Sociology 242G Lecture Outlines

Introduction: Formal dynamic models and simulation in sociology (week 1)

This page contains materials supporting sociology 242G. During the terms when this course is being taught, it will also have a home page on the U.C.R. campus web-server, which gives access to email and web-board utilities. This course is developed by Robert Hanneman of the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Riverside. Feel free to use and redistribute any materials posted here (with citation, please). Your comments and suggestions are much appreciated.
Week 1: Introduction: Formal dynamic models and simulation in sociology

Introductions

Instructor: see: http://faculty.ucr.edu/~hanneman/
Who is participating? What are your interests? What is your background?
Post an introduction to the course web-site discussion forum (via course web site: http://wcb.ucr.edu/ )

Course administration:

Meet each Wednesday 3:10 to 6:00pm, Watkins 2149 ("Wizard" lab) if you don't have a door code, see me.
Requirements: Discussion, reading, in-class exercises, final paper (presentation, week 10). Auditors welcome.
Pre-requisites: Social science theory courses useful; basic PC-Windows skills; will limit mathematical requirements.
Quick tour of the course web-site.

Purposes of the course:

Two main goals:

Understand formal dynamic models as theory construction
Become familiar with some of the major lines of contemporary work

Two lesser goals:

Develop your own models, learn some software
Become familiar with, and think about "chaos" "complexity" and other current concepts in scientific theorizing (mostly outside social sciences).

Course overview:

Formal dynamic models and theory construction; simulation experiments and languages
Contemporary issues in dynamics: Chaos, complexity, embedding, evolution
Bottom-up (Agent-based) models
Space, networks, cellular automata
Games and exchange relations
Learning and evolution
Top-down (Systems) models
Models of aggregates - demographic models
Abstract systems of variables
Systems and sub-systems: convergence with agent models

Formal models and simulations as theory construction

Statics

Classification and taxonomy to develop theory
Statics as "snap-shots" of the state space
Weber's ideal types
Selective affinity as equilibrium tendency
Weakness of causal explanation in statics

Dynamics: three approaches

Difference equations
Differential equations
Rule-based agent systems
Dynamics as theories of effects on rates of change

Models and Theories

What is a theory?

inter-related propositions stated in variables
is an algorithm a theory?

What is a model?

A model as a theory (mathematical models)
A stylized application of the abstract laws of motion

Working with theories by simulation

Model construction as theory specification

boundaries, limits, time and space dimensions of effects

Understanding and evaluating theory by simulation

Deductions: long-term equilibrium evaluation
Descriptions: characteristic historical patterns
Sensitivity analysis (states, relational forms, important processes)
Sensitivity to initial conditions: equilibrium, periodic, and chaotic behavior


Activity: Bainbridge's Sociology Laboratory

Working with the Status model

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