8. The Evolution of Computational Social Science from a Sociology Perspective with Chris Bail

8. The Evolution of Computational Social Science from a Sociology Perspective with Chris Bail

Author: Katherine A. Keith, Naitian Zhou, & Lucy Li September 27, 2021 Duration: 51:12

This unique episode centers on a "meta" discussion on interdisciplinary work involving large-scale social data. We interview Chris Bail, a Professor of Sociology and Public Policy at Duke University. Last year, Chris and co-authors Achim Edelman, Tom Wolff, and Danielle Montagne published an overview paper titled "Computational Social Science and Sociology" in the Annual Review of Sociology.

We discuss the challenges of defining this large research area, the benefits of making "lateral connections" with potential colleagues as a graduate student, and taking risks in pursuing new research directions. We also highlight the process behind the creation and growth of the Summer Institute in Computational Social Science, which Chris co-founded with Matt Salganik.


Behind every published paper or headline-grabbing finding using social data, there's a hidden story of collaboration, dead ends, and problem-solving. Diaries of Social Data Research pulls back the curtain on that process. Hosted by researchers Katherine A. Keith, Naitian Zhou, and Lucy Li, this series sits down with scholars working at the intersection of computational methods and social science to explore the real, human effort behind the datasets. Each conversation functions like an open research diary, detailing how interdisciplinary teams actually come together, navigate differing academic cultures, and tackle the practical hurdles of working with massive, often messy, information about human behavior. You'll hear about the stalled projects, the unexpected breakthroughs, and the meticulous work that turns a raw idea into a credible contribution. This isn't a podcast about polished results, but about the fascinating and often untold journey of modern research. For anyone curious about how we actually study society through data-the alliances built, the ethics debated, and the code debugged late into the night-this series offers a rare and authentic look inside the lab.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 20

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