Introduction to Agent-Based Modeling

(3 Credits)

How do local (micro-scale) interactions between individuals generate global (macro-scale) societal patterns--of disease, of conflict, of inequality? Agent-based modeling (ABM) is a powerful new way to address such questions computationally. In ABMs, software individuals and the interactions between them are explicitly represented, and these local interactions generate the global patterns we wish to explain, and to alter through policy, epidemics being prime examples. This course introduces students to ABMs from epidemiology, public health, and social science. It teaches students to build, analyze, extend, test, and present simple models in NetLogo. No prior programming is required. Final projects will be tailored to students’ interests and technical levels.