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Martin Hilbert

For more information please view the Computational Social Science Trailer

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For more information please view the Computational Social Science Trailer

Digital technology has not only revolutionized society, but also the way we can study it. Currently, this is taken advantage of by the most valuable companies in Silicon Valley, the most powerful governmental agencies, and the most influential social movements. What they have in common is that they use computational tools to understand, and ultimately influence human behavior and social dynamics.

An increasing part of human interaction leaves a massive digital footprint behind. Studying it allows us to gain unprecedented insights into what society is and how it works, including its intricate social networks that had long been obscure. Computational power allows us to detect hidden patterns through analytical tools like machine learning and to natural language processing. Finally, computer simulations enable us to explore hypothetical situations that may not even exist in reality, but that we would like to exist: a better world.

This specialization serves as a multidisciplinary, multi-perspective, and multi-method guide on how to better understand society and human behavior with modern research tools. This specialization gives you easy access to some of the exciting new possibilities of how to study society and human behavior. It is the first online specialization collectively taught by Professors from all 10 University of California campuses.

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What's inside

Five courses

Computational Social Science Methods

(0 hours)
This course provides an overview of computational social science (CSS), its applications, and its impact on various aspects of society. It covers the reasons for the current prominence of CSS, its scope, and specific examples of its use. The course explores how CSS can be used to study human behavior and shape it, from its role in services provided by major companies to its influence on government agencies and social movements.

Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, and Ethics

(0 hours)
This course provides context and hands-on experience with big data and artificial intelligence. With the vast amount of digital information available, machine learning is essential for extracting knowledge. Ethical considerations are also discussed.

Social Network Analysis

(0 hours)
This course introduces the science of social networks, which are at the heart of society. We will study network structure and how networks evolve over time. In the lab, you will visualize and analyze a network with software.

Computer Simulations

(0 hours)
Big data and artificial intelligence are popular in computational social science, but computer simulations are also important. This course explores how computer simulations are used to study social science theory. We will use agent-based models to grow and study artificial societies. We will also explore how to combine hypothetical models with real-world data. Finally, you will program a simple artificial society yourself.

Computational Social Science Capstone Project

(0 hours)
CONGRATULATIONS! You have the skills to execute a comprehensive multi-method workflow of computational social science. We will put these skills to work in this final integrative lab, where we will scrape data from a social media site, analyze the collected data by visualizing the resulting networks, analyze some key aspects of it in depth, using machine learning powered natural language processing, and use a computer simulation model to explore possible generative mechanisms.

Learning objectives

  • Discover how social networks and human dynamics create social systems and recognizable patterns
  • Define and discuss big data opportunities and limitations
  • Web scrape online data, create a social network visualization with it, and use machine learning to analyze its content
  • Use computer simulations to program your own artificial societies to explore business strategies and policy options

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