Final Project

  1. You should find some data on a social science subject of your choice. This must be legitimate data, and can be from a government, academic, or other reputable source.
  2. You should produce a Quarto document in which you clean, visualize, and analyze the data. This document should be publishable, and should include:
    • An introduction to the subject
    • A data section, in which you describe the data and your cleaning process
    • A visualization section, in which you present your visualizations
    • A conclusion, in which you summarize your findings
  3. You should add comments every major block of code, explaining what you’re doing.
  4. You should produce at least 4 unique visualizations of your data, which illustrate an interesting finding or point.
  5. Each visualization should be accompanied by a paragraph explaining what it shows, and what you think it means.
  6. You should export your notebook as an HTML file, and email it to me by noon on Monday, December 18th.
  7. The HTML file should be clean of any code, and be only your final report. To reiterate: The quarto document should include your full code and comments, but the HTML file should be a clean report.
  8. You must also present your findings to the class as a short presentation. This must include:
    • Your visualizations and the subject they describe.
    • What you found in the data, and what you think it means.
    • Some implications of your findings.
  9. This report must tell a coherent story about some data. It should be interesting and informative, and should be suitable for publication in a magazine or academic journal.

12.10 Grading

20% Data - Did you find interesting and useful data? - Did you clean the data well?

20% Code - Can the code be run from beginning to end without modification? - Did you comment every major step of your process?

30% Content

  • Is your presentation interesting and informative?
  • Are your visualizations clear and easy to understand?
  • Do you explain your findings clearly?

20% Report

  • Is your report well-organized and easy to follow?
  • Is the report clean and publishable?

10% Presentation - Does your work tell an interesting story to the class?