Course Assistants:

• Denny Lie, dlie@wesleyan.edu
• Nuanphan Maithongdee, nmaithongdee@wesleyan.edu
• Tammy Pau, tpau@wesleyan.edu

TA Sessions:

• Sundays, 9 - 10 PM (Room TBA)
• Mondays, 7 - 8 PM (Room TBA)

Goals and Description:

Upon successful completion of this course you should be a (more) sophisticated consumer and producer of statistical analyses. The material will prepare you to undertake applied statistical work in other courses. Along the way you should learn statistical theory, empirical research techniques, and computer skills.

Pre-requisites:

Economics: Econ 110. Mathematics: Math 118 or equivalent credit. If you have questions about the pre-requisites, please ask. Econ 300 is required for a major in Economics. Econ 300 must be completed before Econ 301 or Econ 302.

Readings:

The textbook is Wonnacott and Wonnacott, Introductory Statistics for Business and Economics, 4th edition (1990). Assignments will refer to chapters and questions in this text. Reading ahead is a good way to prepare for lecture. Additional materials may be handed out in class and/or made available on the course web page.

Exams:

Midterm #1 will be held in class on Thursday, February 21. Midterm #2 will be held in class on Thursday, April 4. The final exam is scheduled for Tuesday, May 14, 9 AM - 12 noon. Exams will be given at these times only. Please do not enroll for this course if you cannot attend the exams as scheduled.

Problem Sets:

Problem sets are designed to help you master the material, and to provide some feedback on your progress in the course. A problem set will be assigned almost every week. Problem sets will be available on the web after class each Tuesday, and must be submitted by the end of class the following Tuesday. Grading will be on a check-plus, check, check-minus scale. Seriously deficient or late problem sets will receive no credit.

Some problem sets will require you to download data and/or to use statistical software in the PAC lab, namely Excel and EViews. Basic instructions for these packages will be provided. Similar programs may be substituted to complete the assignments, but please discuss such a plan with me first.

Research Paper:

The research paper is intended for you to develop some ``hands-on'' experience with statistical techniques. A good paper will interest both you and me, utilize concepts learned in the course, and may lead to further work in other courses or an eventual thesis topic.

The research paper must be submitted by 4 PM on Friday, May 10. A proposal will be due in class by Thursday, April 18. Late papers will not be accepted. More details will be made available after the third week of class.

Review Sessions:

Review sessions and/or extra office hours will be scheduled prior to each exam. Attendance is recommended but optional. Stay tuned!

Honor Code:

All work submitted for a grade in this course must be your own original work. You are encouraged to discuss the problem sets with your fellow students, but in accordance with the Honor Code, submitting another person's work as your own would constitute plagiarism and will not be tolerated. The research paper cannot be submitted in another course without express prior permission from both myself and the instructor of the other course. If you have any questions about the application of the honor code, please contact me.

Missed Assignments:

Should a personal emergency necessitate missing a scheduled exam, contact me as soon as possible prior to the exam date to arrange for an alternative. Any such absence requires written certification from the Deans' Office. Unexcused absences will result in a failing grade for the course. Failure to submit the research paper by May 10 will also result in a failing grade for the course.

Contact:

Electronic mail is my preferred way of being contacted. Normally I will respond within a day, excluding illness and travel. As my e-mail is automatically sorted, placing in the subject the phrase "ECON 300" plus a description of your message will likely result in a faster reply than a blank or generic subject.

My office is room 322 PAC. I will be available for questions during office hours and by appointment. If the door is open you should feel free to drop in, but understand that sometimes we may need to schedule a later appointment. If the door is closed, I am either not in or not available to meet with students.

Feedback:

I welcome suggestions that you think would improve the quality of this course. Please feel free to contact me in person or via e-mail. Useful feedback will be beneficial to you as well as me!