Chance *

A prominent statistician once wrote, “Statistics exists only at the interfaces of chance and empirical data. But it exists at every such interface.” Are most cancers attributable to bad luck, as Forbes recently suggested? Do fluctuations in US News college rankings reflect educational quality? Is texting while driving riskier than drunk driving? You can't follow the news, choose a college, or even get behind the wheel without encountering statistical claims. Which should you trust? Our readings will include your favorite newspaper, Stephen J. Gould's essays on excellence and variability, and Edward Tufte's critique of data graphics in the popular press.. 3 hrs. sem.