Introduction to Agent-Based Models
PSC 120
Overview
Welcome to Introduction to Agent-based Models! As its name suggests, this course is about agent-based models (ABMs), a method of conducting virtual experiments using computer simulations. In this class, you will learn about: ABMs as virtual experiments, complex systems that are appropriate for study with ABMs, how to design a simple ABM, how to analyze its results, and how to program an ABM in the Java programming language.
This class fulfills requirements (or electives) for Psychology (other social sciences) and Computer Science majors. This class will be both programming heavy and be-havioral theory heavy, so all work for this class will be done in groups of 3. I rec-ommend making sure each group has at least one proficient coder and one social science student.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the Quarter you will be able to:
• Identify a research question about a complex system of interest;
• Apply the ABM Design Framework introduced in class to your question of in-terest;
• Create/Adapt existing models using Java;
• Articulate a description of your model with theoretically informed rationale;
• Design virtual experiments to test theoretically relevant conditions in an ABM;
• Analyze the data from the virtual experiments;
• Visualize and explain the results of your experiments
Course Format
Project Based Learning
This course has a Project Based Learning design, meaning: by the end of the course your group will have built a theory-driven simple ABM from scratch. Class time will be spent actively developing your ABMs with Instructor guidance and feedback. The assigned readings provide a frame. of reference for in-class activities. The course is a lot of work on paper because you have lots of due dates, but in reality each submission builds on the last to develop one over-arching project. In addition, this course utilizes many "dropnumber" policies, which means that in certain sections each person only needs to submit a certain number of assignments for a grade.
Labs
This course will have in-class group work and lectures, and we will refer to in-class group work assignments as "Labs". Labs will be during regular lecture time and lo-cation. There will be a total 8 Labs that will introduce you to JAVA/Eclipse, MASON, designing models, virtual experiments, and analyzing ABM data. The rest of the Labs contribute to your Group Project (See course outline). You will have a lab jour-nal entry due after each Lab (see canvas assignments) based on the self-refection prompt in the canvas assignment page.
Lectures
I use an interactive lecture style. for teaching, so come to class prepared to partici-pate.
Attendance
Attendance in this class is not mandatory. All lectures will be recorded. However, most days will not include lectures and instead will be in-class labs done in groups. If you don’t attend a lab, you will either need to complete the lab on your own or provide evidence of your out-of-class contribution to the lab.
While not attending will not hurt your grade, attending class can help your grade. Each day you attend earns you .2 extra credit points.
No need to ask for excused absences! Every person has 3 no-questions-asked absence days meaning you only need to attend 15 non-test day classes to receive the maximum individual attendance extra credit of 3pts.
You can also earn an additional 2 points if your project group reaches a combined attendance of 75%. The total extra credit that can be earned for attendance is 5 points.