Time and location: MWF 11:00am-11:50am, SOS B46
Office hours: WF: 2:00-3:30pm, KAP 248E

Text: Statistical Inference (2nd edition) , by G. Casella and R. Berger

Instructor: Jianfeng Zhang, KAP 248E, (213)740-9805, jianfenz@usc.edu, www-bcf.usc.edu/~jianfenz
Grader: Panagiotis Tsilifis, tsilifis@usc.edu

Midterm Exam: Friday, March 14, 11:00-11:50am
Final Exam: Wednesday, May 7, 11:00am-1:00 p.m.

Course Description: I plan to cover Chapters 1-7 in the textbook. Most of Chapters 1-4 are already in prerequisite course(s), so we will go over relatively quickly.
More specific topics include (subject to change): parametric families of distributions; multivariate distributions and transformations; order statistics; convergence concepts; sampling and derived distributions from a normal population; data reduction, sufficiency, completeness; the idea of parameter estimation, some important estimators (including method of moments, least squares, maximum likelihood), asymptotics; comparison of estimators, optimality, consistency, asymptotic efficiency. If time permits, we may also introduce computationally intensive methods: EM algorithm, jackknife and bootstrap.

Grading Policies: 25% on homework, 25% on Midterm Exam, and 50% on Final Exam.

Homework: Homework will be assigned every two weeks in class. You are allowed and even encouraged to discuss the problems with others, but each one should write down the final solutions independently.

Exams: Both exams are closed book, but you are allowed to bring one cheating sheet. Calculators are not allowed (and will not be needed).
The Midterm Exam will cover the first half of the course, and the Final Exam is comprehensive with more emphasis on the second half of the course.

Missed Exams: There will be NO makeup exams. You must take the Final Exam in order to get the grade. If you miss the Midterm Exam with VALID reasons, I will assign your grade based on your Final Exam and Homework.

Feedback and Questions: It is very useful to get feedback and questions, both inside and outside class. You are very welcome to visit me during my office hours. You can also make appointments to see me at other time.

Statement for Students with Disabilities: Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me (or to TA) as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.

Statement on Academic Integrity: USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. Scampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct Code in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A: http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/gov/. Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The Review process can be found at: http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/.