``If it be then your Pleasure, ye Lovers of Study, come always; be not restrained through any Fear, nor retarded by too much Modesty, what you may do by your Right, you shall make me do willingly, nay gladly and joyfully. Ask your Questions, make your Enquiries, bid and command; you shall neither find me averse nor refractory to your Commands, but officious and obedient. If you meet with any Obstacles or Difficulties, or are retarded with any Doubts while you are walking in the cumbersome Road of this Study of Mathematics, I beg you to impart them, and I shall endeavour to remove every Hindrance out of your Way to the best of my Knowledge and Ability.'' - Isaac Barrow, March 14, 1664
David Bressoud and Raymond Robertson are team-teaching this course on how to interpret and critique arguments that are based on quantitative information. The course will be case-based, learning by analyzing actual policy debates. Areas of emphasis include immigration and health-care.
This course is particularly appropriate for those who may have been intimidated by quantitative arguments and want to lose their fear. It can be used to satisfy one course of the distribution requirement in either the social sciences (enroll as Econ 108) or the natural sciences and mathematics (enroll as Math 108).
All assignments for this course and reminders of what is coming due will be available on a Moodle site that will be set up before classes begin in January.
will be announced
We encourage you to work with your classmates on homework assignments and projects. You may not discuss or share information about the examinations until all students have turned them in. Please be careful about what you leave where others could see it. Evidence of using someone else's work as your own will be processed according to the procedures outlined in the Student Handbook.
The texts will be Damned Lies and Statistics and More Damned Lies and Statistics by Joel Best.