This post is a guest blog by Dr James Allen-Robertson, instructor on our Collecting Social Media Data online course. James talks about computational methods, programming experience and the benefits of online courses.
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social science
This post is a guest blog by Dr Phillip Brooker, on Programming-as-Social-Science (PaSS): A Matter of Form and Content. Phillip is an instructor on our ‘Introduction to Python’ and ‘Intermediate Python Skills’ online courses.
Python is one of the most popular programming languages in the data science world, but it is also proving integral to the burgeoning field of computational social science. Find out what attracts social scientists to Python.
We asked Phillip Brooker, an interdisciplinary researcher in the field of social media analytics, and social science expert on Introduction to Python for Social Scientists, for his advice on using data science methods in social science research.
Phillip has background in sociology and sociological research methods, and co-convenes the Programming-as-Social-Science (PaSS) network which explores computer programming as a subject and methodological tool for social research and teaching. So if you’re looking into computational social science, listen up, you’re in good hands!
The big data revolution offers huge potential for social scientists. However, the successful collection and rigorous analysis of this data require new skills, new collaborations, new research methods, and new computational tools. Learning data science skills may seem daunting, but there are many reasons why learning to program will benefit both you and your field of study. Find out why here.