CSCS 501 Introduction to Complex Systems
MW 4:00-5:30
171 Lorch
Course Description:
We will operate as a collaborative seminar, studying classic papers and central topics in the
theory of complex systems, emphasizing central concepts, formal tools, and iconic models.
Topics will include the concept of emergence; measures of complexity; non-linear dynamics;
equilibria, tipping points and path dependence; chaos; information theory, replicator dynamics
and evolutionary game theory; networks, small worlds, preferential attachment and power laws;
diffusion and contagion; collective wisdom and movement on landscapes. We will take concepts
as the core, bringing in the math, modeling, and simulation when helpful.
We will also be relying on you to put work from your field of specialization into the pool—work
that you consider relevant to complex system. We will be adding at least one reading each week
from someone in the class.
Work and Grading:
Each week we will be working with a central reading or two (marked ● below). Homework in
advance will ask for your thinking on a central question on the reading. You will also turn in a
question you want to ask about the topic. Those questions will guide our exploration of the piece
in seminar.
Each week we will also be working with several satellite pieces, supplemental to the central
reading (marked ○). Students will be assigned to present, explain, and guide discussion on those.
You can expect to take that role several times during the semester.
(I’ve also listed ‘technical supplements’ here. These aren’t part of our official reading, but if
you want to dig deeper on any of the topics, those are good places to go.)
There will be two projects due, each in one of these categories (and no more than one in each):
□ It looks like a paper, with new exploration of a central concept in complex systems
□ It looks like a conceptual layout, literature review, or meta-analysis of what has been
done in a particular area
□ It looks like a plan for the research that needs to be done, reflecting both where we are in
a particular area and where we should go from here.
□ It looks like a computational model or simulation of a complex system (can be done as a
team project)
□ It looks like a theorem in complex systems (if you want to use your math chops)
30% of your grade will be based on the weekly question assignments
30% will be based on your active participation in seminar, including reading presentations and
deep involvement in discussion
40% will be based on your two projects, in presentation and written form. Final draft for the first
is due Oct. 30th. Final draft for the second is due Dec. 18th.
This course involves major reading across the discipline(s) of complex systems. All readings
will be made available as downloadable .pdfs on CTools, but I expect you to print out hard
copies of ● and ○ readings each week and bring those to class so that we can reference them
in discussion.
Topics and Readings:
Note: Seminar participants will add readings as we go. We may also change direction as
our interests take us. For both reasons, readings may change on short notice.
Week 1
Sept. 9
Welcome to the course.
Fundamentals, Adjustments, and seminar assignments for next week
Week 2
Sept. 14, 16
The Concept of Emergence
reading in advance:
● Steven Johnson, “The Myth of the Ant Queen,” from Emergence: The
Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities and Software
○ from John Holland, Emergence: from Chaos to Order
○ from Harold J. Morowitz, The Emergence of Everything: How The World
Became Complex
Into the mix:
○ V. Miemis, “Is Twitter a Complex Adaptive System?” [BK]
○ A. J. Deutsch, “A Subway Named Moebius” [AK]
○ L. M. A. Bettencourt & D. I. Kaiser, “Formation of Scientific Fields as a
Universal Topological Transition” [AK]
(Technical supplement: Robert B. Laughlin & David Pines, “The Theory
of Everything”)
Due at beginning of seminar Sept. 14: A thinking question on the reading, & your
question for the seminar. Both in hard copy.
Bring hard copy of ● and ○ readings to class
Week 3
Sept. 21, 23
Simple Rules, Complex Systems, Levels of Analysis and Complexity in the Game of Life
reading in advance:
● John Conway, Richard Guy, & Elwyn Berlekamp, “What is Life?”
from Winning Ways for Your Mathematical Plays vol. 2.
○ from Karl Sigmund, Games of Life
○ Daniel Dennett, from Darwin’s Dangerous Idea
○ Mark Bedau, “Weak Emergence”
Into the mix:
○ J. R. A. Maier & Georges M. Fadel, “Understanding the
Complexity of Design” [CS]
○ F. A. von Hayek, “The Pretense of Knowledge,” Nobel Lecture [AK]
(Technical supplement: Mark Bedau, “Downward Causality and
Autonomy in Weak Emergence”)
Due at beginning of seminar Sept. 21: A thinking question on the reading. Your
question for the seminar. Both in hard copy.
