UCOP A-G Approved: Section C – Math – Grades 12 (Year 4)

The purpose of the course Statistics for Social Justice is to expose students to social issues through a mathematical lens. Students will be empowered to actively engage in the exploration of real data, use it to plan and conduct studies, and to anticipate patterns in the social context. Students will describe and interpret authentic data patterns, and deviation from those patterns using graphical and numerical representations of their social context. They will collect data according to well-developed plans if valid information on a conjecture is to be obtained. These plans will include clarifying the question and deciding upon a method of data collection and analysis. Students will be exposed to probability and simulation techniques to explore random phenomena and anticipate data distribution under a given model. Students will also learn how to estimate population parameters and testing hypotheses using appropriate tools. They will use all the statistical analysis learned in the course to analyze society and become critical about the injustices that certain individuals or groups face in their everyday. Mathematics will be a powerful tool, which allows them to visualize and examine these injustices, but they will also explore the complexities of histories that are erased when data is simplified into numbers. The goal of the course is to encourage students to reimagine their future and take actions that move towards social change.