Seminar: Simulation in Social Sciences - ENTFÄLLT

Instructors: Prof. Dr. Petra Ahrweiler; Blanca Luque Capellas
Shortname: S Techniksoziologie
Course No.: 02.149.16911
Course Type: Seminar

Requirements / organisational issues

Zielgruppe:

  1. Bachelor Studierende im Studiengang Soziologie (Kernfach) [po 2011, 2016]
  2. Bachelor Studierende im Studiengang Soziologie (Beifach) [po 2016]
  3. Bachelor Studierende im Studiengang Wirtschaftspädagogik (Schwerpunktfach "Sozialwissenschaften")

Stellung im Studiengang:

  1. B.A. Soziologie Kernfach: Modul "Wahlveranstaltung Soziologie (Vertiefung)" [po 2011]
  2. B.A. Soziologie Kernfach: Vertiefungsveranstaltung im Modul "Vertiefungs- und Wahlveranstaltungen 1" [po 2016]

bzw.

  1. B.A. Soziologie Kernfach: Vertiefungsveranstaltung im Modul "Vertiefungs- und Wahlveranstaltungen 2" [po 2016]
  2. B.Sc. Wirtschaftspädagogik Schwerpunktfach "Sozialwissenschaften": Modul "Aufbaumodul Soziologie"

Anwesenheitspflicht

Anyone who is absent in the first session without excuse gives up their place. A prior informal excuse to the teacher by e-mail is sufficient. No medical certificate is required.

Contents

Description:
Social Simulation is a type of modelling for social scientists and computer scientists which has been gaining interest as a result of extremely affordable computing power and a rising interest in complex systems methods and approaches to understanding the world. Many approaches to simulation are now accessible to social scientists with some programming skills who seek to develop a deeper understanding of social and economic issues and problems, centering on “complexity” ideas: evolution, adaptation, nonlinear behavior, emergence and self-organization. These approaches have become essential tools for social scientists in a wide range of fields, sociology, economics, cognitive psychology, organizational theory, political science and geography, and are now also part of the toolbox for computer scientists interested in distributed artificial intelligence and multi-agent technologies. Of primary concern are multi-level simulation models that allow simultaneous consideration of multiple levels of systems and processes of interest (social, economic, environmental), and have users alternate between views on macro and micro behaviors, and possibly levels in between. The most common approach to multi-level simulation, agent-based modelling, allows for hetero­geneity in simulated behaviors of the “agents” on the lower levels (representing, for instance, individuals, groups, organizations or networks). This provides to scientists the opportunity for (much) higher degrees of detail when observing “in silico” complex evolutionary phenomena, as opposed to some very abstract mathematical models.

This seminar offers an introduction to common approaches in Social Simulation. It opens up questions with regard to opportunities and limitations that characterize the state-of-the-art for each simulation method (on its own, but without disregarding the projects that seek to develop “hybrid” modelling techniques across strands of simulation research, building first and foremost on agent-based approaches). It will also assist in developing appreciation for the common elements of Social Simulation workflows, for instance: the theoretical discussion of a model’s conceptual framework, the data-to-model links, and communication of results of simulation research.

Additional information

In modules 09 and 10 (core subject) and module 06 (minor subject) , one “Vertiefungsseminar“ and one “Wahlveranstaltung“ must be taken.

A term paper must be written in one of the seminars per module. The topic of the term paper must be discussed in advance with the supervisor. Assignments whose topic has not been discussed in advance may be rejected. This does not replace registration for the examination in Jogustine.

Further information (in German) on those courses (“Vertiefungsseminare” and “Wahlveranstaltungen“) can be found here: https://www.soziologie.uni-mainz.de/studienverlauf-und-modulhandbuecher/

Further information on writing a term paper can be found here: https://www.soziologie.uni-mainz.de/files/2020/08/Handreichung-zur-Anfertigung-von-Hausarbeiten.pdf