Course overview
The course aims to provide students with a perspective on the role of social sciences within contemporary society, especially in Australia, and teach a number of basic skills which are expected of professional social scientists in the contemporary world. These skills are an important acquisition for students, whether they seek to gain employment in the public and private sectors or to proceed to higher level research within their chosen social discipline. Students of this course should emerge from it with a sound background in the main sources of social science information and data available in Australia, and the major methods of analysing information from these sources. Computer workshops provide skills in analysis. No prior background or knowledge in computing, mathematics or statistics is assumed. The aim is to teach students a range of techniques of analysis and how to interpret the results.
Course learning outcomes
- Understand basic methods and techniques of data collection and analysis in the social sciences and the ways in which they can be used in research.
- Develop skills in analysing and interpreting social, demographic and economic data, such as the Australian Census of Population and Housing & Migration data, to competently present data by means of tables and graphs.
- Perform descriptive statistics, statistical testing, and regression analysis of survey data using SPSS software.
- Develop skills in selecting the appropriate techniques for various types of data, presenting and interpreting results of data analysis with high quality written skills.
- Develop an awareness of the social applications of geographical information systems (GIS) in mapping and interpreting spatial variations in social, demographic and economic data.