| Unit name | Spatial Modelling 3: Multilevel Modelling |
|---|---|
| Unit code | GEOG35260 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Jones |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
GEOG25010 Spatial Modelling 2 |
| Co-requisites |
Available to year-three Geography and year- four Geography with Study Aboard/Continental Europe students only. |
| School/department | School of Geographical Sciences |
| Faculty | Faculty of Science |
This unit aims to provide students with a theoretical and practical understanding of a major strand in current quantitative social science: multilevel modelling. Populations commonly exhibit complex structure with many levels, so that individuals (at level 1) may learn their health-related behaviour in the context of households (2) and local cultures (3). By using multilevel models we can model simultaneously at several levels, gaining the potential for improved estimation, valid inference, and a better substantive understanding of the realities of social life. This Unit requires a prior understanding single level regression models.
On completion of this Unit students should be able to:
The following transferable skills are developed in this Unit:
Written and verbal communication
A common pattern of lecture/practical is generally adopted throughout the course:
Nature (See Footnote C) Contribution to Overall Mark: Unseen Examination of 1 hour 30 mins duration: 30% ; Computer-based Project report 60%; Reading assignment reviewing an empirical application 10%
Total for unit 100%
The assessment comprises:
An unseen examination that will test the synoptic understanding of the entirety of the course
a 1,000-word critical review of a paper that provides an empirical study using multilevel modelling. This provides assessment of a student’s understanding of the techniques, command of relevant literature and critical skills;
a computer-based individual project, using the MLwiN programming environment, to analyse and model a data-set using the multilevel modelling techniques taught in the Unit. The report is 3,000 words and has to include not only the student’s analysis and modelling work, but a linkage of this to other empirical studies in the literature;
The reading for this unit mainly comprises recent papers in academic journals. Detailed reading lists and handouts are provided during the unit; the following are indicative:
