Introduction to Computational Social Science: Principles and Applications

by Claudio Cioffi-Revilla

Overview

This reader-friendly textbook is the first work of its kind to provide a unified Introduction to Computational Social Science (CSS). Four distinct methodological approaches are examined in detail, namely automated social information extraction, social network analysis, social complexity theory and social simulation modeling. The coverage of these approaches is supported by a discussion of the historical context, as well as by a list of texts for further reading. Features: highlights the main theories of the CSS paradigm as causal explanatory frameworks that shed new light on the nature of human and social dynamics; explains how to distinguish and analyze the different levels of analysis of social complexity using computational approaches; discusses a number of methodological tools; presents the main classes of entities, objects and relations common to the computational analysis of social complexity; examines the interdisciplinary integration of knowledge in the context of social phenomena.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781447156611
Publisher:	Springer-Verlag New York, LLC
Publication date:	12/31/2013
Series:	Texts in Computer Science
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Dr. Claudio Cioffi-Revilla is Professor of Computational Social Science, founding and former Chair of the Department of Computational Social Science and founding and current Director of the Center for Social Complexity at George Mason University, VA, USA.

Table of Contents

Introduction.- Computation and Social Science.- Automated Information Extraction.- Social Networks.- Social Complexity I: Origins and Measurement.- Social Complexity II: Laws.- Social Complexity III: Theories.- Simulations I: Methodology.- Simulations II: Variable-Oriented Models.- Simulations III: Object-Oriented Models.

Editorial Reviews

This book is organized in a rigorous manner: each chapter includes an introductory abstract, a short chronology of the main achievements related to the chapter’s topic, well-balanced formalized-intuitive knowledge content, a significant number of questions … and finally a list of future readings. … I think Claudio Cioffi-Revilla’s work hits its assumed target: to be an affordable textbook for students and, at the same time, a useful support manual for instructors interested in learning or teaching computational social science.” (Valentin V. Inceu, Computing Reviews, February, 2019)

“This well-organized book provides a timely and comprehensive systematic introduction to CSS. The chapters are relatively independent. Therefore, readers may quickly grasp related information by reading chapters selectively. … this book is intended as a CSS textbook for graduate students … .” (Chenyi Hu, Computing Reviews, August 11, 2014)

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From the Publisher