Psychological, political, social, and economic arguments and knowledge frequently depend on the use of numerical data. A psychologist might hypothesize that I.Q. is attributable to environmental or genetic factors; a politician might claim that hand gun control legislation will reduce crime; a sociologist might assert that social mobility is more limited in the United States than in other countries, and an economist might declare that globalization lowers the incomes of U.S. workers. How can we evaluate these arguments? Using examples from psychology, sociology, political science, and economics, students will examine how social science methods and statistics help us understand the social world. The goal is to become critical consumers of quantitative material that appears in scholarship, the media, and everyday life.Note: This course fulfills the Quantitative Literacy (GQ) requirement for students under GenEd and a Quantitative Reasoning (QA or QB) requirement for students under Core.
Students cannot receive credit for this course if they have successfully completed POL SCI 0825, PSYCH 0825, or SOC 0825/0925.