An Introduction to Statistics

Whether you know it or not, you are already a mass consumer of statistical information, but are you a critical consumer? Daily, you are bombarded with numbers in nearly all aspects of life, but how often do you stop and consider the validity of all those sounds bites, recent polls, and quotes? The goal of this class, above all else, is to hone your ability to be critical of information you are exposed to. Watch the video above from John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight on the public defenders of this country and answer the following prompts.

1. While watching the video, did any of the fact presented by John make you question the “facts” or how they were presented? That is to say, did anything he mentioned make you think “wait, what?” if so, what and why? If nothing he said sounded questionable, why do you think that is?

2. Assuming the information presented is accurate, is this the best way to disseminate these issues to the general public? Why or why not?

3. If you were the spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office, how would you spin these numbers to make it look like this is not an issue and everything is fine? To put it another way, how would you make some of these damning statistics about public defenders being overworked look like a positive thing for the criminal justice system?

Part B:

What is the old mindset? Who is the “We” and “Them” and what differentiates the two?
Did his video change your mindset on viewing the world in terms of “We” and “Them”?
Does that concept still apply or has it changed? How and why?

Your total response should be 1250-1500 words (for the whole essay) , in APA format, 12pt font, 1″ margins, Cover page (abstract not required), references page, etc. Make sure to use a .doc, docx, or rtf file format and attach the file when submitting. This assignment is due at the end of the week assigned by 1159pm. Please see the class schedule located in the course syllabus for specific dates. This assignment has a minimum of seven (7) required sources. While the video and provided link can count as one source, this means you need to find additional sources to add detail and support to your answers. Look for real world examples in the news, peer reviewed journals, etc. Make sure you answer both Parts of this prompt fully or you will not receive a passing grade