Functional Forms |
AF:14.4-14.6 |
|
28 |
Diagnostics | AF:14.2 |
|
30 |
Computer Class |
|
|
December 3 |
Causality | AF:10 |
|
| 5 | Qualitative Approaches |
|
|
7 |
Computer Class |
|
|
10 |
Review |
|
|
12 |
Review |
|
Final Exam Distributed |
19 |
|
|
Final Exam Due |
Public Policy 503/Political Science 328 home page
Jay Goodliffe's home page
This page is http://fhss.byu.edu/polsci/Goodliffe/503/syllabus.htm