January 28 and 29, 2025
Much quantitative social science and behavioral research has focused on identifying statistical relationships in cross-sectional data. While rigorous and tractable, this research typically assumes the objects of study are independent of one another, and thus assumes away the complex social processes that we hope to understand. Qualitative (ethnographic and comparative-historical) lenses have allowed us to view the social world as a web of interdependent and contingent processes, with macro-level cultures, communities, and organizations emerging from and constraining the micro-level interactions of individuals, relationships, and families. An explosion of recent work has used computational models to think systematically and rigorously about these complex social dynamics. Simulation research can offer rich, nuanced process models similar to qualitative work, but employs a rigorous, transparent, and replicable framework that can be extended to other research contexts, similar to statistical approaches.
Theorists use computational models to elucidate, extend, integrate, and validate social theory. Policy analysts use computational models to predict outcomes of policy scenarios in complex and interactive domains. Managers use computational models to design efficient and robust organizational operations and implement effective interventions. Health agencies use computational models to explore strategies for population interventions. This proliferation of simulation work has generated great interest in modeling methods, but few disciplinary departments presently offer training in this area. This introductory workshop will allow attendees to understand some of the overall goals and methods of social simulation, give them hands-on experience in experimenting on models, and point them to resources to begin using these tools in their own work.
We will explore a range of modeling domains including social networks, social influence, individual and social learning, and social norms. We will draw substantive applications mostly from the science of organizations (e.g., models of organizational culture and turnover, dynamics of collective action in teams, and intergroup conflict) and public health (e.g., understanding and resolving health disparities, transmission of disease on contact networks, social contagion and diffusion of health or risk behaviors).
This workshop will orient participants to this research approach by surveying some families of models and by demonstrating general principles of dynamic modeling. All sessions will include hands-on lab exercises. Participants do not need any specialized training or experience in mathematics or computer programming for this workshop.
Instructor: James Kitts
James Kitts joined the UMass Department of Sociology in 2012 and served as the Director of the Computational Social Science Institute until 2018. He has previously held faculty positions at Columbia University, Dartmouth College, and the University of Washington. He has taught computational modeling Ph.D. seminars at Columbia University, the University of Arizona, and the University of Washington, and has led modeling workshops for government agencies, universities and research institutes around the world. His research recently appeared in American Journal of Sociology, American Sociological Review, Social Forces, Social Networks, and Demography. He holds a PhD from Cornell University.
Questions? For more information about this or any of the ISSR Summer Methodology Workshops, please contact ISSR's Director of Research Methods Programs, Jessica Pearlman (jpearlman@issr.umass.edu).
REGISTRATION INFORMATION | 12-HOUR WORKSHOP
Important: If you are registering for more than one workshop, please verify that all workshops are in your cart with the correct institutional and career status selected, for accurate pricing.
Five College Students and Faculty
- Five College Undergraduate and Graduate Students and Postdocs: $150/person
- Five College Faculty & Staff: $270/person
Non-Five College Students and Faculty
- Non-Five College Undergraduate and Graduate Students and Postdocs: $300/person
- Non-Five College Faculty, Staff & Other Professionals: $420/person
Registration note: The Five Colleges include: UMass Amherst, Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College. Faculty, students and staff from University of Massachusetts Boston, Dartmouth and Lowell campuses and UMass Chan Medical School pay the five college rates. Registration closes for each workshop 2 full business days prior to the start date. If paying with departmental funds, contact Sue Falcetti (sfalcetti@umass.edu).
Cancellation note: In cases where enrollment is 5 or less, we reserve the right to cancel the workshop. In cases where the registrant cancels prior to the workshop, a full refund will be given with two weeks notice, and 50% refund will be given with one week notice. We will not be able to refund in cases where registrant does not notify us of cancellation at least one week prior to the beginning date of the workshop.