Detailed Schedule -- MONT 105N, Analyzing Environmental Data

Spring 2013, Prof. Little

The following day-by-day listing shows the planned topic for each day's class and the due dates of the larger individual assignments. There will also be several smaller writing assignments (as described in the course syllabus) and group writeups from the group project days. The due dates for those will be announced when the assignments are made. This is a tentative, evolving schedule. Topics may be added, deleted, or rearranged during the course of the semester. Any changes will be announced in class and here. Note: Reading assignments labeled

Date Class Topic Reading
1/23 Course Introduction start reading LH, Chapter 10
1/25 Compartment models LH, Chapter 10
1/28 More compartment models LH, Chapter 10
1/30 The longterm global carbon cycle LH, Chapter 10
2/1 Group Project 1 -- Modeling the carbon cycle; Problem Set 1 due LH, Chapter 10
2/4 Group Project 1, continued LH, Chapter 10
2/6 Group Project 1, concluded
2/8 Measures of central tendency LH, Chapter 11
2/11 Quantiles, boxplots LH, Chapter 11
2/13 The shape of a data set LH, Chapter 11
2/15 Effects of electronic social media? -- Problem Set 2 due Turkle, Alone Together, Chapter 8 (download from homepage)
2/18 Humans and ``multitasking'' Ophir, Nass, Wagner paper (download from homepage)
2/20 Variance and standard deviation of a data set LH, Chapter 12
2/22 Follow-up discussion on WAM visit
2/25 z-scores LH, Chapter 12
2/27 Chebyshev's Rule, outliers in data sets LH, Chapter 12
3/1 The normal curve -- 5 page paper due LH, Chapter 12
3/4,6,8 Spring Break -- no class Get a head start on reading M
3/11 Why scientists believe climate change is real M, Prologue and Chapters 1 - 5
3/13 Climate change denial M, Chapters 6 - 10
3/15 The ``Climategate scandal'' -- Final Project ``Proposals'' due M, Chapters 11 - 15
3/18 Group Project 2 -- Sampling LH, Chapter 12
3/20 The Standard Normal LH, Chapter 13
3/22 Confidence intervals -- Problem set 3 due LH, Chapter 13
3/25 Non-normal Data and Transformations LH, Chapter 13
3/27 Spare day LH, Chapter 13
3/29,4/1 Easter Break -- no class Class notes
4/3 Group Project 3 -- Taxing Toxics LH, Chapter 13
4/5 Group Project 3, continued -- Problem Set 4 due LH, Chapter 13
4/8 Basics of Statistical Inference Gotelli-Ellison, Primer, Chapter 4 (download from homepage)
4/10 Language and rationale of hypothesis tests Lecture notes (download from homepage)
4/12 Midterm Exam LH, Chapters 9,11,12,13; M
4/15 Large sample tests on means, proportions Lecture notes
4/17 p-values Lecture notes
4/19 Small Sample Tests on Means -- Annotated Bibliographies due Lecture notes
4/22 Ophir, Nass, Wagner again Ophir, Nass, Wagner article (download from homepage)
4/24 Spare day Lecture notes
4/26 CEF's and Montserrat questionnaires -- Problem Set 5 due
4/29 Final Project Presentations
5/1 Final Project Presentations
5/3 Final Project Presentations
5/6 Semester Wrap-up -- Final Project Papers due
There will be no final exam this semester.

Last modified: February 18, 2013