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Data analytics for the Social Sciences using R

Date
October 16, 2020
Time
9:00 AM EDT - 12:30 PM EDT
Location
Online via Zoom

About the workshop:

The aim of this workshop is to introduce participants to programming using the R software. Alongside using the software, participants will apply what they have learned to case studies and exercises specific to migration research. Case studies and exercises are selected to build quantitative analytic skills that will be useful for all Social Science researchers. Participants will also learn about the various data types (i.e. cross-sectional, panel and time-series) and estimation methods appropriate for each data type. The workshop is intended for those interested in introducing quantitative research methods into their projects, and seeking hands on training in R software.

In this workshop you will learn:

  • How to use R to load and analyze social science data
  • How to clean and prepare data for analysis using R
  • How to create publication quality graphs and tables using R
  • What are the different types of data and how to apply the appropriate data analysis methods

How this workshop will be delivered:

This workshop will be delivered in a lecture format. Participants will also have the opportunity to work on exercises to apply what they have learned using R and Excel. Participants will need to bring a laptop to be able to work through the exercises in the workshop. They will also need to download and install R prior to attending the workshop (instructions will be provided after registration).

Workshop agenda:

9:00 AM – 11:00 AM    Introduction to R

  • Loading data onto an R workspace, storing data, viewing the data and getting to know the workspace
  • Cleaning text and numeric data using R’s base tools
  • Creating summary tables, cross-tabulations, scatter plots, histograms and bar graphs
  • Single variable regressions
  • Creating publication quality tables

11:00 AM – 11:15 AM    Break

11:15 AM – 12:30 AM    Exercise

  • Syntax basics and cheat sheet
  • Participants will work through a complete data exercise using R

About the workshop leader:

Stein Monteiro is Research Fellow with CERC Migration, Ryerson University.  Stein’s research focuses on issues of assimilation and integration among new immigrant groups. His research aims to identify causal relationships between the host or sending country's socio-structural characteristics and the potential migrant's decision to migrate and assimilate into the host country environment.

Stein completed his PhD program at York University in 2018. As a part of his dissertation, Stein explored themes related to family dynamics and the influence of the extended family context on a migrant's decision.  He also investigated the role of co-ethnic networks in affecting assimilation rates among new immigrant groups in Canada.

Stein also recently provided research support for a project at the International Growth Center (London School of Economics) to identify the impact of road building in rural areas of Ethiopia on village-level crop yields and income.

Workshop fee:

Regular price $100 (discounted fee for students $20) 

Due to these uncertain times, we are offering these workshops free of charge.