D0104 - LABORATORIO DI VISUALIZZAZIONE DATI

Learning outcomes

The laboratories in this group provide students with digital and methodological skills. Through participation in one of the laboratories within this area, students acquire the theoretical and practical tools needed to conduct research in the fields of political, social, and historical sciences. In particular, students will develop the knowledge and skills required to carry out research and analyses of political and social phenomena characteristic of the contemporary era. Upon completion of the laboratory, students will therefore possess the tools necessary both to select the most appropriate content and data to address research questions and to interpret the results obtained.

Course contents

The course provides students with an introduction to the use of Excel, the most widely used and accessible data analysis software, as well as other tools for the graphical presentation of results (such as Datawrapper), applied to typical problems in the social sciences.

Learning the procedures required to carry out data analyses cannot be separated from a parallel acquisition of the basic methodological knowledge needed, on the one hand, to select the appropriate tools for addressing a research question and, on the other, to interpret the results obtained. Accordingly, part of the course will be devoted to developing these logical foundations of data analysis. Without them, even the most sophisticated statistical and computational tools risk producing unsatisfactory or entirely misleading answers.

The course is primarily intended for beginners and does not require any prior knowledge. Students who are already familiar with the use of spreadsheets may find other laboratory courses more beneficial.

Readings/Bibliography

Piergiorgio Corbetta La ricerca sociale: metodologia e tecniche. Vol. 2 Le tecniche quantitative. Bologna, Il Mulino, 2015, capp. 1-2.

Piergiorgio Corbetta La ricerca sociale: metodologia e tecniche. Vol. 4 L’analisi dei dati. Bologna, Il Mulino, 2015, capp. 2-3.

Both volumes are available through Pandora Campus (www.pandoracampus.it), where individual chapters can also be purchased separately at a reduced price.

Detailed information will be provided at the beginning of the course.

Teaching methods

The course consists of lectures and hands-on practice sessions on the use of software for data analysis and data visualization.

Assessment methods

To obtain a pass grade, students must attend at least 70% of the classes and successfully complete the final assessment test. Student attendance will be recorded at each class session.

The assessment test, which will take place during the last class, is mandatory for all students. Its purpose is to verify that students have acquired the basic methodological knowledge provided by the course and have developed the ability to perform simple statistical analyses (bivariate analysis) using survey data, as well as to present the results of these analyses through charts and tables using Microsoft Excel. The assessment will therefore consist of a data analysis exercise requiring the production of tables and charts accompanied by a written commentary on the results.

Office hours

See the website of Filippo Tronconi