Can Numbers Lie? Using Statistics to Combat Misinformation - 07
UCPC 0003 - 07
Course Description
What’s the mean GPA required to get into your dream college? What is the median salary in your school district? Can we really prove that getting more sleep is beneficial to human health?
In our daily life, we are constantly bombarded with statistics. Unfortunately, popular media can often misinterpret or overstate statistical claims for the sake of an eye-catching headline. In this course, you will learn about basic statistical concepts and discuss the claims we can (and cannot!) make from them. The goal of this course is to provide an accessible and relevant introduction to this field, so that you feel more confident consuming everything from news headlines to educational statistics in a more data-literate way. As part of this, we will also dive into how statistics can be used to hide or manipulate reality, and how this can reproduce existing systems of inequality. Finally, we will discuss ways in which to address these issues using a more nuanced, equitable approach to statistics. Course material will be shared through a combination of activities and lectures.
In Person: This is an in-person course that follows the published schedule of course meetings and requires attendance at all sessions. Tufts courses are designed to provide high-quality and interactive courses to Tufts and visiting students. For more information about course policies and expectations, please visit https://universitycollege.tufts.edu/policies#University-Policies
This section is reserved for high school students who are rising 10th, 11th or 12th grade students. High School students will be prompted to submit an additional application after enrollment including: a high school transcript, letter of recommendation, parental permission, and other required consent forms.
Affiliated With:
University College