The student should learn how to evaluate claims made in everyday communications and in scholarly research which are either overtly or covertly based on statistical evidence. The student should gain an appreciation for the mathematical and logical reasoning that support statistical measures and evaluation. The student should learn how to perform and interpret some statistical procedures . The student should leave the course with enough knowledge of statistics and of its nature to be able to apply it to more advanced statistics and related topics. I emphasize understanding the statistical concepts and how they interrelate.
Statistics is more than a tool for research.
It is also a conceptual system. Once the system is understood the technical vocabulary and the statistical computations for most of the topics can be seen to flow from it. This method requires regular work by the student. I strongly recommend attending class, reading ahead of time, and doing homework regularly. Students should get together with one another to talk about the concepts and how to solve problems.