This minor introduces and develops the essential skills for employing mathematical, formal, and computational methods in the social sciences. Students completing this minor will have a grasp of the fundamentals necessary for pursuing more in-depth studies in the emerging fields of computational social science and big data. The foundational courses emphasize skills in probability, statistics, and introductory programming. Other courses focus on the application of formal and computational methods in the social sciences including digital analysis of texts, maps, and networks. An additional elective provides breadth in social scientific studies of computation or the foundational principles of logic and computation.
Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified.
Foundational Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MATH 2280 | Statistics and Software | 4 |
| or CRIM 3700 | Analyzing and Using Data on Crime and Justice | |
| or ECON 2350 | Statistics for Economists | |
| or SOCL 2320 | Statistical Analysis in Sociology | |
| or POLS 2400 | Quantitative Techniques | |
| or PSYC 2320 | Statistics in Psychological Research | |
| INSH 1500 | Digital Methods for Social Sciences and Humanities | 4 |
| or CS 2500 | Fundamentals of Computer Science 1 | |
| or DS 2000 and DS 2001 | Programming with Data and Data Science Programming Practicum | |
Applications of Computational Approaches in the Social Sciences
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete two courses from the following: | 8 | |
| (Students may complete a capstone project under the direction of a faculty member in lieu of an application course.) | ||
| Social Networks | ||
| Foundations of Data Science | ||
or DS 4200 | Information Presentation and Visualization | |
or DS 4300 | Large-Scale Information Storage and Retrieval | |
or DS 4400 | Machine Learning and Data Mining 1 | |
| Bostonography: The City through Data, Texts, Maps, and Networks | ||
| Introduction to Information Systems and Digital Technologies | ||
or MISM 2510 | Fundamentals of Information Analytics | |
| Ethics and Evolutionary Games | ||
| Public Opinion, Voting, and Elections | ||
| Big Data for Cities | ||
Elective in Social Inquiry, Computation, and Logic
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete one course from the following: | 4 | |
| Logic and Computation | ||
| Information Economics and Game Theory | ||
| Principles of Information Science | ||
| Probability and Statistics | ||
| Introduction to Logic | ||
or MATH 1215 | Mathematical Thinking | |
| Advanced Logic | ||
| Computers and Society | ||
GPA Requirement
2.000 GPA required in the minor