Duration
45h Th
Number of credits
| Bachelor in history | 5 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
There are four parts to the course.
1. An introduction to the history of quantification and statitics and a presentation of some of the principles of historical criticism of quantitative data.
2. A presentation of the basic concepts of descriptive univariate statistics and of their usefulness for historical research: types of variables, central parameters, dispersion parameters, growth rates, index, graphic representation of data.
3. An introduction to bi(multi)variate statistics: temporal series (regression and linear correlation); distribution (contingency tables, interdependence); introduction to hypothesis testing; brief introduction to data analysis (factorial analysis). The presentation of each concept will be coupled with illustrations and concrete operations using simplified data (using Excel/Calc).
4. Students will be allocated a collection of readings giving an insight into the use of quantitative methods to respond to questions posed by historians based on recent historical work; they will be asked to present them orally.
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
By the end of the course, students will be able to :
- Use desktop applications to process data (using Excel or Calc as a database (filters, dynanmic cross-referenced tables); use of these same tools to process descriptive statistics) ;
- Using descriptive statistics to summarise data ;
- Identify the statistical methods enabling them to answer questions which historians may ask;
- Understand the principles behind the most widely used historical statistical methods.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
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Recommended or required readings
Students are asked to read: LEMERCIER, Claire and ZALC Claire, Méthodes quantitatives pour l'historien, Paris, La Découverte (coll. Repères), 2008, 120 pp.
Via MyULiège, they will also receive each week copies of Powerpoint slides shown in class. These slides are animated to support the attention and are also, on the same time, very complete ; bibliographical orientations are proposed in food-notes.
Exam(s) in session
January exam session
- In-person
written exam ( open-ended questions )
August-September exam session
- In-person
written exam ( open-ended questions )
Additional information:
The exam is written and is open book (course notes as well as computer files). It includes theory questions (which are actually comprehension questions) and exercises (mainly processing data).
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
The personal laptops are obviously welcome. A small number of computers are available for students who do not have a laptop.
Contacts
Eric Geerkens, professor
Histoire économique et sociale
quai Roosevelt, 1B (Bât. A4)
4000 Liège
Belgium
Tel. ULg : +32 4 3665359
Mail : e.geerkens@uliege.be
Association of one or more MOOCs
Items online
Online Notes
Notes are available on MyULg.