This is a course designed to help you ask the right questions. Sometimes these questions may be directed to an epidemiologist, sometimes to a data analyst, and sometimes to yourself. This is not a course which will transform you into an epidemiologist or a data analyst - your expertise is a crucial part which makes epidemiology tick.
Good research stems from knowing that you will have to make bad choices. But knowing which ones are least bad, and which ones get you closer to your goal, is key in moving your research field forward. You should appreciate the complexities, understand what can be done to alleviate difficulties, and always report your findings in light of your decisions.
Finally, while it is human to dichotomization into "right" and "wrong", "significant" and "non-significant", "causal" and "associational", remember that such distinctions are only useful in abstract terms outside of a real-world context. When we begin studying our surroundings, and put our findings into context, dichotomization often fails to generalise.
Learning outcomes (from the Syllabus)