Introduction to R (course + laboratory)

The course is aimed at giving an introduction to R statistical software. It will include basic commands for computations, data manipulation and visualization. The basic data structures are introduced with emphasis on data frames also by importing them from common data files (including excel spreadsheets). The main programming structures will be also illustrated. Some practical sessions will show the use of main R functions for graphics, exploratory data analysis, basic statistical modeling and multivariate techniques, considering examples and applications from social sciences. This will allow students to work on real data and develop, where appropriate, their own code. Finally, a brief overview of the R Markdown for generating dynamic reports will be provided.