Meet some of the types of students you will find in this class.
This course is open to any graduate (or advanced undergraduate) at UChicago. I anticipate drawing students from a wide range of departments such as Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, Comparative Human Development, and MAPSS. Typically these students are looking to learn basic computational and analytical skills they can apply to master’s theses or dissertation research.
If you have never programmed before or don’t even know what the shell is, prepare for a shock. This class will prove to be immensely beneficial if you stick with it, but that will require you to commit for the full 9 weeks. I do not presume any prior programming experience, so everyone starts from the same knowledge level. I guarantee that the first few weeks and assignments will be rough - but the good news is that they will be rough for everyone! Your classmates are struggling with you and you can lean on one another to get through the worst part of the learning curve.
A highly selective sampling of feedback from past course evaluations:
I think this class is really well-organized. The homework is craftily designed as a way to solidify the materials learned in class. Dr. Soltoff is wonderful and helpful! He came to class fully prepared and made the lectures enjoyable and productive. I suggest that all Ph.D. students in Political Science (at least in my field), who likes to conduct quantitative research, should choose this class in the first year, because this class can well set students up with a good understanding of programming techniques.
Very useful material that I hated learning until 2/3 through the quarter.
This class can set you up really nicely with conversant knowledge in R programming and a large amount of coding materials that are helpful for future research. And it also provides students with a first-hand experience of using some of the cutting edge methods and makes students have a taste of them.
I’m so so so glad I ended up taking this course. I had a lot of doubts about my own (lack of) skills and my inability to to handle so many things in one quarter. I had a lot of apprehensions about this course but they all quickly disappeared. It’s quite honestly been one of the most valuable courses I’ve taken at this University and I attribute all of that to your excellence as a lecturer. You and the TAs have always been extremely accessible to everyone and I can’t appreciate that enough. In other classes, I would’ve been more hesitant to ask “dumb questions” but you all have made me comfortable doing so, and I have benefited immensely from it.
I feel like every time I have a question or want to participate, I am always acknowledged. I also built a strong relationship with my classmates which is crucial for some of the difficult assignments.
You will need to bring a computer to class each day. Class sessions are a mix of lecture, demonstration, and live coding. It is essential to have a computer so you can follow along and complete the exercises.
R for Data Science – Garrett Grolemund and Hadley Wickham
Completing the exercises in the book? No official solution manual exists, but several can be found online. I recommend this version by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Your exact solutions may vary, but these can be a good starting point.
ggplot2
graphics library.tidymodels
Labs - all the R demonstrations in ISL are written using base R. This site demonstrates how to implement all the labs using tidymodels
.By the end of the first week (or even better, before the course starts), you should make sure you can access the following software:
Comprehensive instructions for downloading and setting up this software can be found here.
Each week students will complete a series of programming assignments linked to lecture materials. These assignments will generally be due the following week prior to Monday’s class. While students are encouraged to assist one another in debugging programs and solving problems in these assignments, it is imperative students also learn how to do this for themselves. That is, students need to understand, write, and submit their own work.
Each homework will be evaluated by either myself or the TA, as well as by two peer reviewers. Each of you is required to provide two peer reviews for each assignment; failure to complete these reviews will result in a deduction of your final grade.
All students on campus are required to adhere to the guidelines in the UChicago Health Pact in order to promote a safe environment in the classroom.
The complete text of the UChicago Health Pact along with additional information about COVID-19 protocols can be found here.
Any concerns over inappropriate PPE usage, physical distancing, cleaning/disinfection, or other COVID-19 related public health concerns should be directed to UCAIR.
If there is an emergency, call 773-702-8181 or dial 123 on any campus phone.
If you were potentially exposed to COVID-19 or your COVID-19 test results come back positive, reach out immediately to C19HealthReport@uchicago.edu.
The Recording and Deletion Policies for the current academic year can be found in the Student Manual under Petitions, Audio & Video Recording on Campus.
Students who have been exposed to or who are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 should contact UChicago Student Wellness immediately to be tested, and reach out to their area Dean of Students to request accommodations for classes until:
The University of Chicago is committed to diversity and rigorous inquiry from multiple perspectives. The MAPSS, CIR, and Computation programs share this commitment and seek to foster productive learning environments based upon inclusion, open communication, and mutual respect for a diverse range of identities, experiences, and positions.
The University of Chicago is committed to ensuring equitable access to our academic programs and services. Students with disabilities who have been approved for the use of academic accommodations by Student Disability Services (SDS) and need a reasonable accommodation(s) to participate fully in this course should follow the procedures established by SDS for using accommodations. Timely notifications are required in order to ensure that your accommodations can be implemented. Please meet with me to discuss your access needs in this class after you have completed the SDS procedures for requesting accommodations.