The University of New Mexico

FLC-622 ELECTION YEAR SPECIAL! Using Statistics to Analyze Politics

Fall 2012

CRNs: 43920 & 43919

(Freshmen register for their FLC classes at their Lobo Orientation or CEP Orientation session. You must register for all the classes in an FLC combination. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. FAC classes do not permit "wait lists" or "yellow cards" for enrollment in FAC classes that are filled to capacity.)



Linking Statistics to Politics: Learning how to use statistics to analyze elections

FLC Pictograph

Freshman Seminar: POLS 200-622 American Politics (3 Cr)
Instructor: Gabriel Sanchez, Associate Professor, Political Science
Schedule: MW 1330-1500
Notes: Depending on your major, this course may meet a requirement in AREA 4: SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES in the UNM CORE CURRICULUM. See your Academic Advisor for details.

Linked With: STAT 145-622 Introduction to Statistics (3 Cr)
Instructor: Nina Greenberg, Visiting Lecturer, Mathematics and Statistic
Schedule: MW 1200-1315
Notes: Depending on your major, this course may meet a requirement in AREA 2: MATHEMATICS in the UNM CORE CURRICULUM. See your Academic Advisor for details.

In this FLC we will introduce students to American politics with a strong emphasis on public opinion and political surveys. We will take advantage of the election taking place in the fall by developing and analyzing our own exit poll survey to learn about how voters in Albuquerque felt about the candidates and what issues shaped their voting decision. We will connect what we learn about statistics with politics through our assignments, which will include a research paper where you will analyze the data from our survey through your knowledge of statistics. You will leave this class with a lot of knowledge of how the American political system works and how important math is to politics.

Freshman Seminar Instructor - Gabriel Sanchez

I am a native New Mexican who actively seeks out the opportunity to mentor and educate undergraduate students, as I went into this profession largely for this purpose. I have a very active research agenda focused on public opinion and survey research, so I plan on integrating a lot of my research into this class. I also work for a survey firm focused on political surveys, so will have a lot of great examples and stories from the “field” to integrate into the course. I am also one of the youngest tenured professors on campus, so I can connect with students with the examples and approaches to teaching that I utilize.

Linked Course Instructor - Nina Greenberg

I love teaching and I especially love teaching statistics, which I’ve been doing at UNM for eight years now, as well as coordinating the numerous sections of Stat145 at UNM. Making data analysis clear and accessible to students is my primary goal as an instructor. In addition to a Master’s degree in Statistics, I also have a Master’s in Marine Science. While Albuquerque is where I went through high school, and where my family is, prior to my return to New Mexico, I spent time in California working in kelp forest ecology and jellyfish rearing and genetics. I also spent time in Hawaii doing aquaculture hatchery research. At present, in addition to being a Statistics instructor at UNM, I am also a graduate student in Epidemiology through UNM’s Public Health Program in the School of Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine. I also have a son and a daughter, both teens, at Albuquerque High School.