300156 A Sociology of Models and Simulation (S) (SoSe 2026)

Models and simulations are specific ways of representing the world, often in a manner that implies an active, intervening role. Their prominence has grown with the spread of digital algorithms and machine learning. Yet both concepts have of course older and broader meanings than the ones assigned to them in the digital world.
To explore what connects computer models and simulations with analogue ones, we will organize our discussions around two sets of questions:
1) What is the relation between models and simulations, and how do they differ from similar practices like theorizing, testing, imitating, or playing?
2) For what purposes, and with which consequences are modeling and simulation used? What do the different social settings in which they take place have in common?

We will take the seminar title, “sociology of modeling and simulation”, seriously, asking what genuinely sociological (!) insights can be gathered about these practices. Alongside conceptual discussions, this will lead us to engage especially with the fields of sociology of knowledge and sociology of science.

Each session will focus on a general topic. Participants will choose one text per session from the syllabus. In addition to regular attendance, participants are expected to contribute written comments on the reading.