88-402 Modeling Complex Social Systems
9 units, Carnegie Mellon University
Many of the biggest challenges facing modern societiesmaintaining global political and financial stability, protecting against terrorist acts, cooperating to solve collective problems such as climate change or corruptionare complex. They are not simply complicated they arise as interacting agents create various feedbacks that result in, often unintentional, emergent phenomena. Confronting these challenges requires an understanding of the properties of complex systems. In this course, we will provide an overview of complex systems theory and concepts. You will learn the fundamental properties of complex adaptive systems and how to apply these insights to a variety of key social science problems. We will introduce and analyze computational and mathematical models, as well as qualitative models, so you should have some familiarity with basic probability and algebra. We will explore topics such as inequality, networks, information spread, community formation, the evolution of cooperation, and the stabilization of financial markets. We will cross traditional disciplinary boundaries and venture into economics, political science, sociology, finance, cognitive science, computer science, physics, statistics, and mathematics as needed. Students will be expected to think critically about how to apply modeling insights to the real world, taking account of the social, political, and economic implications of proposed policies. They will express their ideas in class discussions, presentations, and written reports. The course will culminate with students engaging in a research project to model a complex social system of their choice.
Prerequisites: 36-201 or 36-207 or 36-217 or 70-207 or 36-225 or 36-247 or 36-220
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