Data Visualization Graphics

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Prerequisites: Any introductory statistics course, MATH 1040 , ECON 2110 , GOV 2201, IPOL 3270 , MATH 2140 , OPAN 2101 , or AP Statistics score of 5. Description: Effective graphical displays of data allow the viewer to understand the structure of a complex dataset at a glance. Graphical displays have many purposes from an initial exploration of a dataset to presentation of final results. This course provides an introduction to using the statistical software package R to create appropriate and illuminating visual displays of data. Properties that make a visual display of data clear, accurate, and powerful will be discussed and tools to create effective visualizations will be taught. In addition, students will learn some of the most common abuses of data visualization and how to recognize (and correct) misleading displays of data. The course has a final project component where students will need to present and defend their results. Classroom material will be accompanied by hands-on experience using statistical software.