Humans behave in unpredictable ways. For the longest time, applying the scientific method to such unruly subjects was thought to be especially difficult. Early in the twentieth century, however, new “quantitative” methodologies (that is: having to do with precise measuring) were developed that provided game-changing insights into how research about people could be carried out. These tools, known as “statistics”, have now become a full-fledged mathematical discipline of their own, and are routinely used in a wide variety of domains.
The goal of this course is for you to get familiar with the fundamentals of statistical analysis that are relevant to the various social sciences. Classes will take the form of workshops where you will carry out your own research, and progressively acquire, on a “need-to-know” basis, core elements of the conceptual toolbox that is now essential to disciplines as varied as economics, marketing, law, and psychology. At the nuts-and-bolts level, you will also get more proficient with spreadsheets and text-editing applications, specifically with Microsoft Excel and Word. These will be used extensively for data management, statistical analysis, graph design and efficient communication of results, with a special emphasis on the American Psychological Association (APA) writing style and presentation standards.
Key benefits from this course include generally improving your research skills, having a clearer grasp of the inner workings of experiments, surveys and polls, as well as being more critical about scientific publications in the humanities. But the main point is to help you see the world differently, with both curiosity and creativity, through questions that can be rigorously answered.
- Enseignant: Céleste Lalime
- Enseignant: Yvan Tétreault