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Unit outline_

SSPS4102: Data Analytics in the Social Sciences

Semester 2, 2024 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit of study introduces social science students to statistical concepts and quantitative methods for different types of data. It equips students with practical programming skills for social science research. It introduces some key techniques for presenting, communicating, and analysing data, including data visualisation and pattern discovery.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Social and Political Sciences
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
144 credit points and (FASS3999 or FASS3333 or equivalent)
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

Successful completion of a Table A major from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Francesco Bailo, francesco.bailo@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Francesco Bailo, francesco.bailo@sydney.edu.au
The census date for this unit availability is 2 September 2024
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Data visualisation and communication exercise
Import and clean data, make relevant plots, describe results
40% Week 06
Due date: 06 Sep 2024 at 23:59
1500wd
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2
Assignment Short essay
Write an essay reviewing a quantitative study
20% Week 09
Due date: 27 Sep 2024 at 23:59
1000wd
Outcomes assessed: LO3 LO4
Assignment Data analysis exercise
Collect, clean, manipulate, describe, and analyse data, report results
40% Week 13
Due date: 01 Nov 2024 at 23:59
2000wd
Outcomes assessed: LO2 LO3 LO4 LO1

Assessment summary

Students will engage in three key assessments designed to enhance their skills in data handling and analysis. First, a data visualisation and communication exercise will task students with creating effective visual representations of data and communicating their insights clearly. Second, students will select an article from a provided list, read the article and any supplemental materials, and write a short essay addressing specific questions about the content and its implications. Lastly, students will identify one or more datasets of interest, formulate a research question, and conduct a thorough data analysis using R to answer their question, showcasing their ability to apply analytical techniques to real-world data.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Distinction

75 - 84

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Credit

65 - 74

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Pass

50 - 64

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Standard late penalties apply.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Overview and Introduction to R Seminar (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 02 Causality Seminar (3 hr) LO1 LO3 LO4
Week 03 Data Visualisation with R Seminar (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO4
Week 04 Measurement Seminar (3 hr) LO1 LO3
Week 05 Data Transformation and Communication with R Seminar (3 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 06 Prediction Seminar (3 hr) LO1 LO3
Week 07 Probability Seminar (3 hr) LO1 LO3
Week 08 Uncertainty Seminar (3 hr) LO1 LO3
Week 09 Machine Learning Seminar (3 hr) LO1 LO3 LO4
Week 10 Textual Data: Natural Language Features Seminar (3 hr) LO1 LO3 LO4
Week 11 Textual Data: Machine Learning Methods Seminar (3 hr) LO1 LO3 LO4
Week 12 Network and Spatial data Seminar (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 13 Ethical Considerations and Future Trends Seminar (3 hr) LO3 LO4

Attendance and class requirements

Students are expected to attend a minimum of 90 per cent of timetabled activities for a unit of study, unless granted exemption by the Associate Dean or relevant delegated authority. The Associate Dean or relevant delegated authority may determine that a student fails a unit of study because of inadequate attendance. 

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Readings can also be accessed on the eReserved List on Canvas.

Week

Topic

Required

Extra/Reference 

01

Overview and Introduction to R

DASS Ch1 or QSS Ch1

HOPR Ch1Ch2Ch3, Ch5Ch6, Ch7Ch8

02

Causality

DASS Ch2 or QSS Ch2

 

03

Data visualisation with R

R4DS Ch3

FA Ch1Ch2 & TA Ch2

04

Measurement

DASS Ch3 or QSS Ch3

 

05

Data transformation and communication with R

R4DS Ch5, Ch18 & Ch27

RMD Ch1Ch2Ch3

06

Prediction

DASS Ch4 or QSS Ch4

 

07

Probability

DASS Ch6 or QSS Ch6

 

08

Uncertainty

DASS Ch7 or QSS Ch7

 

09

Machine Learning

MLwR Ch1, Ch3 & Ch6

I2SL Ch4

10

Textual Data: Natural Language Features

SML4TA Part1 (Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Ch4 & Ch5)

 

11

Textual Data: Machine Learning Methods

SML4TA Part 2 (Overview, Ch6 & Ch7)

 

12

Network and Spatial data

I2RDS Ch7 & SS4DS Ch2 & Ch3

 

13

Ethical Considerations and Future Trends

Blanchard & Taddeo (2023) & Fuller (2023) & Timans et al. (2019)

boyd & Crawford (2012) & Floridi (2012)

 

Textbooks

NOTE: You do not need to purchase both textbooks (you should get the one you prefer). DASS is a more friendly and accessible version of QSS. Both textbooks will introduce you to statistical concepts using R.

