SYLLABUS
POL 676 COMPUTATIONAL MODELING

Instructor
Oleg Smirnov
Email: Oleg.Smirnov@stonybrook.edu

Class hours
Monday, 10:00 – 1:00; SBS N702.

Office hours
Thursday, 10:00 – 12:00, and by appointment; SBS S737.

Textbook
Required: Generative social science (GSS) by Joshua M. Epstein (2006).
Recommended: Complex adaptive systems (CAS) by John Miller and Scott Page (2007).

Other readings
See weekly schedule below

Requirements
Computational modeling original research paper, 100% of the grade. Major components: (1) original research question, (2) original model, (3) original programming, and (4) original analysis and results.

Software to be used
http://www.r-project.org/

Class homepage
http://ms.cc.sunysb.edu/~osmirnov/comp.html
(alternatively, go to => SBU Department of Political Science => Current Faculty => Oleg Smirnov => Computational modeling).

Policy
We follow Stony Brook University honor code and other policies

Tentative schedule

Week 1
Introductions. Political science, rational choice theory, and formal modeling. Examples.
Readings:
1. Taber and Timpone (1996). Computational Modeling (optional).
2. Finding pure-strategy Nash equilibrium in strategic and extensive form games.
3. GSS Anasazi chapters 4-6 (optional).

Week 2
Modeling social dynamics (Schelling). Evolutionary game theory (replicator dynamics).
Examples of phase diagrams produced with Dynamo package for Mathematica (note: apparently, not supported for Mathematica 6; use earlier versions).
Readings:
1. Schelling (1973). A study of binary choices with externalities, JCR, jstor.org.
2. Samuelson L (2002). Evolution and game theory, JEP, jstor.org.
3. Smirnov O (2007). Altruistic punishment in politics and life sciences (EGT section), POP, author website.
4. Fowler J (2005). Altruistic punishment and the origin of cooperation, PNAS, author website.
5. Hauert, et al. (2007). Via freedom to coercion, Science, author website.

Week 3
Introduction to computational models.
Readings:
1. GSS Introductory chapters 1-3, GSS Coda (conclusion).
2. CAS chapters, TBA.
3. Kollman and Page (2006). Computational methods and models of politics.

Weeks 4-5
Computational modeling and an introduction to R.
Readings:
1. An Introduction to R (R manual, version 2.5.1): either HTML or PDF formats. The manual is also included in R.
Week 4 Lecture Notes and Homework #1 assigment in MS Word Format.

Week 6-7
Modeling simple games on a circle, grid, and small world networks. Monte-Carlo simulations.
Readings:
1. GSS Retirement chapter 7.
2. Handout.
3.1 Code (pdf): RSP game with random matching.
3.2 Code (pdf): RSP game on a circle.
3.3 Code (pdf): Simplified retirement model.
3.4 Code (pdf): Simplified retirement model, multiple runs.
3.4.1 Code (R): Same as above in R format. Please make sure to run the code and understand how it works; ask questions..

Week 8-9
Modeling political participation, civil violence, and ethnic/cultural violence.
Readings:
1. GSS Violence chapter 11.
2. May Lim et al. (2007). Global Pattern Formation and Ethnic/Cultural Violence. Science, 317:1540-1544. Including supplemental online material.
3. Smirnov Oleg et al. (2007). Ancestral war and the evolutionary origins of 'heroism', JOP, author website.
4. Handouts.

Weeks 10-11
Genetic algorithms and computational models of elections.
Readings:
1. Kollman, Miller, and Page (1992). Adaptive parties and spatial elections, APSR.
2. Fowler and Smirnov (2005). Dynamic parties and social turnout, AJS.
3. Bendor, Diermeier, and Ting (2003). A behavioral model of turnout, APSR.
4. Laver (2005). Policy and the dynamics of political competition, APSR.
5. Introduction to GA, TBA.
6. Electoral college and adaptive allocation of resources during campaigns, TBA.

Week 12
Altruism and cooperation. GSS Cooperation chapter 9. Group selection.
Readings:
1. Nowak M (2006). Evolutionary dynamics chapters, TBA.
2. Smirnov O (2007). Immunobiology of survival and the evolution of altruism.
3. Smirnov O (2007). Computational model of the social utility function.

Week 13
Evolutionary approach to norms. Informational cascades.
Readings:
1. GSS Norms chapter 10.
2. GSS Smallpox chapter 12 (optional).

Week 14
Models of institutions. Self-organization.
Readings:
1. GSS Classes chapter 8.
2. Smirnov O (2007). Co-evolution of institutions and preferences.
3. Harrington J (1998). Social selection of flexible and rigid agents, AER.
4. GSS Organizations chapter 13 (optional).

Week 15
Presentations and feedback

Finals week
Your research paper is due on the last day of the finals week