Simulation in the Social Sciences - Detailseite

This seminar is about learning the basics of *computer simulations* in the social sciences. In particular, at the beginning of the seminar we will deal with the specification and classification of simulations in the social sciences.

The participants of this course are then asked to classify published simulations into the previously introduced system. For this purpose, the lecturer provides (right at the beginning of the seminar) a number of computer simulation applications in the form of published articles. Each student is given the task of working through the publication they is assigned, describing and classifying the application. The result of this work is presented and discussed with the other students in a presentation during the seminar. The presentation time is 15-20 minutes per simulation application. Students receive 5 LP for a successful presentation with a meaningful discussion.
Thereafter, we will focus on specific simulation types and get to know the associated software. We will deal with continuous-time microsimulations and get to know the software MicSim (in R). We will also deal with agent-based simulations and get to know NetLogo.

In order to receive 10 LP, students have to create their own (brief) simulation applications. This task involves a short proposal of the related research plan (at max. 4 pages), an implementation and a presentation to the lecturer in a short talk (20 min). The implementation of the simulation application also includes its documentation and free access to source code.

The seminar is structured as follows:

• Basic / introduction (2 lectures)
• Presentations of students (5 lectures)
• Simulation Software and simple examples (4 lectures)
• Own simulation projects (personal exchange with lecturer)
  
  

• Axelrod, R. (1997). Advancing the art of simulation in the social sciences. In Simulating social phenomena (pp. 21-40). Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer Berlin Heidelberg.
• Garson, G. D. (2009). Computerized simulation in the social sciences: A survey and evaluation. Simulation & Gaming, 40(2), 267-279.
• Gilbert, N., & Doran, J. (Eds.). (2018). Simulating societies: the computer simulation of social phenomena. Routledge.
• Gilbert, N. (1999). Simulation: A new way of doing social science. American Behavioral Scientist, 42(10), 1485-1487.
• Küppers, G., & Lenhard, J. (2005). Validation of simulation: Patterns in the social and natural sciences. Journal of artificial societies and social simulation, 8(4).
• Lazer, D. M., Pentland, A., Watts, D. J., Aral, S., Athey, S., Contractor, N., ... & Wagner, C. (2020). Computational social science: Obstacles and opportunities. Science, 369(6507), 1060-1062.
• Squazzoni, F., Jager, W., & Edmonds, B. (2014). Social simulation in the social sciences: A brief overview. Social Science Computer Review, 32(3), 279-294.