Introduction to Computational Social Science

Expanded new edition enhanced with exercises and problems (with solutions)
Introduces the key concepts in computational social science, providing formal definitions and a glossary
Describes the scope of each sub-field, covering topics on information extraction, social networks, complexity theory and social simulations
Discusses such methodological tools as extracting entities from text, computing social network indices and building an agent-based model
This 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.