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Urban Demography and Statistics (PLAN90001)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Dual-Delivery (Parkville)
From 2023 most subjects will be taught on campus only with flexible options limited to a select number of postgraduate programs and individual subjects.
To learn more, visit COVID-19 course and subject delivery.
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
Semester 2
Overview
| Availability | Semester 2 - Dual-Delivery |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
This subject provides an introduction to quantitative data analysis for the social sciences, focusing on the data and techniques commonly used in analysis of cities. It develops understanding and skill in the use of the collection, interpretation, analysis, and representation of information.
The subject is presented in two parts. Part 1 introduces common demographic and economic data available from secondary sources, including Census data. Students learn the fundamentals of data analysis, including how to define units of analysis, develop appropriate quasi-experimental designs, and construct reliable and valid indicators. Students also learn techniques for analysing and interpreting population data, as well as population forecasting techniques.
Part 2 provides an introduction to basic statistical analysis of small-sample and large-sample data. Topics include descriptive statistics, confidence intervals and power, hypothesis testing, measures of association, and an introduction to regression techniques
Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate proficiency in the use of census data and indicators and arrange them in a coherent narrative to describe a place, it's relationship to the region in which it sits, and its change over time
- Create effective maps, tables, and figures that support this narrative
- Communicate this narrative using a common format, a poster session
- Critique indicators from planning reports and professional publications
- Project the population of a place in ten years' time
- Formulate hypotheses and perform statistical hypothesis tests to analyze these hypotheses, choosing the appropriate method from a set of available methods
- Describe the relevance to the normal curve to variation in nature and human behavior
- Identify the area under the normal curve and apply this to solving problems where there is uncertainty
- Describe the Central Limit Theorem and its contribution to statistics
- Compute point estimations of mean and central tendency
- Compute confidence intervals and estimate required sample sizes to achieve a specified confidence
- Estimate bivariate and multivariate regression models
- Control for spurious factors in regression and descriptive analysis.
Generic skills
This subject aims to develop the following general skills:
- A working knowledge of some of the secondary data available for planning and social science analysis
- Basic tools of demographic and economic analysis using secondary data
- A foundation in understanding statistical techniques, and their application to social science problems
- Ability to write about and present findings of these analyses
- Written, verbal and graphic communication of data and findings
- Identification of key social and spatial issues
Last updated: 24 January 2023
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
| Code | Name | Teaching period | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| ABPL90135 | Analytical Methods | Semester 1 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville) |
12.5 |
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 24 January 2023
Assessment
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Draft Team Narrative - Short writing assignment. Students can work in pairs, or groups of three or four. The assessments are scaled according to the size of the group.
| Week 3 | 10% |
Problem Set 1
| Week 7 | 15% |
Problem Set 2
| Week 9 | 15% |
Group work peer and self-assessments. Students can work in pairs, or groups of three or four. The assessments are scaled according to the size of the group.
| Week 10 | 10% |
Problem Set 3
| Week 11 | 20% |
Presentation of Community Profile. Students can work in pairs, or groups of three or four. The assessments are scaled according to the size of the group.
| Week 11 | 10% |
Community Profile - Report. Students can work in pairs, or groups of three or four. The assessments are scaled according to the size of the group. 2500 words total (the 2500 words for this assessment task incorporates work from the Team Narrative and Problems Sets 1, 2, 3. 1000-1250 words equivalent of original work is required for this assessment task (per student).
| Week 14 | 20% |
Last updated: 24 January 2023
Dates & times
- Semester 2
Principal coordinator Jennifer Day Mode of delivery Dual-Delivery (Parkville) Contact hours 1X2 hour lecture and 1X1 hour tutorial per week Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 25 July 2022 to 23 October 2022 Last self-enrol date 5 August 2022 Census date 31 August 2022 Last date to withdraw without fail 23 September 2022 Assessment period ends 18 November 2022 Semester 2 contact information
Last updated: 24 January 2023
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
Joseph Healey. Statistics: A Tool for Social Research (10th edition)
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 24 January 2023