CSCS 501 Introduction to Complex Systems
MW 4:00-5:30
1372 EH
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.
Work and Grading:
Each week we will be working with a central reading (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 two or three satellite pieces, supplemental to the central
reading (marked ○). Teams of two students will be assigned to present, explain, and guide
discussion on those. You can expect to be on one of those teams (with a different partner) at
least three times over the course of the semester.
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 but not limited to
presentations
40% will be based on your two projects. The first is due Oct. 28th. The second is due Dec. 15th.
Notebooks: 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 want you to print
out hard copies of all.
I will expect hard copies of all the readings each week—both ● and ○—to be brought to
class for discussion. I then expect those to be collected in a notebook of the readings for CSCS
501: an assembled anthology of some of the most important work in complex systems. I may
ask at several points during the semester to see your notebook of collected readings
Topics and Readings:
Note: As we see where our interests are taking us, readings may change on short notice
Week 1
Sept. 3
Welcome to the course.
Fundamentals, Adjustments, and assignments for next week
Week 2
Sept. 8, 10
The Concept of Emergence
reading in advance:
● from John Holland, Emergence: from Chaos to Order
● Steven Johnson, “The Myth of the Ant Queen,” from Emergence: The
Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities and Software
○ Robert B. Laughlin and David Pines “The Theory of Everything”
○ Thomas Schelling, “Sorting and Mixing: Race and Sex”
Due at beginning of seminar Sept. 8: 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 3
Sept. 15, 17
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.
○ Mark Bedau, “Downward Causality and Autonomy in Weak Emergence”
○ Daniel Dennett, “Real Patterns”
Due at beginning of seminar Sept. 15: 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 4
Measures of Complexity
reading in advance:
● Scott E. Page, Diversity and Complexity, chapters 1 & 2
○ from Melanie Mitchell, Complexity: A Guided Tour
Sept. 22, 24
○ Tononi, Sporns, & Edelman, “A measure for brain complexity: relating
functional segregation and integration in the nervous system”
○ Li & Vintanyi, “Algorithmic Complexity”
Due at beginning of seminar Sept. 22: 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
Sept. 29, Oct 1
Tipping Points and Path Dependence
reading in advance:
● Scott Page, “Essay: Path Dependence”
○ P.J. Lamberson & Scott Page, “Tipping Points”
○ Mark Granovetter, “Threshold Models of Collective Behavior”
○ Josh Epstein, “Modeling Civil Violence: An Agent-Based Computational
Approach”
Due at beginning of seminar Sept. 29: 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 6
Oct. 6, 8
Tools from Decision and Game Theory
reading in advance:
● John Nash, “Equilibrium Points in N-Person Games”
○ from Sylvia Nassar, A Beautiful Mind
○ John Nash, “Non-cooperative Games”
○ from Robert Axelrod, Evolution of Cooperation
Due at beginning of seminar Oct. 6: 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 7
Oct. 15
(reading period Oct. 14)
Non-linear Dynamics, Bifurcation, and Chaos
reading in advance:
● Ricard Solé and Brian Goodwin, Signs of Life: How Complexity Pervades
Biology, chapters 1 and 2
○ from Steven Strogatz, Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos
○ from Ricard Solé, Phase Transitions
○ from Grim, Mar, & St. Denis, The Philosophical Computer
Due at beginning of seminar Oct. 15: 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 8
Oct. 20
(no class Oct. 22)
Information Theory, new and old
reading in advance:
● Claude Shannon, “A Mathematical Theory of Communication”
○ Brian Skyrms, from Signals
○ from John Holland, Signals and Boundaries
○from James Surowiecki, The Wisdom of Crowds
Due at beginning of seminar Oct. 20: 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 ○
► No Class Oct. 22. Due in my box at noon, October 27th:
First Project First Draft
Week 9
Oct. 27, 29
First Project Presentations
Handouts or Powerpoints strongly encouraged
Discussion in seminar
► Due in my box at noon, October 31st: First Project Final Draft
Week 10
Nov. 3, 5
Replicator Dynamics, Evolutionary Game Theory and Genetic Algorithms
reading in advance:
● Richard Dawkins, from The Selfish Gene
○ from Karl Sigmund, Games of Life
○ John Holland, “Genetic Algorithms”
○ from Melanie Mitchell, An Introduction to Genetic Algorithms
Due at beginning of class Nov 3: 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 11
Nov. 10, 12
Modeling Prejudice and Discrimination
reading in advance:
● from Thomas Schelling, Micromotives and Macrobehavior
○ Elizabeth Bruch & Robert D. Mare, “Neighborhood Choice and
Neighborhood Change”
○ 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”
Due at beginning of class Nov. 10: 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 12
Nov. 17, 19
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”
○ Katy Börner, Soma Sanyal and Alessandro Vespignani, Network Science
○ Mark Newman, “The Structure and Function of Complex Networks”
Due at beginning of class Nov. 17: 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 13
Nov. 24, 26
Preferential Attachment and Power Laws
reading in advance:
● 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”
○ Newman, “Power laws, Pareto distributions and Zipf’s Law”
○ Clauset, Shalizi & Newman, “Power-law distributions in empirical data”
Due at beginning of class Nov. 24: 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 14
Dec. 1, 3
Models of Investigators: Epistemic Agents Exploring Rugged Landscapes
reading in advance:
● 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”
○ Kevin Zollman, “The Epistemic Benefit of Transient Diversity”
○ Stuart Kauffman & Simon Levin, “Toward a general theory of adaptive
walks on rugged landscapes”
Due at beginning of class Dec. 1: 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 15
Dec. 8
The Payoffs for Diversity & the Wisdom of Crowds
reading in advance:
● Page, chapters 1 & 6 from The Difference
○ Lu Hong & Scott Page, “Groups of diverse problem solvers can
Outperform groups of high-ability problem solvers”
○ Lu Hong, Maria Riolo & Scott Page, “Individual Learning and
Collective Intelligence”
Due at beginning of class Dec. 8: 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 ○
► Due in my box noon December 15th: Second Project