Schedule
The schedule below is a tentative outline of our plans for the semester. If we need more time for digesting certain topics, we can make space for that.
Before each class period, please watch the indicated videos, complete required readings, and work through the Guiding Questions. Responses to these questions don’t need to be turned in, but there will be many opportunities during class for you to check in with classmates about concepts you found confusing or intriguing.
Remember to take notes on where you paused/rewound/reread or smiled/nodded during the videos/readings. This is essential for the Metacognitive Reflection part of the course.
Most readings are optional–they complement ideas in the videos by presenting concepts in a different way. (Note that the PRIMER and WHATIF abbreviations refer to free online textbooks listed on the References page.) When a reading is required, it will marked as (REQD).
| Week 1: Fun with Foundations (1/20 - 1/27) | ||||
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| Dates | Topic | Videos/Readings | Video Slides | Class Slides |
| 1/20 |
Motivation and Review 👉 Guiding ?s |
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| 1/23 |
Exchangeability 👉 Guiding ?s |
Defining Causal Effects Exchangeability WHATIF: 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2 |
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| 1/25 |
Study Designs (and Exchangeability wrap-up) 👉 Guiding ?s |
Study Designs in Causal Inference WHATIF: 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2 |
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N/A |
| 1/27 | Study Designs and Exchangeability wrap-up | |
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| Homework 1 due Friday, 1/27 at midnight CST | ||||
| Week 2: Causal Graphs Galore! (1/30 - 2/3) | ||||
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| Dates | Topic | Videos/Readings | Video Slides | Class Slides |
| 1/30 |
Causal Graphs as Statistical Models 👉 Guiding ?s |
Introduction to Causal Graphs Causal Graphs as Statistical Models PRIMER: 1.4, 1.5 |
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| 2/1 |
Key Structures in Causal Graphs 👉 Guiding ?s |
Key Structures in Causal Graphs PRIMER: 2.1 - 2.3 WHATIF: 6.1 - 6.3, 6.5 |
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| 2/1 | Key Structures in Causal Graphs (continued) | |
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| Homework 2 due Friday, 2/3 at midnight CST | ||||
| Week 3: Gallivanting with Graphs (2/6 - 2/10) | ||||
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| Dates | Topic | Videos/Readings | Video Slides | Class Slides |
| 2/6 |
Graphical Structure of Confounding 👉 Guiding ?s |
Causal and Noncausal Paths D-Separation PRIMER: 2.4 WHATIF: 7.1 - 7.4, 7.6 |
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| 2/8 |
Graphical Structure of Selection Bias 👉 Guiding ?s |
(REQD) WHATIF: 8.1 - 8.3 Optional: 8.4 - 8.6 |
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| 2/10 |
The Smoking-Birthweight Paradox 👉 Guiding ?s |
(REQD) reading: The Birth Weight "Paradox" Uncovered? | |
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| Start working on Homework 3 due Friday, 2/17 at midnight CST | ||||
| Week 4: Easing into Estimation (2/13 - 2/17) | ||||
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| Dates | Topic | Videos/Readings | Video Slides | Class Slides |
| 2/13 | Catch-up day | N/A | ||
| 2/15 |
Building Causal Graphs for Applied Analyses 👉 Guiding ?s |
Asking Clear Questions and Building Graphs (REQD) reading: Equal but Inequitable: Who Benefits from Gender-Neutral Tenure Clock Stopping Policies? (Up through Section III: Data - about 6 pages total) |
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N/A |
| 2/17 |
Regression for Estimating Causal Effects 👉 Guiding ?s |
Estimating Causal Effects: Regression |
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| Finish working on Homework 3 due Friday, 2/17 at midnight CST | ||||
| Week 5: Wonders in Weighting (2/20 - 2/24) | ||||
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| Dates | Topic | Videos/Readings | Video Slides | Class Slides |
| 2/20 |
Regression Wrap-up & Inverse Probability Weighting for Estimating Causal Effects 👉 Guiding ?s |
Estimating Causal Effects: Inverse Probability Weighting WHATIF: 2.4 (parallels video) PRIMER: 3.6 (analogous viewpoint but different language than WHATIF) |
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| 2/22 | Snow day - no class | N/A | ||
| 2/24 | IPW (continued) | |
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| Start working on Homework 4 due Friday, 3/3 at midnight CST (main exercises) and Friday 3/10 at midnight (project proposal) | ||||
| Week 6: Continuing with IPW (2/27 - 3/3) | ||||
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| Dates | Topic | Videos/Readings | Video Slides | Class Slides |
| 2/27 | IPW: Simulation Study | (REQD): WHATIF: 12.1, 12.2, 12.4 | |
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| 3/1 |
IPW: Applied Analysis |
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| 3/3 | Capstone Days! (no class) | |||
| Finish working on Homework 4 due Friday, 3/3 at midnight CST (main exercises) and Friday 3/10 at midnight (project proposal) | ||||
| Week 7: Learning Conferences (3/6 - 3/10) | ||||
