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Academic Catalog 2022-2023

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Computational Social Science, Minor

2022-2023 Edition

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  • Minor Requirements

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 

Course List
Code Title Hours
MATH 2280Statistics and Software4
or CRIM 3700 Analyzing and Using Data on Crime and Justice
or ECON 2350 Statistics
or SOCL 2320 Statistical Analysis in Sociology
or POLS 2400 Quantitative Techniques
or PSYC 2320 Statistics in Psychological Research
INSH 1500Digital Methods for Social Sciences and Humanities4
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

Course List
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.)
COMM 2105
Social Networks
DS 3000
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
INSH 2102
Bostonography: The City through Data, Texts, Maps, and Networks
MISM 2301
Management Information Systems
or MISM 2510
Fundamentals of Information Analytics
PHIL 2001
Ethics and Evolutionary Games
POLS 3310
Public Opinion, Voting, and Elections
PPUA 5262
Big Data for Cities

Elective in Social Inquiry, Computation, and Logic 

Course List
Code Title Hours
Complete one course from the following:4
CS 2800
Logic and Computation
ECON 4681
Information Economics and Game Theory
IS 2000
Principles of Information Science
MATH 3081
Probability and Statistics
PHIL 1115
Introduction to Logic
or MATH 1215
Mathematical Thinking
PHIL 4515
Advanced Logic
SOCL 4528
Computers and Society

GPA Requirement

2.000 GPA required in the minor

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