Quanitative Reasoning
Consider this:

You are a longtime resident of community X. Over the years and decades you have watched your neighborhood undergo noticeable changes in the population of residents. With that qualitative knowledge, you decide to investigate what the actual changes have been by locating and analyzing Census data. Using this data you write a short article about the changes to submit to your local newspaper and create an Infographic that more visually tells the story to accompany the piece.

STEP 6

Using the data and resources ‐ Think critically and sociologically about populations and changes:

ï‚· Could it be the result of changing immigration patterns?

ï‚· Has the economy of the city improved?

ï‚· Has there been a “gentrification” effect?

ï‚· Be very mindful of all the possibilities to best investigate the supportive sources

STEP 7

Use Social Explorer through the Baruch Newman Library (databases) to create two (2) meaningful maps for your analysis

ï‚· The maps should be relevant to the story you are looking to tell
o i.e. If you are writing about race, then the maps should be about race

ï‚· Maps can be exported as image files that you can then add to your infographic

STEP 8

Use the Census or ACS Data to produce at least three (3) charts/graphics for the infographic

ï‚· Graphic means, that you could use simply monotone images to represent data, i.e. male/female

silhouettes, house silhouettes, family silhouettes, arrows, etc.

ï‚· Focus on demographic data

o If you find information from sources about business influences on the population, make sure to cite these sources in the narrative

Article Requirements

Introduce why you decided to investigate the select community

Discuss the first impressions of the data on the neighborhood

a. What from the data strikes you?
3. Walk the reader through a story of how the numbers tell this story of change.

Integrate the statistics meaningfully throughout the narrative

Use sources for supportive evidence – avoiding absolute causation; think influence

i. See Step 6 of Preparation
c. Optional: You may add qualitative knowledge you may have (i.e. quote from a parent or

colleague who’s witnessed the changes over the decades), but avoid using prejudiced

statements or sweeping generalizations

The article should conclude with some language about the implications of population changes

(positive/negative) for the given community

Are the changes good?

Will only time tell?

Why should we care about these changes?

The article should generally read as a story of change told by numbers and supported by critical analysis

DUE Saturday, November 20, 11:59pm ET

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School of Professional Studies – QUAN 201

Signature Assignment III: Spaces in Transition

Article Formatting:

Infographic (PDF Cover sheet)

5 Data Visualizations:

ï‚· Charts (3 min)

ï‚· Maps (2 min)

Data source footnotes – all data sources must be listed in a footnote in small font at the bottom

of the infographic

Informative

Streamlined design

Coherent and Clean (as opposed to crowded or messy)

Text

Word Document file – attached for assignment submission

800‐1000 words, excluding reference list – use word count function on body of text

1” Margins

Standard font (i.e. 12pt Times New Roman, 11pt Calibri)

Introduction – Body – Conclusion

Use footnotes, instead of in‐text citation as needed – this is so that the text reads a bit more

freely, rather than as formal as a research paper

a. Reference List – APA formatting

Remember: Edit your work before submitting it to ensure correct use of grammar, spelling and word choice, and a cohesive narrative. Avoid simply responding to the guideline questions in succession; your writing should form a narrative guided by the questions above. This means that in addition to your work being accurate it should read smoothly in your unique, analytical voice