FD-EDR: Empirical and Deductive Reasoning
NOTE: Students who started taking classes at Northwestern in Spring 2023 or earlier should refer to the Area II: Formal Studies page. The information below pertains to students who start at Northwestern after Spring 2023.
We learn about the world in two main ways: empirically, from observations, and by making logical deductions from what we already know or conjecture. Courses in this discipline teach students to use these two modes of inference.
Empirical conclusions, derived from observations about the world, come with uncertainties or probabilities. Courses in empirical reasoning teach students to apply statistical reasoning to interpret evidence, to estimate the uncertainties inherent in their conclusions, and to build theoretical models based on data.
We also reason by deduction from axioms we take as certain, or from conjectural models of the real world. Courses in this discipline teach students both the power and limitations of such formal reasoning. Students will learn to create and analyze chains of mathematical or logical deductions, or computational algorithms.
learning objectives
Courses in Empirical and Deductive Reasoning are designed to achieve a combination of the following learning outcomes:
- Recognize empirical versus deductive modes of inference
- Articulate the power and the limitations of statistical reasoning, including the quantification of uncertainties in data
- Recognize the dangers of reasoning biases, including conclusions from anecdotal evidence, and the limits of when causal claims can be made from correlational data
- Learn to create and analyze formal models of real world phenomena
- Appreciate the power of abstraction in applying similar formal constructs to a range of different problems
- Learn to clearly and persuasively communicate both empirical and logical arguments, via writing, presentation, and graphical formats
Choosing courses
Review the list of approved courses in empirical and deductive reasoning. All students entering Weinberg College have some background in empirical and deductive reasoning. The approved course list enables even those with advanced background to develop further skills. Consult the Undergraduate Catalog on course prerequisites. If you have questions about where to start, talk to your assigned adviser or to faculty advisors in departments offering courses in this foundational area.
Approved Courses
BIOL_SCI | 337-0 | Biostatistics |
BIOL_SCI | 338-0 | Modeling Biological Dynamics |
COG_SCI | 202-0 | Evaluating Evidence (with POLI_SCI 212-0) |
COMP_SCI | 110-0 | Introduction to Computer Programming |
COMP_SCI | 111-0 | Fundamentals of Computer Programming |
COMP_SCI | 150-0 | Fundamentals of Computer Programming 1.5 |
LING | 260-0 | Formal Analysis of Words & Sentences |
LING | 270-0 | Meaning |
LING | 330-0 | Research Methods in Linguistics |
LING | 334-0 | Introduction to Computational Linguistics |
MATH | 100-0 | Quantitative Reasoning |
MATH | 202-0 | Finite Mathematics |
MATH | 211-0 | Short Course in Calculus |
MATH | 218-1 | Single-Variable Calculus with Precalculus |
MATH | 218-2 | Single-Variable Calculus with Precalculus |
MATH | 218-3 | Single-Variable Calculus with Precalculus |
MATH | 220-1 | Single-Variable Differential Calculus |
MATH | 220-2 | Single-Variable Integral Calculus |
MATH | 226-0 | Sequences and Series |
MATH | 228-1 | Multivariable Differential Calculus for Engineering |
MATH | 228-2 | Multivariable Integral Calculus for Engineering |
MATH | 230-1 | Multivariable Differential Calculus |
MATH | 230-2 | Multivariable Integral Calculus |
MATH | 235-0 | Series and Multiple Integrals (with STAT 228-0) |
MATH | 240-0 | Linear Algebra |
MATH | 250-0 | Elementary Differential Equations |
MATH | 281-1 | Accelerated Mathematics for ISP: First Year |
MATH | 281-2 | Accelerated Mathematics for ISP: First Year |
MATH | 281-3 | Accelerated Mathematics for ISP: First Year |
MATH | 285-1 | Accelerated Mathematics for MMSS: First Year |
MATH | 285-2 | Accelerated Mathematics for MMSS: First Year |
MATH | 285-3 | Accelerated Mathematics for MMSS: First Year |
MATH | 290-1 | MENU: Linear Algebra and Multivariable Calculus |
MATH | 290-2 | MENU: Linear Algebra and Multivariable Calculus |
MATH | 290-3 | MENU: Linear Algebra and Multivariable Calculus |
MATH | 291-1 | MENU: Intensive Linear Algebra and Multivariable Calculus |
MATH | 291-2 | MENU: Intensive Linear Algebra and Multivariable Calculus |
MATH | 291-3 | MENU: Intensive Linear Algebra and Multivariable Calculus |
PHIL | 150-0 | Elementary Logic I |
PHIL | 250-0 | Elementary Logic II |
POLI_SCI | 210-0 | Introduction to Empirical Methods in Political Science |
POLI_SCI | 212-0 | Evaluating Evidence (with COG_SCI 202-0) |
POLI_SCI | 312-0 | Statistical Research Methods |
PSYCH | 201-0 | Statistical Methods in Psychology |
PSYCH | 205-0 | Research Methods in Psychology |
PSYCH | 333-0 | Psychology of Thinking (or may be applied to FD-SBS) |
STAT | 201-0 | Introduction to Programming for Data Science |
STAT | 202-0 | Introduction to Statistics and Data Science |
STAT | 210-0 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics |
STAT | 228-0 | Series and Multiple Integrals (with MATH 235-0) |