The following courses are described in more detail below.

--------------------- course requirements ---------------------

I. Required Lower Division Courses (3 courses, minimum 12 units): 

Two lower division courses from the following list: Anthropology 7, 8, 9, 33, Economics 1, 2, 11, Geography 3, 4, any lower division course in History, Political Science 10, 20, 30, 50, and Sociology 1, 10, 24.  Courses may be from the same department or from different departments.  

One lower division course from the following list: Mathematics 2, Statistics 10, 10A, 11, M12, 13 and 14. 

II. Required Upper Division Courses (5 courses, minimum 20 units):

Core Courses (any 2):
Anthropology 131. Culture: What Makes It All Work. (4)
Management 118A. Foundations of New Social Science: Realism, Complexity, Dynamics, Agent-Based Models
Political Science 115A. Ethics and Governance. (4)
Political Science 119. Special Studies in Political Theory. (4)
Sociology 111. Social Networks (4)
Sociology M118. Simulating Society: Exploring Artificial Communities. (5)

Methods courses (2):
HCS 100. Formal Modeling and Simulations in the Social Sciences. (5)
HCS 110. Artificial Culture Laboratory. (5)
HCS 120. Artificial Worlds: Life, Culture and Evolution. (5)
HCS 197. Individual Studies.  (2-4 units)

Electives (1):
Anthropology 131. (see above)
Anthropology M186. Models and Modeling in Anthropology. (4)
Anthropology 186P. Models of Cultural Evolution. (4)
Communication Studies 100. Communication Theory. (4)
Communication Studies 121. Talk and Mass Communication. (4)
Management 118A. (see above)
Political Science 115A. (see above)
Political Science 119. (see above)
Political Science 142D. Understanding Public Issue Life Cycle. (4)
Political Science 164. Comparative History of Government from Earliest Times to Present Day. (4)
Sociology 111. Social Networks (see above) 
Sociology 118A. (see above)

--------------------- course descriptions ---------------------

Anthropology 131. Culture: What Makes It All Work. (4)

Culture, like conscience, is one of those elusive concepts that we know is there, but we cannot easily define.  Generally speaking, culture has to do with the shared ideas, concepts, ideologies and beliefs that individuals acquire as part of becoming societal members. This course will examine some of the basic questions that are addressed by anthropologists in their study of what we mean by culture.  Theories of culture and of the evolutionary origins of culture will be considered.  New analytic methods that allow us to begin to do quasi-experimental research into the nature of culture will be reviewed and multi-agent simulation will be introduced as a framework for modeling how culture can be both "supra-organic” yet embedded, even if imperfectly, in the minds of culture bearers.  


Anthropology M186. Models and Modeling in Anthropology. (4)
(Formerly numbered 186.) (Same as Honors Collegium M150.) Lecture, three hours. 

Modeling from both individual and social structure viewpoints. Introduction to four groups of models, along with ethnographic examples -- decision tree models, indifference curve and marginal cost models, adaptation and learning models, and information diffusion models. Letter grading.


Anthropology 186P. Models of Cultural Evolution. (4)
Lecture, two hours; discussion, one hour. Requisite: course 7 or 10. 

Introduction to Darwinian models of cultural evolution. How organic evolution has shaped the capacity for culture. How processes of cultural transmission and modification explain cultural variation in space and time. P/NP or letter grading.


Communication Studies 100. Communication Theory. (4)

Requisite: course 10 or Linguistics 1 or Sociology 1 or Psychology 10. Analysis of fundamental nature of human communication; its physical, linguistic, psychological, and sociological bases. Study of theoretical models explicating the process and constituents of the communicative act.


Communication Studies 121. Talk and Mass Communication. (4)

Lecture, three hours. In recent years there has been sea change in broadcast news and public affairs programming. News was once packaged and presented to audiences in form of scripted narrative or story, but increasingly news is organized around spontaneous interactional encounters between some combination of journalists, public figures, and ordinary citizens. Examination of interactional forms, with emphasis on news interviews, presidential press conferences, and political speeches before live audiences, from standpoint of their historical development and consequences for journalism, political communication, and public sphere. Primary focus on inner workings of each form of talk -- social norms and practices that organize participation and that distinguish forms of broadcast talk from one another and from ordinary conversation. Letter grading.


Communication Studies 129. Special Topics: The Gaming Mind (4)

Lecture, three hours. Exploration of various aspects of online computer games that are becoming increasingly popular and technically sophisticated, with focus on what people learn from games, how they learn it, and whether learning is potentially useful. Letter grading.


