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| HIST0002-1 | Historical statistics and computational methods applied to modern and contemporary history
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| Duration : | 45h Th |
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| Number of credits : |
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| Lecturer : | Eric Geerkens Provin |
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Language(s) of instruction :
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| French language |
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Organisation and examination :
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| All year long |
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Course contents :
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| There are four parts to the course.
1. A presentation of the principles of historical criticism of quantitative data.
2. A presentation of the basic concepts of descriptive univariate statistics: types of variables, central parameters, dispersion parameters, growth rates, index, graphic representation of data series.
3. An introduction to multivariate statistics: temporal series (regression and linear correlation); distribution (contingency tables, interdependence); introduction to hypothesis testing; introduction to data analysis (factorial analysis); introduction to regression models. The presentation of each concept will be coupled with illustrations and concrete operations using simplified data (using Excel/Calc or Statistica).
4. Students will be allocated a collection of readings giving an insight into the use of quantitative methods to respond to questions posed by historians based on recent historical work, and will be asked to present them orally. |
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Learning outcomes of the course :
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| By the end of the course, students will be able to :
* Use desktop applications to process data (using Excel or Calc as a database (filters, cross-referenced tables; use of these same tools to process descriptive statistics); using Statistica to conduct some analyses covered in class ;
* Using descriptive statistics to summarise data ;
* Understand the principles behind the most widely used statistical methods ;
* Identify the statistical methods enabling them to answer questions which historians may ask. |
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Prerequisites and co-requisites/ Recommended optional programme components :
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Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
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Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
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| See http://cipl82.philo.ulg.ac.be/horaires |
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Recommended or required readings :
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| Students are asked to read: LEMERCIER, Claire and ZALC Claire, Méthodes quantitatives pour l'historien, Paris, La Découverte (coll. Repères), 2008, 120 pp.; via MyULg, they will also receive copies of Powerpoint slides shown in class. |
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Assessment methods and criteria :
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| The exam is written ; it includes theory questions and two types of exercises (processing data ; choice of tools and approach to treating specific historical sources). |
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Work placement(s) :
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Organizational remarks :
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| Computers (equipped with Statistica) are at the disposal of the students in one of the classrooms in the CIPL. The personal laptops are also welcome. |
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Contacts :
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| Eric Geerkens, chargé de cours
Histoire économique et sociale
quai Roosevelt 1B (Bât. A4)
4000 Liège
Belgium
Tel. ULg : +32 4 3662773
Fax ULg : +32 4 3665838
Mail : E.Geerkens@ulg.ac.be |
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