CyberSociety: A study abroad program on complex systems, simulation methods and computational social sciences

 

ABOUT CYBERSOCIETY

CyberSociety is a new program offered by the Budapest Semester in Cognitive Science (BSCS) from 2011. BSCS is a study abroad school established in 2003, featuring a unique combination of academic excellence and rich cultural traditions.

BSCS was established as an undergraduate program for US and other foreign students offering a study abroad semester in the cognitive sciences in the Fall semester. We are opening a Spring semester in CyberSociety in 2012.

The BSCS Program is run by the Hungarian Cognitive Science Association (www.makog.hu) and BSCS-US LLC, Kalamazoo, Michigan and is affiliated with Eötvös University of Budapest (Hungary) via a bilateral contract authorising BSCS to use the name and the facilities of the University.

SHORT PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

1. Target
CyberSociety deals with innovative approaches in the social sciences. Besides sociology and other social science majors susceptible to learn and adopt computational methods, the program expects physics, computer science, mathematics and other science majors with an interest in applying modeling and other quantitative tools to social phenomena and problems.

2. Curriculum
The curriculum integrates four major study fields:

1. Concepts and models (Complex natural, socioeconomic and technological systems)
2. Social theories
3. The data deluge (data analysis, data mining, databases)
4. Social simulations

3. Teaching schedule
Week 1 - 4:  Block seminars held by international faculty.
Week 5 -12: 
Monday - Thursday: lectures from each topic, respectively. 
Friday: Simulation lab exercises
Students are expected to work on group projects.


FEATURED TOPICS

1. Concepts and models (Complex natural, socioeconomic and technological systems)
History of complex systems research
Networks
Evolution of cooperation
Extreme events


2. Social theories
Macroeconomic models: (business cycles, forecasting methods)
Policy making
Social capital theory
Innovation and its propagation

3. The data deluge
Statistics
Social Databases
Data mining
Text mining

4. Social simulation
Sociodynamic models
Agent based models
Platforms, case studies
Crisis management by simulations