It is unclear how the ordering of the two courses would be viewed, especially since you are intending to pursue a non-STEM major. We provide a detailed comparison of AP Stats vs. AP Calc in response to another thread. The 2015 data shows that the 5-rate for AP Stats was meaningfully lower than the 5-rate for either AP Calc exam. As a result, it is not clear that AP Stats is “easier” than AP Calc, though it seems that most online sources regard it as less rigorous for STEM majors. If you use the stats material in your junior year AP research project, you can try to justify your decision on that basis.