What do economic crises, traffic jams, consciousness, the climate, immune systems and flocks of birds have in common? They can all be described as complex systems.
What do economic crises, traffic jams, consciousness, the climate, immune systems and flocks of birds have in common? They can all be described as complex systems.
These systems are characterized by a certain pattern or regularity at the collective level, which is driven by a multitude of interacting components that in their turn are affected by the collective dynamics. In other words: not only is the whole more than the sum of its parts, but changing system behavior also has feedback on the individual components. Complex systems are self-organizing, largely beyond central control, often adaptive but under certain conditions self-destructive.
This course provides a unique opportunity to acquire insights into complex systems, and to learn about the models that are used to represent and examine these systems. It is intended for a broad audience and shows that a general understanding of complexity is possible without understanding all technicalities of the models. There is also a sense of urgency: given the current problems of our world, it is crucially important that students learn about complexity and acquire the skills to use its insights in their future professions, be it business, government, journalism or science.
To decide if you will like this course, this clip is useful: https://youtu.be/eJAs9Qr359o
Recommended prior knowledge
This course can be followed without background in math or programming. However, formal modeling will be paid some attention to in the lectures, and for Master students who want to follow this course, a computational (or math) model is obligatory in their group assignment (see below).
Lecturer(s)
This course is a joint effort by the IIS and the Institute for Advanced Study, coordinated by dhr. dr. J.P. (Jeroen) Bruggeman (j.p.bruggeman@uva.nl).
Teaching format
The program consists of two parts:
Timetable
See Datanose.
Course materials
Costs
Number of participants
Max. 70
Assessment
Registration
UvA students
If you have any trouble while registering please contact: Keuzeonderwijs-iis@uva.nl
Register in SIS (UvA students only)
If you have any trouble while registering please contact: Keuzeonderwijs-iis@uva.nl
Mode | Short-term, open uva courses |
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Credits | 6 ECTS, |
Language of instruction | English |
Conditions for admission | Open |
Starts in | September |