Description
Book SynopsisThis textbook provides a comprehensive and reader-friendly introduction to the field of computational social science (CSS). Presenting a unified treatment, the text examines in detail the four key methodological approaches of automated social information extraction, social network analysis, social complexity theory, and social simulation modeling. This updated new edition has been enhanced with numerous review questions and exercises to test what has been learned, deepen understanding through problem-solving, and to practice writing code to implement ideas. Topics and features: contains more than a thousand questions and exercises, together with a list of acronyms and a glossary; examines the similarities and differences between computers and social systems; presents a focus on automated information extraction; discusses the measurement, scientific laws, and generative theories of social complexity in CSS; reviews the methodology of social simulations, covering both variable- and object-oriented models.
Trade Review“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)
Table of ContentsIntroduction
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
