The best aspects of this course included the clear and straightforward lectures that provided students with an adequate amount of information. The professor cared about the students and provided lots of extra help through section meetings and extra credit work. The worst aspect of this course was the excessive and time-consuming weekly assignments which were hard for students to keep up with. The course would improve if the workload was reduced and if there was a more effective textbook for the class. Prospective students should know that this course has a heavy workload.

Students found that the best aspect of this course was the professor, who was both very engaging and understood that the material was difficult for many students. Students found the assignments and textbook to be very straightforward, and that the course was an excellent introduction to how statistics are used by sociologists. However, many students found that the sections of this course were unhelpful, as they could not get their questions answered and some of the topics were glossed over without being addressed or explained. Suggestions for improvement included slowing the lecture down and explaining concepts in detail to make the materials more accessible to students. Prospective students should be prepared for a challenging but useful course that has a somewhat heavy workload. Students are advised that although the topics can be difficult, the information is very relevant to the social sciences.

Students praised this course for having an engaging instructor who covered interesting concepts during lectures which aligned well with assigned readings. Perceived issues with the course included a belief that lectures could at times be unproductive if not confusing. Suggestions for improvement included a desire that the course be streamlined so that extraneous work such as STATA be removed so that students could focus on other topics. Prospective students should know that students found the course didn’t presume students had a background in statistics. Also, during the class, students learned how to connect statistics to real social problems.