Philosophical Foundations of Statistics
Prerequisites
A course in probability theory.
To be eligible for this seminar, students may not have taken STATS 200: Introduction to Theoretical Statistics.
Course Description
Statisticians have traditionally been divided into two camps, frequentists and Bayesians, who disagree fundamentally on how data should be analyzed and interpreted. This course will introduce students to the mathematics and the philosophy behind the controversy, and students will engage with some of the heated debates. No prior statistics background is assumed, but students are assumed to be comfortable with probability and calculus.
Meet the Instructor: Dennis Sun
“I am a professor who is passionate about making statistics accessible. I enjoy finding new ways to teach statistics and data science that convey the power and excitement of data. In addition to being a professor, I currently direct the Program in Data Science, the new undergraduate major. I first fell in love with statistics when I learned about the philosophical debates as an undergraduate and hope that this subject will inspire some of you as well!”
Of related interest
DATASCI 200Q