Bring hard copy of ● and ○ readings to class
Week 4
Sept. 28, 30
Measures of Complexity & Diversity
reading in advance:
● from Melanie Mitchell, Complexity: A Guided Tour
○ Scott E. Page, Diversity and Complexity, chapter 1
○ Scott E. Page, Diversity and Complexity, chapter 2
○ Lu Hong & Scott Page, “Groups of diverse problem solvers can outperform
groups of high-ability problem solvers”
Into the mix:
○ J. R. Hackman, “Why Teams Don’t Work” [MM]
○ Ray Dalio, “Principles” [MM]
(Technical Supplement: Li & Vintanyi, “Algorithmic
Complexity”
Due at beginning of seminar Sept. 28: A thinking question on the reading. Your
question for the seminar. Both in hard copy.
Bring hard copy of all readings to class —both ● and ○
Week 5
Oct. 5, 7
Tipping Points and Path Dependence
reading in advance:
● from Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point
● Scott Page, “Essay: Path Dependence”
○ Mark Granovetter, “Threshold Models of Collective Behavior”
○ Josh Epstein, “Modeling Civil Violence: An Agent-Based Computational
Approach”
Into the mix:
○ Carl Knappett, Ray Rivers & Tim Evans, “The Therean Eruption and
Minoan Palatial Collapse: New Interpretations Gained from Modeling the
Maritime Network” [GT]
○ Emma Blake, “Social Networks, Path Dependence, and the Rise of
Ethnic Groups in Pre-Roman Italy” [GT]
(Technical Supplement: P. J. Lamberson & Scott Page, “Tipping
Points”
Due at beginning of seminar Oct. 5: A thinking question on the reading. Your
question for the seminar. Both in hard copy.
Bring hard copy of ● and ○ readings to class
Week 6
Oct. 12, 14
Non-linear Dynamics, Bifurcation, and Chaos
reading in advance:
● from L. Smith, Chaos: A Very Short Introduction
○ Ricard Solé and Brian Goodwin, Signs of Life: How Complexity Pervades
Biology, chapters 1 and 2
○ from Steven Strogatz, Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos
○ from Grim, Mar, & St. Denis, The Philosophical Computer
○ Into the mix: _______________________________
(Technical supplement: from Richard Solé, Phase Transitions)
Due at beginning of seminar Oct. 12: A thinking question on the reading. Your
question for the seminar. Both in hard copy.
Bring hard copy of ● and ○ readings to class
Week 7
Oct. 19, 21
No Class Oct. 19. Reading period
► Due at beginning of seminar Oct. 21: First Project Prospectus
●
Oct. 21: Prospectus Symposium
Week 8
Oct. 26, 28
► First Project Presentations
Handouts and/or PowerPoints strongly encouraged
Discussion in seminar
► Due in my office by noon Friday, October 30th: First Project Final Draft
Week 9
Nov. 2, 4
Tools from Decision and Game Theory
reading in advance:
● from Robert Axelrod, Evolution of Cooperation
○ from Sylvia Nassar, A Beautiful Mind
○ from K, Binmore, Game Theory: A Very Short Introduction
Into the mix:
○ A. David Redish, “Addiction as a Computational Process Gone Awry”
[EP]
(Technical supplement: John Nash, “Equilibrium Points in N-Person
Games” & “Non-cooperative Games”)
Due at beginning of seminar Nov. 2: A thinking question on the reading. Your
question for the seminar. Both in hard copy.
Bring hard copy of ● and ○ readings to class
Week 10
Nov. 9, 11
Replicator Dynamics, Evolutionary Game Theory and Genetic Algorithms
reading in advance:
● from Karl Sigmund, Games of Life
● from Melanie Mitchell, An Introduction to Genetic Algorithms
○ Ken Binmore, “Evolutionary Biology,” from Game Theory: A Very Short
Introduction
○ Richard Dawkins, from The Selfish Gene
○ John Holland, “Genetic Algorithms”
○ Into the mix: _______________________________
(Technical supplement: From Martin Nowak, Evolutionary Dynamics)
Due at beginning of class Nov 9: A thinking question on the reading. Your question
for the seminar. Both in hard copy.
