Fact-check a statistic
Pick a statistic quoted in the press, trace its source and explain what it really shows.
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Data & AI · 08Beginner
Computational Social Scientist
Social science students, data journalists or public policy researchers.
Read statistics critically, analyse social data and networks, and make decisions with data.
340hours of coursework
34weeks at 10 h
5steps
20courses
2universities
Target skills
Data AnalysisModel EvaluationStatistical VisualizationArtificial IntelligenceStatisticsStatistical Hypothesis TestingExperimentationData ScienceGenerative AINetwork AnalysisData PreprocessingApplied Machine Learning
Skill labels as listed on Coursera.
Target jobs
- Data journalist
- Social research officer
- Public policy analyst
Progression
- 1University of MichiganBeginner
Stated prerequisites: No previous knowledge of data, statistics or AI necessary
Show the 3 courses
Course Level Length Rating (reviews) How to Describe Data Beginner 9 h 4.7 (29) How Science Turns Data Into Knowledge Beginner 11 h 4.7 (18) Decoding AI: A Deep Dive into AI Models and Predictions Beginner 10 h 4.7 (29) - 2University of California, DavisBeginnerIBM Watson
Stated prerequisites: No prior experience required
Show the 5 courses
Course Level Length Rating (reviews) Computational Social Science Methods Beginner 11 h 4.7 (357) Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Ethics Beginner 9 h 4.6 (784) Social Network Analysis Beginner 10 h 4.7 (248) Computer Simulations Beginner 13 h 4.5 (87) Computational Social Science Capstone Project Intermediate 14 h 4.7 (44) - 3University of MichiganBeginnerPython, Jupyter, Matplotlib, NumPy, pandas, Seaborn, Statsmodels
Stated prerequisites: High school algebra; basic Python recommended
Show the 3 courses
Course Level Length Rating (reviews) Understanding and Visualizing Data with Python Beginner 20 h 4.7 (2,741) Inferential Statistical Analysis with Python Intermediate 22 h 4.6 (938) Fitting Statistical Models to Data with Python Intermediate 15 h 4.4 (718) - 4University of MichiganIntermediatePython, pandas, Matplotlib, scikit-learn, NLTK, NetworkX
Stated prerequisites: Basic Python or programming background
Show the 5 courses
Course Level Length Rating (reviews) Introduction to Data Science in Python Intermediate 30 h 4.5 (27,302) Applied Plotting, Charting & Data Representation in Python Intermediate 24 h 4.5 (6,290) Applied Machine Learning in Python Intermediate 32 h 4.6 (8,814) Applied Text Mining in Python Intermediate 25 h 4.2 (3,827) Applied Social Network Analysis in Python Intermediate 26 h 4.6 (2,730) - 5University of MichiganIntermediateGenerative AI tools
Stated prerequisites: None stated (no coding required)
Show the 4 courses
Course Level Length Rating (reviews) Model Thinking Intermediate 28 h 4.8 (2,265) Problem Solving Using Computational Thinking Beginner 12 h 4.6 (1,313) Mindware: Critical Thinking for the Information Age Beginner 13 h 4.8 (1,453) Leveraging GenAI to Develop Critical Thinking Skills Beginner 6 h 4.3 (11)
With Coursera Plus
This path takes 340 hours, about 8 months at 10 hours a week. A Coursera Plus subscription gives access to most of its courses during that time.
Projects to build
Simulate segregation
Program Schelling’s model and show how mild preferences produce strong separation.
Map a social network
Analyse interactions in a public dataset (votes, citations, exchanges) and identify the groups.
Decision memo
Write a two-page recommendation for a public policy, uncertainties included.
Free textbooks
Think Stats, 3rd ed.Allen B. DowneyFree, non-commercial Creative Commons licence
OpenIntro StatisticsD. Diez, M. Çetinkaya-Rundel, C. BarrFree PDF
Python for Data Analysis, 3rd ed.Wes McKinneyOpen access online