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 Academic Year: | 2017/8 |
| Owning Department/School: | Department of Social & Policy Sciences |
| Credits: | 6 [equivalent to 12 CATS credits] |
| Notional Study Hours: | 120 |
| Level: | Certificate (FHEQ level 4) |
| Period: |
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| Assessment Summary: | OT 70%, PR 30% |
| Assessment Detail: |
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| Supplementary Assessment: |
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| Requisites: | |
| Description:
| Aims: * To introduce students to the foundations of quantitative data analysis and research design with a focus on using descriptive statistics * To introduce students to the range of official statistics produced primarily in the UK, and the advantages and disadvantages of these as tools for social research. * To introduce students to skills in the analysis, interpretation and presentation of material from secondary sources. * To prepare students to make use of such material in other courses, placements and in the final year dissertation. Learning Outcomes: By the end of this unit, students will be able to: 1. critically apply principles of quantitative data analysis to a specified data set from the UK Neighbourhood Statistics 2. critically assess some of the main sources of official statistics in the UK 3. complete a report based on re-analysis of descriptive statistical data 4. identify a research aim 5. identify and use existing data sources appropriate to the aim of the research 6. present the research and its findings in the format of a group presentation 7. make an effective presentation of complex information using appropriate techniques (with the aide of Excel and Powerpoint) 8. work individually and in a team. Skills: * To develop research skills with particular reference to those skills relating to official statistics. * To think creatively and analytically. * To construct and communicate an argument. * To evaluate others' arguments and research. * To develop collaborative learning skills and team and groupworking skills * To synthesise information from a number of sources in order to gain a coherent understanding * To develop and apply ICT skills * To develop presentation skills and verbal communication skills * Time-management and work planning skills * Report writing skills. Content: * Basic Epistemological and Methodological premises of Social Enquiry * Social Production of statistics, including basic critical understanding of presentation of quantitative information * Basic principles of a Quantitative Research Design. * Spreadhseets, Excel, introduction to and production of basic graphs * Basic understanding of the logic of measurement and introduction to the 4 types of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval/ratio, dichotmous) * Introduction to frequencies, basic measures of central tendency (Mean, Median and Mode), and graphical presentation of distribution/dispersion (such as with bar graphs and histograms) * Main sources of UK social statistics: Census 2011 data and Neighbourhood Statistics * Analysing specific topics (e.g. population, unemployment, poverty, crime, age), Use of PowerPoint and Microsoft Excel. |
| Programme availability: |
SP10159 is a Designated Essential Unit on the following programmes:Department of Social & Policy Sciences
SP10159 is Compulsory on the following programmes:Department of Social & Policy Sciences
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Notes:
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