  • Llaudet, E., & Imai, K. (2022). Data analysis for social science: A friendly and practical introduction. Princeton University Press. https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691199429/data-analysis-for-social-science (DASS)
    • Publicly and fully available online: NO
    • Online access through the library: NO
    • Copy available through library: YES (but only one copy!) link
  • Imai, K. (2017). Quantitative social science: An introduction. Princeton University Press. https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691175461/quantitative-social-science (QSS)
    • Publicly and fully available online: NO
    • Library access: NO
    • Copy available through library: YES (but only one copy and the tidyverse version!) link

Other texts

  • Blanchard, A., & Taddeo, M. (2023). The ethics of artificial intelligence for intelligence analysis: A review of the key challenges with recommendations. Digital Society, 2(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44206-023-00036-4
    • Publicly and fully available online: YES link
  • boyd, d. & Crawford, K. (2012). Critical questions for big data. Information, Communication & Society, 15(5), 662–679. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2012.678878
    • Publicly and fully available online: NO
    • Online access through library: YES link
  • Cairo, A. (2012). The Functional Art: An introduction to information graphics and visualization. New Riders. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/the-functional-art/9780133041187/ (FA)
    • Publicly and fully available online: NO
    • Library access: YES link
      • Online access: YES link
      • Hard Copy: YES link
  • Cairo, A. (2016). The Truthful Art: Data, Charts, and Maps for Communication. Pearson Education. https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/the-truthful-art/9780133440492 (TA)
    • Publicly and fully available online: NO
    • Library access: YES link
      • Online access: YES link
      • Hard Copy: NO
  • Floridi, L. (2012). Big data and their epistemological challenge. Philosophy & Technology, 25(4), 435–437. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-012-0093-4
    • Publicly and fully available online: YES link
  • Fuller, S. (2023, dicembre 18). Is data surfacing the future of empirical social research? Impact of Social Sciences. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2023/12/18/is-data-surfacing-the-future-of-empirical-social-research/
    • Publicly and fully available online: YES link
  • Grolemund, G. (2014). Hands-on programming with R. O’Reilly. https://rstudio-education.github.io/hopr/ (HOPR)
    • Publicly and fully available online: YES link
  • Holster, J. D. (2022). Introduction to R for data science: A LISA 2020 guidebook. https://bookdown.org/jdholster1/idsr/
    • Publicly and fully available online: YES link
  • Hvitfeldt, E., & Silge, J. (2021). Supervised machine learning for text analysis in R. Chapman and Hall/CRC. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003093459 (SML4TA)
    • Publicly and fully available online: YES link
  • James, G., Witten, D., Hastie, T., & Tibshirani, R. (2021). An introduction to statistical learning: With applications in R. Springer. https://www.statlearning.com/ (I2SL)
    • Publicly and fully available online: YES link
  • Lantz, B. (2023). Machine learning with R: Learn techniques for building and improving machine learning models, from data preparation to model tuning, evaluation, and working with big data. Packt Publishing. https://www.packtpub.com/en-us/product/machine-learning-with-r-9781801071321 (MLwR)
    • Publicly and fully available online: NO
    • Library access: YES link
      • Online access: YES link
      • Hard Copy: NO
  • Moraga, P. (2023). Spatial statistics for data science: Theory and practice with R. Chapman and Hall/CRC. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781032641522 (SS4DS)
    • Publicly and fully available online: YES link
  • Timans, R., Wouters, P., & Heilbron, J. (2019). Mixed methods research: What it is and what it could be. Theory and Society, 48(2), 193–216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11186-019-09345-5
    • Publicly and fully available online: YES link
  • Xie, Y., Allaire, J. J., & Grolemund, G. (2019). R Markdown: The definitive guide. CRC Press. https://bookdown.org/yihui/rmarkdown/ (RMD)
    • Publicly and fully available online: YES link
  • Wickham, H., & Grolemund, G. (2017). R for data science. O’Reilly. https://r4ds.had.co.nz/ (R4DS)
    • Publicly and fully available online: YES link

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Find, clean, and analyse data from diverse sources.
  • LO2. Produce meaningful data visualisations.
  • LO3. Demonstrate understanding of how data analysis enables social scientists to address social science problems.
  • LO4. Demonstrate understanding of how new data sources have expanded the power of social sciences.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Feedback from 2021, 2022 and 2023 has assisted in shaping the teaching and required tasks in this unit, particularly to accommodate students who do not have previous quantitative analysis skills.

Use of Generative AI and other marvels

The use of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools such as GPT-3, LaMDA, LLaMA, BLOOM, GPT-4 and Gemini is permitted, but their output must not be included in your submission. You can use GAI to get help to

  • use software,
  • summarise, structure or restructure texts,
  • identify relevant ideas, works, authors, data and methods, 
  • brainstorm ideas.    

The use of writing assistance tools such as grammar checkers, translation and paraphrasing tools, and reference generators is permitted, and their output can be included in the text you submit.

If you use any of these tools in preparing your assignment, you must acknowledge it in your submission, indicating what tools you have used and how you have used them.  

Independent of the software tools you use, you are solely responsible for what you submit, and you must comply with the university's policies. 

Please refer to this page https://www.sydney.edu.au/students/academic-integrity/new-policy.html for details on the Academic integrity policy. 

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.