The students learn three different simulation methods that are commonly used to model and understand complex systems. The topics covered are agent based modeling, network theory and cellular automata. The example simulations discussed in class range from social systems to physical systems, with many examples from biology.
A large part of the course consists of projects where the students work in small groups to implement a small scale simulations. The topics addressed in the project are chosen by the students themselves. An example of an assignment used on the topic of network theory dealt with understanding the core behind Google's ranking of webpages.
Student portal page: http://www.student.chalmers.se/sp/course?course_id=15033
