MATH 311 (Theory of) Statistics
Spring 2016
- Instructor: Albert Y. Kim
- Email: aykim@middlebury.edu
- Office: Warner 310
- Times: MWF 9:05-9:55 - Warner 202
- Office Hours: Held in the math lounge on the third floor of Warner. Feel free to come to the MATH 216 office hours.
- M 3:00-4:30 (MATH 216)
- Tu 2:00-3:30 (MATH 216)
- W 2:30-4:00
- F 1:00-2:30
- or by appointment
Course Description
MATH 311 (Theory of) Statistics is the second course of a two-semester sequence in probability and mathematical statistics. Given that MATH 310 Probability is a pre-requisite for this class, students will be exposed to a higher level of theoretical rigor than in a lower level statistics class. Furthermore, a working knowledge of the R statistical software language will be assumed, opening up a realm of resampling-based methods that are less accessible to those without experience with computing. Topics for this course include:
- Resampling-based methods such as permutation tests and the Bootstrap.
- Concepts rooted in probability theory that are critical to statistics, such as sampling distributions, standard errors, and the Central Limit Theorem.
- Traditional statistical theory and methods such as confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and point estimation (properties of, maximum likelihood, method of moments).
- An overview of regression and Bayesian statistics.
Course Schedule
- You are responsible for the readings.
- All materials will be posted on the course Moodle page.
- Topic list is subject to change, in particular the later lectures.
Materials
- Textbook: Mathematical Statistics with Resampling and R by Chihara and Hesterberg. Textbook materials can be found here.
- Software: The R statistical software package via the RStudio integrated development environment. You can either
- Install both R and RStudio on your own machines. Note you will also need an installation of LaTeX.
- Use RStudio Server via your web browser at
https://rstudio.middlebury.eduorgo/rstudio. If you are off-campus you must first log into the Middlebury VPN.
Evaluation
| Item | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Midterms | 60% | In-class: Wednesday 3/9 |
| Evening: Wednesday 4/6 | ||
| Evening: Wednesday 4/27 | ||
| Final Project/Exam | 25% | Exact structure TBD |
| Homeworks | 10% | HW assigned/due on Mondays |
| Participation & Engagement | 5% |
Homeworks
Each homework counts for only a nominal portion of the final grade. As such:
- They should be viewed as opportunities to
- receive feedback on the progress of one’s learning, rather than as evaluations that require an explicit numerical grade.
- practice for all midterms and in particular the final.
- Collaboration on the homeworks, both on the written and computational components, is highly encouraged. See policy on homework collaboration below.
- Homeworks will be submitted in R Markdown Format.
- Not all questions will be graded, but rather a subset of them. However, all questions will have their solutions provided and are part of the material to be covered for exams.
Policies
- Homeworks:
- Due at the beginning of class. Late homeworks/extensions will not be accepted/granted.
- Homeworks that are unstapled and have the kadoobies still attached will not be accepted.
- Please do not email submissions if you can’t make it to class; ask a classmate to submit it for you.
- All collaborations must be explicity acknowledged at the beginning of your submissions.
- Exams:
- There will be no make-up/rescheduled exams, except in the following cases:
- serious illness or death in the family only if documentation is provided.
- athletic commitments or religious obligations only if documentation is provided and prior notice is given. In such cases, rescheduled exams must be taken before the rest of the class.
- All exams might require a scientific calculator. Smartphone calculators will not be accepted.
- There will be no make-up/rescheduled exams, except in the following cases:
- Email:
- I much prefer answering questions in person during office hours than by email, as I’ll have a much easier time diagnosing the question and can offer better answers. Furthermore, this facilitates the transfer of tacit knowledge.
- Absences:
- There is no need to inform me of absences. Please consult Moodle and your peers for what you missed.
Honor Code
- See policy on homework collaboration above.
- All exams will be closed book and closed notes with no consulting, unless otherwise specified.
- The Honor Code Statement must be written and signed on each exam.
- I expect you to take the Honor System and intellectual honesty very seriously.
Remarks
- Academic accommodations for disabilities: Students with documented disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact me as early in the semester as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion. Assistance is available to eligible students through Student Accessibility Services. Please contact Jodi Litchfield, the ADA coordinator, at litchfie@middlebury.edu or 802.443.5936 for more information. All discussions will remain confidential.