This is a combined course; law students
and undergraduates will attend the same lectures but the work required
will differ. (Follow the appropriate link.) In lieu of a final examination,
all students will write a term paper (10 to 15 pages) analyzing some case
or policy issue where statistics plays (played or should have played) a
significant or decisive role. You will have a wide choice of topic
but you must consult with me and I must approve it. After choosing
your topic, there will be individual meetings with me on the progress of
the paper. Law students will be scheduled to give brief presentations
to the entire class during the last two weeks of the semester. (Two students
may choose the same topic provided they have opposing views; their presentations
can then be in the form of a debate.) Each student will prepare a
one-page summary of his or her paper; the law students giving presentations
must prepare the summary in advance of the presentation for distribution
to the entire class. All papers, in final form, will be due in the
first week of the exam period. (If there is time, undergraduates who wish
to may also give presentations to the class. If it is not feasible to give
to all who desire, I may make a selection based on the summaries submitted.)
There will be no class on Thursday,
March 28 and on the following Thursday, April 4. These fall during Passover
and I will not be available. Instead of making up these days with
lectures, I will schedule individual or group conferences (as you prefer)
on the topics you have chosen and on the progress of your papers.
The University recess is the week
of March 11. You should have an idea of your topic and have met with me
about it before the beginning of the recess.