Management 118A. Foundations of New Social Science: Realism, Complexity, Dynamics, Agent-Based Models (4)

This course uses complexity science to bridge between old and new conceptions of social science. Complexity science focuses on “order-creation” coupled with agent-based computational models. Order-creation is the dominant condition of social systems and order-creation is the outcome of interactions among autonomous heterogeneous agents. Equilibrium conditions are not things to be assumed but rather to be marveled at and studied if, when, and where they occur. The key question becomes, How to research social systems as complex adaptive systems, in which agents and emergent structures co-evolve in the context of pressures from ever changing environmental contexts?


HCS 100. Formal Modeling and Simulations in the Social Sciences. (5)

This course explores different approaches to modeling the empirical phenomena of concern to the social sciences. Topics will draw from utility models, learning models, decision models, group competition models and evolutionary models. Multi-agent computer simulations and group exercises will be used to explore emergent behaviors among individuals interacting according to a model for behavior. The advantages and drawbacks of more traditional mathematical modeling will be discussed. Alternative forms of formal representations of hypothesized processes will be reviewed. Issues relating to verification of simulations will be covered.


HCS 110. Artificial Culture Laboratory. (5)

Primarily a hands-on-course in “cultural programming” that will deal with the state-of-the-art issues in evolutionary computing and artificial worlds.  The emphasis will be upon the description, explanation and understanding of human complex systems by representing cultural elements and processes in computational languages.  Participants will build a variety simulation models from the bottom-up in the standard ubiquitous language of C++ with graphically enhanced components for Windows platforms.  They will experiment with different “what-if” scenarios as well as different ways of representing space, time and human agency.  This course may be taken before, after or concurrently with HCS 120.  There are no prerequisites.


HCS 120. Artificial Worlds: Life, Culture and Evolution. (5)

A combination lecture, discussion and laboratory course that will deal with the state-of-the-art in evolutionary computing and artificial worlds.  The emphasis will be upon the explication, explanation and critique of the philosophy, epistemology, theory, method and practice of simulated worlds informed largely by readings, films, hands-on simulations, guest lectures and laboratory visits.  The discussion (laboratory) sessions will be used to introduce participants to the basics of simulation programming from the bottom-up.  This course may be taken before, after or concurrently with HCS 110.  There are no prerequisites.


HCS 197. Individual Studies. (2-4 units)
Grading: P/NP or Letter grade.  Format: Tutorial. Limited to juniors/seniors. Individual contract required.  Individual intensive study, with scheduled meetings to be arranged between a faculty member and a student.  Assigned readings and tangible evidence of mastery of the subject matter required.


Political Science 115A. Ethics and Governance. (4)
(Formerly numbered M115A.) Lecture, three or four hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Designed for juniors/seniors. 

Study of applied ethics and governance, taking case-based approach, mixing normative and positive perspectives. Is action X morally right or wrong? How do people reason about whether action X is morally right or wrong? How do governance structures influence how people reason about whether action X is morally right or wrong? How can we design governance structures that encourage people to act ethically, contribute to public goods, and lead productive and fulfilled lives? May be applied toward Field I or III. P/NP or letter grading.


Political Science 119. Special Studies in Political Theory. (4)
(Formerly numbered 119A-119Z.) Lecture, three or four hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Preparation: one course in Field I. Requisite: course 10. Designed for juniors/seniors. 

Intensive examination of one or more special problems appropriate to political theory. Sections offered on regular basis, with topics announced in preceding term. Courses 119, 139, 149, and 169 may be applied no more than twice toward field concentration requirement. No more than three of these courses may be applied toward the major. P/NP or letter grading.


Political Science 142D. Understanding Public Issue Life Cycle. (4)
Lecture, three or four hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Recommended preparation: courses 10, 40, and one course from Economics 1, 2, 5, 11, 100, or 101. 

Examination of how public issue life cycle is shaped by (1) economic and political incentives of various actors -- business, news media, mass public, organized interests, Congress, the president, regulatory agencies, and courts and (2) ideology, cognitive biases, and ethical reasoning. P/NP or letter grading.


Political Science 164. Comparative History of Government from Earliest Times to Present Day. (4)
Lecture, three or four hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Recommended requisite: course 50. Designed for juniors/seniors. Historical diversity of forms of government: archetypal politics, great empires, major innovations, notable variants. P/NP or letter grading.


Sociology 111. Social Networks (4)
Lecture, three hours; laboratory, one hour. Analysis of how social networks create social structure, how social actors utilize them, and their unexpected effects. Topics include job search, firm efficiency, and social movements. Visualization programs, computer simulations, and research project. P/NP or letter grading.

Sociology M118. Simulating Society: Exploring Artificial Communities. (5)
(Formerly numbered M198A.) (Same as Honors Collegium M148.) Seminar, three hours; computer laboratory, one hour. Examination of social behavior through computer simulations of behavior in artificial communities. P/NP or letter grading.