These materials correspond to the opening lecture of SOC 4650 and SOC 5650.
Make sure you've installed all of the packages listed here. In addition, we'll discuss a little more about R packages and practice installing another package, usethis:
install.packages("usethis")You can download this lesson to your Desktop easily using usethis:
usethis::use_course("https://github.com/slu-soc5650/module-1-intro/archive/master.zip")By using usethis::use_course, all of the lesson materials will be downloaded to your computer, automatically extracted, and saved to your desktop. You can then open the .Rproj file to get started.
This class introduces both the theoretical and technical skills that constitute the nascent field of Geographic Information Science (GISc). Techniques introduced include data cleaning and management, map production and cartography, and the manipulation of both tabular and spatial data. The impacts of GISc on public policy, and the effects of public policy on GISc, are also discussed. The course incorporates a wide variety of social, economic, health, urban, meteorological, and environmental data. These data are mapped at a variety of extents, from the City of St. Louis to the St. Louis Metropolitan region, Missouri, all United States counties, and all U.S. states. More details are available on the course website.
Chris is an urban and medical sociologist with an interest in mixed methods research designs that incorporate spatial data. His dissertation examined the effect of neighborhood context and conditions on emergency medical services work, particularly with patients who have mental illnesses or substance use disorders. He is also part of a research team examining the effects of literacy on mental health service use and recovery, and his student research team is documenting the effects of systemic street closures in St. Louis. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Saint Louis University. More details are available at his website and he can be contacted at [email protected].
Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers nearly 13,000 students a rigorous, transformative education of the whole person. At the core of the University’s diverse community of scholars is SLU’s service-focused mission, which challenges and prepares students to make the world a better, more just place.