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| No class this week to make space for Learning Conferences. Schedule a conference with the instructor this week using the Google Calendar link under the Moodle course calendar (in the section titled "Learning Conferences"). The Google Calendar link shows time slots for the 9:40-10:40 and 10:50-11:50 sections of our course. If you'd like to have our conference outside of these times, use the Calendly link under the Moodle course calendar to schedule. |
| Week 8: New Research Question Frameworks and Sensitivity Analyses (3/20 - 3/24) | ||||
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| Dates | Topic | Videos/Readings | Video Slides | Class Slides |
| 3/20 | Overview: Time-Varying Treatments and Mediation | |
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| 3/22 | Sensitivity Analyses for Unmeasured Variables | Sensitivity Analyses for Unmeasured Variables |
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| 3/24 | Causal Discovery | Causal Discovery |
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| Start Homework 5 due Friday, 3/31 at midnight CST | ||||
| Week 9: Revisiting Quasi-Experimental Designs (3/27 - 3/31) | ||||
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| Dates | Topic | Videos/Readings | Video Slides | Class Slides |
| 3/27 | Regression Discontinuity |
(REQD video): Causality: Regression Discontinuity Design (REQD reading): Regression discontinuity designs are underutilized in medicine, epidemiology, and public health: a review of current and best practice (~11 pages) |
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| 3/29 | Interrupted Time Series | (REQD reading): The use of controls in interrupted time series studies of public health interventions (~10 pages) | |
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| 3/31 | Instrumental Variables |
(REQD video): Causality: Instrumental Variables (OPTIONAL reference: very long but comprehensive): Tutorial in Biostatistics: Instrumental Variable Methods for Causal Inference |
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Finish Homework 5 due Friday, 3/31 at midnight CST |
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| Week 10: Project Work | ||||
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| Dates | Topic | Videos/Readings | Video Slides | Class Slides |
| 4/3 | Project work day: make progress on Milestone 3 | |||
| 4/5 | Project work day: make progress on Milestone 3 | |||
| 4/7 | Project work day: make progress on Milestone 3 | |||
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For project work, check in with the instructor in-person or via email exchange by Sunday 4/9 |
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| Week 11: Project Work | ||||
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| Dates | Topic | Videos/Readings | Video Slides | Class Slides |
| 4/10 | Project check-ins: make progress on Milestone 4 | |||
| 4/12 | Project check-ins: make progress on Milestone 4 | |||
| 4/14 | Project check-ins: make progress on Milestone 4 | |||
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For project work, schedule time to check in with the instructor during normal class time via Calendly. (In-person and Zoom options are available on Calendly.) |
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Sometime this week, read The C-Word: Scientific Euphemisms Do Not Improve Causal Inference From Observational Data. Everyone should post a reaction in the #general channel in our Slack workspace. |
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| Week 12: Project Work | ||||
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| Dates | Topic | Videos/Readings | Video Slides | Class Slides |
| 4/17 | Project check-ins: make progress on Milestone 5 | |||
| 4/19 | Project check-ins: make progress on Milestone 5 | |||
| 4/21 | Project check-ins: make progress on Milestone 5 | |||
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For project work, schedule time to check in with the instructor during normal class time via Calendly. (In-person and Zoom options are available on Calendly.) |
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| Work on your Final Metacognitive Reflection due Thursday, 4/27 at midnight CST. | ||||
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Sometime this week, read Win-Win: Reconciling Social Epidemiology and Causal Inference. Everyone should post a reaction in the #general channel in our Slack workspace. |
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| Week 13: Project Work | ||||
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| Dates | Topic | Videos/Readings | Video Slides | Class Slides |
| 4/24 | Project work day. I'll have office hours (in my office) during class time. | |||
| 4/26 | Project work day. I'll have office hours (in my office) during class time. | |||
| 4/28 | Project work day. I'll have office hours (in my office) during class time. | |||
| I'm not requiring individual/group check-ins this week. Just work on your deliverable for the Final Project due Saturday, 5/6 at midnight CST. | ||||
| Complete your Final Metacognitive Reflection due Thursday, 4/27 at midnight CST. | ||||
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Sometime this week, read Why Facts Don’t Change Our Minds. Everyone should post a reaction in the #general channel in our Slack workspace. |
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| Week 14: Project Work | ||||
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| Dates | Topic | Videos/Readings | Video Slides | Class Slides |
| 5/1 | Complete end-of-course survey | |||
| Work on Final Project due Saturday, 5/6 at midnight CST | ||||