For this assignment you will analyze several data sets on a computer. Pages 141-47 of the handout introduce you to the basics of the assignment and guide you through a set of examples. This part should be completed by Wednesday, Feb. 3, with groups of two students working together. Pages 149-56 contain the core parts of the assignment. Those parts have to be done individually.

1. The program you will work with is installed on a single computer: the ACER desktop computer in the Instructional Materials Center on the second floor in the LSC library. The room is normally locked. You should sign out the key at the Reference Desk in the library on the third floor. (The key can be checked out between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. during weekdays and between 12 noon and 5 p.m. on weekends. For other hours, check with the library.)
2. The ACER computer is located on the right side of the room close to the window. Make sure that both the monitor and the computer itself are turned on.
3. Look at the desktop for an icon that says "SOC302." Double-click the icon and the MicroCase application will start. (Alternatively, click on the Start button on the lower left corner, put the arrow over "Programs," from there over "Microcase," and double-click the icon named "SOC302.")
4. From here on, click on the button that corresponds to the highlighted words in the exercise. For example, OPEN FILE: STATES means that you have to click on the button "Open File" and choose the file "STATES.MC3" and click on "Open." Now you have opened it, so various other buttons can be clicked. MAPPING: 64) % NO RELIG (see p. 142 top) means that you click on the "Mapping" button and choose variable no. 64 (% NO RELIG) by highlighting it and clicking on the button for Variable 1.
5. The map displayed should be identical to the one depicted on page 142. Next, click the "List Rank" button on the left. To change variable, click on the button to the right of the "Menu" button. This will get you back to the "Variables" menu. Now, you can choose variable no. 65 (CH.MEMBERS).
6. Go through the rest of the exercise up to page 147. If there are any problems with the assignment, contact me immediately. You can come see me during office hours, or by appointment. (I am usually around.)
7. Start working on the core parts of the assignment on page 149. Go over the review questions. From here on, you are on your own. You can ask another student to help you with the assignment, but you can’t have another student do it for you (to do the latter would be cheating).
8. Note: Some of the exercises ask you about V and r. V refers to Cramer’s V, a measure of association between variables. The larger V, the stronger the relationship between variables. One or several asterisks next to the V means that such a statistical relationship is significant, that is that the relationship is not likely to be due to chance. r refers to the Pearson correlation coefficient. It is a measure of association also. The larger r, the stronger the relationship between variables. One or several asterisks next to r means that such a statistical relationship is significant, that is that the relationship is not likely to be due to chance. A positive r reflects a positive relationship, and negative r a negative relationship between the variables.