course info for senior math seminar (statistical and quantitative reasoning)

instructor: me

goals: in the media, business, politics, science and elsewhere, arguments appealing to numbers and logic aboud. unfortunately, many of them are, intentionally or unintentionally, fallacious and/or misleading. as a math major, you should be able to intelligently analyze and critique such arguments, and the goal of this course is for you to learn how to do this. some more specific goals are distinguishing truth from perception, logical analysis, recognizing common fallacies, understanding the meaning and limitations of statistics, and seeing through rhetorical tricks.

these goals seem to be best attained through practice and discussion, so the in-class time will primarily consist of discussion and group activities.

texts: because of the goals of the course, much of the out-of-class work will be readings of examples of quantitative and statistical arguments, and their analysis. while i will use many sources, there are two required books (not textbooks in a traditional sense) that will form the basis of much of our course readings:

  1. The signal and the noise, by Nate Silver
  2. How not to be wrong, by Jordan Ellenberg

class participation: while there will be some lecturing, the bulk of the in-class time will be used for group work and discussions based on the readings and assignments. (see goals above.) as such, it is crucial you keep up with the readings/assignments and participate in class. participation will also be a direct component of your final grade.

quizzes and reading worksheets: to help make sure you stay on track with the out-of-class readings, improve your critical reading abilities, and track your understanding of the material, there will be regular in-class quizzes and reading worksheets (typically announced, or in the case of reading worksheets, posted at least 1 class period in advance). the reading worksheets will consist of a series of questions related to the reading and written answers should be turned in on the due date of the associated reading. both quizzes and worksheets will be graded primarily on perceived effort, though your apparent understanding of and insights into the topics will also play some role in the grades.

other homework: there may periodically be other written homework besides the reading worksheets, generally posted a week in advance on the course website, and due by the start of the class period on the due date.

late homework policy: you may turn in up two 2 assignments (reading worksheets and/or other homework) late (at the start of the next class period) without penalty. in exceptional circumstances, i may grant additional extensions--if you need one talk to me.

project: there will be a final project, consisting of a presentation at the end of the semester as well as a written report. the write-up is due at the time of our scheduled final exam (mon dec 12). this time will be used for some of the presentations and you are required to attend. more information on the project will be explained in class and posted on the course website.

grades:

1/3 in-class participation (mostly graded on attendance, but if i think you're not participating enough, i'll let you know)
1/3 quizzes, worksheets & homework
1/3 project

to be more precise, i will assign a letter grade to each of the above 3 categories, and your final letter grade will come from averaging these 3 letter grades, with borderline cases being decided on an individual basis. in exceptional cases, i may adjust a final letter grade to be higher than what the above procedure dictates.

if you have questions about your performance or grade during the semester, please feel free to see me.

final remark: if you have a question about course policies or expectations, just ask.

oh, also there's some stuff my bosses make me say

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