STA 440: Case Studies

STA 440 is an intensive applied course that asks you to analyze timely real-world data across diverse domains in a principled, data-driven way. There may be more than one reasonable approach for any given situation, and you may be introduced to new material and techniques you haven't yet seen. Along the way, you'll work with a team of peers, develop critical thinking and communication skills, develop best-practices in version-control and reproducibility, and strive to become a creative and well-rounded practicing statistician.


Course info
Lecture T/Th 10:15 - 11:30 AM Old Chemistry 101
Lab F 1:45 - 3:00 PM Languages 211
Instructor Yue Jiang T 1 - 3 PM See Sakai for Zoom
Teaching Assistant Emily Tallman M 2 - 3 PM, F noon - 1 PM See Sakai for Zoom
Teaching Assistant Joseph Lawson W noon - 2 PM See Sakai for Zoom

Additional instructor office hours are available by appointment.

Topics covered

This semester's case studies include:

  • evaluating home-field advantage in Lega Serie A and COVID-related effects,
  • analyzing the 18th International Chopin Piano Competition, and
  • characterizing lifespans of lemurs housed at the Duke Lemur Center.

In addition, each student will conduct an individual case study project of their own interest and provide meaningful, detailed reviews and critiques of case projects from peers.

To develop your skills as a practicing statistician, throughout the course you will:

  • solidify skills in reproducible research and programming, including version-control and collaboration via GitHub,
  • critically think about reasonable analysis approaches in the context of recent real-world data,
  • express statistical models clearly and correctly,
  • develop scientific writing skills by providing clear, concise, data-driven conclusions suitable for allied researchers, and
  • effectively and concisely communicate results to allied researchers.