Introduction to Computational Social Science: Principles and Applications (2nd Edition)

DescriptionThe emerging field of computational social science (CSS) is devoted to the pursuit of interdisciplinary social science research from an information processing perspective, through the medium of advanced computing and information technologies.This reader-friendly textbook/reference is the first work of its kind to provide a comprehensive and unified Introduction to Computational Social Science. Four distinct methodological approaches are examined in particular detail, namely automated social information extraction, social network analysis, social complexity theory, and social simulation modeling. The coverage of each of these approaches is supported by a discussion of the historical context and motivations, as well as by a list of recommended texts for further reading.Key FeaturesDescribes the scope and content of each area of CSS, covering topics on information extraction, social networks, complexity theory, and social simulationsHighlights the main theories of the CSS paradigm as causal explanatory frameworks that shed new light on the nature of human and social dynamicsExplains how to distinguish and analyze the different levels of analysis of social complexity using computational approachesDiscusses a number of methodological tools, including extracting entities from text, computing social network indices, and building an agent-based modelPresents the main classes of entities, objects, and relations common to the computational analysis of social complexityExamines the interdisciplinary integration of knowledge in the context of social phenomenaThis unique, clearly-written textbook is essential reading for graduate and advanced undergraduate students planning on embarking on a course on computational social science, or wishing to refresh their knowledge of the fundamental aspects of this exciting field.Table of ContentsIntroduction – Claudio Cioffi-RevillaComputation and Social Science – Claudio Cioffi-RevillaAutomated Information Extraction – Claudio Cioffi-RevillaSocial Networks – Claudio Cioffi-RevillaSocial Complexity I: Origins and Measurement – Claudio Cioffi-RevillaSocial Complexity II: Laws – Claudio Cioffi-RevillaSocial Complexity III: Theories – Claudio Cioffi-RevillaSimulations I: Methodology – Claudio Cioffi-RevillaSimulations II: Variable-Oriented Models – Claudio Cioffi-RevillaSimulations III: Object-Oriented Models – Claudio Cioffi-RevillaReviews“This 300 pages book a very good introduction to CSS, as it covers all relevant aspects that are fundamental to start a CSS research. … the book could be used for teaching methodological aspects of modeling in the social sciences … . Claudio-Cioffi’s book is a must read for any beginner of CSS. … It is a great synthesis of the main achievements in this field that could be fruitfully adopted by anyone teaching CSS as an introductory guide.” (František Kalvas, jasss.soc.surrey.ac.uk, February, 2015)“It is a nice introduction for beginners to grasp the fundamentals of CSS. … This well-organized book provides a timely and comprehensive systematic introduction to CSS. The chapters are relatively independent. … Although this book is intended as a CSS textbook for graduate students … anyone who is interested in the fundamentals of CSS would benefit from reading it.” (Chenyi Hu, Computing Reviews, August, 2014)Author BiographyDr. 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.