Bring hard copy of ● and ○ readings to class
Week 11
Modeling Prejudice and Discrimination
reading in advance:
● from Thomas Schelling, Micromotives and Macrobehavior
○ Elizabeth Bruch & Robert D. Mare, “Neighborhood Choice and
Neighborhood Change”
Nov. 16, 18
○ Arnout van de Rijt, David Siegel, & Michael Macy, “Neighborhood Chance
and Neighborhood Change: A Comment on Bruch and Mare”
○ Grim, et. al, “Modeling Prejudice Reduction”
Into the mix:
○Nathan Nunn & Leonard Wantchekon, “The Slave Trade and the Origins
of Mistrust in Africa” [AV]
Due at beginning of class Nov. 16: A thinking question on the reading. Your question
for the seminar. Both in hard copy.
Bring hard copy of ● and ○ readings to class
Week 12
Nov. 23
Networks and their Properties
Small Worlds and Complex Contagion
reading in advance:
● Watts & Strogatz, “Collective dynamics of ‘small-world’ networks”
○ Mark Granovetter, “The Strength of Weak Ties”
○ Damon Centola & Michael Macy, “Complex Contagions and the Weakness of
Long Ties”
Into the mix:
○ Nicholas A. Christakis & James A. Fowler, “The Spread of Obesity in a
Large Social Network over 32 Years” [GF]
○ Christakis & Fowler, supplement [GF]
○ Nathan Norfleet Eagle, “Sensing Complex Social Systems,” from
Machine Perception and Learning of Complex Social Systems [PV]
(Technical supplement: Börner, Sanyal & Vespignani, Network Science
Mark Newman, “The Structure and Function of Complex Networks” )
Due at beginning of class Nov. 23: A thinking question on the reading. Your question
for the seminar. Both in hard copy
Bring hard copy of ● and ○ readings to class
No class November 25 Thanksgiving.
► Due at beginning of seminar Nov. 30: Second Project Prospectus
Week 13
Nov. 30, Dec. 2
Preferential Attachment and Power Laws
reading in advance:
● Duncan Watts, “Beyond the Small World,” from Six Degrees
● Albert-Laszlo Barabasi and Reka Albert, “Emergence of Scaling in
Random Networks”
○ Reka Albert, Hawoong Jeong, & Albert-Laszlo Barabasi, “Attack and
Error Tolerance of Complex Networks”
Into the mix:
○ Justin Leidwanger, “Modeling Distance with Time in Ancient
Mediterranean Seafaring: A GIS Application for the Interpretation of
Martime Connectivity” [GT]
(Technical supplement: Mark Newman, “Power Laws, Pareto
distributions and Zipf’s Law”
Clauset, Shalizi & Newman, “Power-law distributions in empirical
data”)
Due at beginning of class Nov. 30: A thinking question on the reading. Your question
for the seminar. Both in hard copy
Bring hard copy of ● and ○ readings to class
Week 14
Dec. 7, 9
Dec. 7 Models of Investigators: Epistemic Agents Exploring Rugged Landscapes
reading in advance:
● Grim, Singer, Fisher, Bramson, Berger, Reade, Flocken, and Sales, “Scientific
Networks on Data Landscapes: Question Difficulty, Epistemic Success,
and Convergence”
● Lu Hong & Scott Page, “Groups of diverse problem solvers can
Outperform groups of high-ability problem solvers”
○ from James Surowiecki, The Wisdom of Crowds
○ Into the mix: _______________________________
(Technical supplement: Michael Weisberg & Ryan Muldoon,
“Epistemic Landscapes and the Division of Cognitive Labor”
J. McKenzie Alexander, J. Himmelreich & C. J. Thompson, “Epistemic
Landscapes, Optimal Search and the Division of Cognitive Labor”)
Due at beginning of class Dec. 7: A thinking question on the reading. Your question
for the seminar. Both in hard copy
Bring hard copy of ● and ○ readings to class
--------------------------
Dec. 9 ► Second Project Presentations
Handouts and/or PowerPoints strongly encouraged
Discussion in seminar
Week 15
► Second Project Presentations
Dec. 14
Wrap-up
► Due in my office by noon, December 18th: Second Project Final Draft
Me: My office is in West Hall 323. I work there, so I’m there a lot, but we’ll make official
office hours 1:00 – 3:00 Monday and Wednesday. If you need me any other time, or need to
contact me in any other way, the best-email, peculiarly enough, is patrick.grim@stonybrook.edu.