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Lecture with Computer Exercises: Modelling and Simulating Social Systems with MATLAB
Last Updated: 2026-02-05 15:28:36
Abstract
This course introduces the mathematical software package MATLAB.Students should learn to implement models of various social processesand systems, and document their skills by a seminar thesis.
Objective
The students should learn how to use MATLAB as a tool to solve various scientific problems. MATLAB is an integrated environment with a high level programming language which makes it possible to quickly find numerical solutions to a wide range of scientific problems. Furthermore, it includes a rich set of tools for graphically presenting the results. After the students have learned the basic structure of the programming language, they should be able to implement social simulation models in MATLAB and document their skills by a seminar thesis.
Content
This course introduces first the basic functionalities and features of the mathematical software package MATLAB, such as the simple operation with matrices and vectors, differential equations, statistical tools, the graphical representation of data in various forms, and video animations of spatio-temporal data. With this knowledge, students are expected to implement themselves in MATLAB models of various social processes and systems, including agent-based models, e.g. models of interactive decision making, group dynamics, human crowds, or game-theoretical models. Part of this course will consist of supervised programming exercises in a computer pool. Credit points are finally earned for the implementation of a mathematical model from the sociological literature in MATLAB and the documentation in a seminar thesis.
Resources
Lecture Notes
An updated script will be presented on the course web page after each lecture.
Literature
[1] The built-in Matlab documentation [2] MATLAB kompakt, Wolfgang Schweizer, (Oldenbourg, 2006) Further literature, in particular regarding computer models in the social sciences, will be provided in the course.
General Information
- Language
- English
- Levels
- DS
Examination
- Type
- graded semester performance
Course Components
| Type | Title | Time & Place | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| lecture with exercise | Lecture with Computer Exercises: Modelling and Simulating Social Systems with MATLAB |
|
2 h weekly |
Offered In
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Humanities, Social and Political Sciences (In order to be awarded credits, please register under "Pflichtwahlfach GESS"!. The language courses are offered by the ETH and University of Zurich Language Center ( ))
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