Social simulation is a research field that applies agent-based computational models to the study of social phenomena, such as the emergence of social norms, the spatial segregation of ethnic groups in urban cities and the formation of collective opinion. Its raison d’être is to help social scientists to understand and explain complex social phenomena by looking at agent interaction in given social structures.

By providing room for concrete collaborations between cognitive scientists, computer scientists, natural scientists, economists and social scientists, social simulation crosses the gap between the descriptive approach that dominates the social sciences and the formal approach that characterizes the hard sciences. In doing so, it advances the knowledge frontier on crucial social puzzles that traditional approaches and disciplines dramatically fail to explain.

Organized by the GECS-Research Group of the Brescia University, chaired by Flaminio Squazzoni and sponsored by ESSA, University of Brescia, SIMIAN-Simulation Innovation: A Node, and Project Group, the first ESSA Summer School in Social Simulation aims to provide a comprehensive educational programme on the basics of this new field. The faculty includes some of the best European social simulation researchers, including Prof. Nigel Gilbert (University of Surrey, UK), Prof. Klaus G. Troitzsch (University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany) and Prof. Rosaria Conte (CNR, Rome). The school combines attention to theoretical, methodological and modelling aspects. Introduced by an invited lecture by Prof. Claudio Cioffi-Revilla (George Mason University, USA), the programme spans from epistemological and methodological issues to examples of concrete applications to the real world and policy implications. Lectures are joined with modelling exercises, student papers and research projects discussion, and tutoring sessions.

By the end of this school, each student is expected to:

·        Learn what is social simulation and why it is crucial to do innovative social science in many fields

·        Learn the basics to design social simulation models

·        Learn how to develop his/her model and to base an innovative and robust research strategy upon it

·        Learn possible applications of social simulation models to the social reality.

Participants

MA and PhD students, post-doc fellows, researchers, and professionals.

Application Procedure

Send your CV, a one page description of your dissertation/research project and a letter of support from your supervisor (please, attach a pdf scanned version to the email) to essasumm@eco.unibs.it by 15 June 2010 at the latest. Since SIMIAN (Simulation Innovation: a Node) provides financial support for five participants from UK on a competitive base, UK participants are requested to register also on the Simian website at: www.simian.ac.uk/courses.

Fees

Depending on availability, the university residence rooms are single rooms with private bathrooms.

University/public research institutes participants who want to book extra-days at the university residence are requested to contact essasumm@eco.unibs.it as soon as possible. Please, note that after 15 July it is difficult for us to guarantee any availability of university residence rooms.

Since rooms at the university residence are limited, professionals are kindly invited to book room hotels.

Information on payment available soon.

Deadlines

For application: 15 June 2010

For acceptance: 30 June 2010

For regular registration: 15 July 2010

Information and contacts

For any further detail, please contact essasumm@eco.unibs.it