Quantitative Methods 1

Michaelmas term 2011

Kevin O'Rourke, All Souls College

Eric Schneider, Nuffield College

OBJECTIVES

This course has three principal objectives. The first is to provide an introduction to elementary quantitative methods, covering some of the techniques most widely used in research in the historical and social sciences. The course will be taught at an elementary level, and will keep statistical theory and mathematics to a minimum. The second objective is to introduce statistical software and to show how the relevant statistical calculations can be performed with this software. The final objective is to jointly construct a new dataset of historical interest and analyze this dataset using the techniques learned in the course.

COURSE ARRANGEMENTS

Sessions will run for ten weeks in Michaelmas Term, beginning in Week 0 and continuing to Week 9. There will be a one-hour lecture on Mondays in Nuffield College, and a two-hour computer practical in the History Faculty Computing Room on Wednesdays. In the lecture, we will introduce the basic statistical theory and application of a topic. In the computer practical, students will learn how to use the statistical software and will complete practice exercises on the computers. Feinstein and Thomas (2002) will be used as the course textbook. A more detailed syllabus will be distributed in the first session.

• Lecture, Mondays 11.00 – 12.00, Large Lecture Room in Nuffield College, Weeks 1 to 9
• Practical, Wednesdays 10.30 – 12.30, Computing Room in the History Faculty Building (Old High School for Boys) in George Street, Weeks 0 to 9

The following topics will be covered: descriptive statistics, correlation, simple linear regression, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, non-parametric tests, extension of the regression model, multiple regression and correlation, non-linear relationships.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The primary text will be

• Feinstein, C. H. and M. Thomas (2002). Making History Count: A Primer in Quantitative Methods for Historians. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Other useful texts include

• Blalock, H. M. (1979). Social Statistics. New York: McGraw-Hill – a particularly clear introduction written primarily for sociology students.
• Huff, D. (1991). How to Lie with Statistics. London: Penguin Books – readable and entertaining classic on common misuses and misinterpretations of statistics.
• Wonnacott, T. H. and R. J. Wonnacott (1990). Introductory Statistics. New York; Chichester: Wiley – contains more theory than is needed for the course, but it is written at a very accessible level, with numerous helpful explanations and diagrams.

Computing Facilities

Students may use the Computing Room in the Faculty of History (Old High School for Boys) in George Street, 8 am till 8 pm seven days a week, unless the room is being used for a class. There are 19 computers connected to an A4 printer.  An A3+ sized scanner is also available. Access to the building and the room is by swipe card. In order to gain access to the room, you must first register with the Faculty’s IT Office (tel. (6)15031 or email HUitsupport@history.ox.ac.ukUH).