Quantitative methods for historians

bhist1315  2023-2024  Bruxelles Saint-Louis

Quantitative methods for historians
4.00 credits
30.0 h
Q2
Teacher(s)
Tousignant Nathalie;
Language
French
Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

This course aims to introduce the students to the use of statistics in historical analysis. It has two main aims: to overcome misperceptions on data analysis and to manage basic tasks on series (diachronic and synchronic).
 
Content
The course attempts to provide basic tools, with the use of Excel. It is mainly focused on descriptive statistics. What does a historian understand as a data? Where does a historian can collect data? Putting data in a table and in a graph. Analyzing a table and a graph (e.g. What does a historian learn from these representations? How does it help to document the trend, the context? What are the limits and pitfalls?). Connecting tools to the representation (table & graph): average, median, medial, moving averages, standard deviation, variance, covariance, regression… Analyzing trends: indicators, inflection points, …
Teaching methods
The course combines ex cathedra lectures and exercises, as it takes place in a computer room.
Evaluation methods
The final assessment is a written examination (3 hours) held in the same computer room. The students are asked to solve similar exercises to those presented during the semester. They answer on a questionnaire connected to their Excel file. A formula sheet is provided.
Other information
None
Bibliography
Frédéric SALY-GIOCANTI. Utiliser les statistiques en histoire. Paris, Armand Colin, 2005.
Faculty or entity
PHLB


Programmes / formations proposant cette unité d'enseignement (UE)

Title of the programme
Sigle
Credits
Prerequisites
Learning outcomes
Bachelor in History

Bachelor in History (French - English)