3. Opinion Change: Modeling and Measurement

Spring 2026 (March 30 – June 23)

This course explores how opinions form, shift, and polarize, and how these processes shape sustainability outcomes. We combine cognitive science, sociology, anthropology, and network science to develop models of opinion change and learn statistical tools to measure it.

Enrollment is free. Subscribe on Substack to get weekly lectures and updates.

Subscribe on Substack to join the current course!

Course Overview

Opinions can determine whether societies achieve sustainable futures or become locked in harmful trajectories. From online echo chambers to institutional polarization, understanding opinion dynamics is essential for effective interventions.

Students will design empirically motivated models of social influence, explore how extremism and polarization emerge, and evaluate strategies to promote consensus or diversity of thought.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, you will:

Understand major theories of opinion formation and change
Model social influence using agent-based and analytical approaches
Use network models to study echo chambers and polarization
Apply statistical techniques to measure opinion change reliably
Design and evaluate social interventions targeting polarization
Develop transferable skills in technical writing, data analysis, and computational modeling

Weekly Topics

Week	Dates	Topic	Description
1	Mar 30 – Apr 5	Introduction	Opinions and sustainability
2	Apr 6 – Apr 12	Opinions Are Latent	We measure behaviors, not opinions
3	Apr 13 – Apr 19	Social Influence I	Cognitive science of influence
4	Apr 20 – Apr 26	Social Influence II	Computational models
5	Apr 27 – May 3	Measuring Change	How to avoid false detections
6	May 4 – May 10	Abstract+Outline	Exercise to start capstone project
7	May 11 – May 17	Social Networks	Networks structure opinion exposure
8	May 18 – May 24	Echo Chamber Effects	Modeling influence asymmetries
9	May 25 – Jun 1	Polarization	Social and cognitive factors
10	Jun 2 – Jun 8	Applications	Structured student-led discussions
11	Jun 9 – Jun 23	Student Presentations	Share findings
12	Jun 24 – Jun 30	Final Projects	Finish research articles

Tools and Resources

R + socmod: Simulating opinion dynamics and social influence
Statistical modeling: Measuring change robustly
Network science: Quantifying echo chambers and polarization
Reproducible workflows: Open materials and datasets

Placement in the Curriculum

This is the third course in the Social Science for Sustainability curriculum, to be taught Spring 2026

Preceding courses:

Autumn 2025 → Introduction to Social Science for Sustainability
Winter 2026 → Agent-Based Modeling for Sustainability

Subsequent courses: - Summer 2026 → TBD

Join for Free

Subscribe on Substack to join the current course!

# 3. *Opinion Change: Modeling and Measurement* {.unnumbered} *Spring 2026 (March 30 – June 23)* This course explores **how opinions form, shift, and polarize**, and how these processes shape sustainability outcomes. We combine **cognitive science, sociology, anthropology, and network science** to develop models of opinion change and learn statistical tools to measure it. Enrollment is **free**. Subscribe on [Substack](https://matphd.substack.com) to get weekly lectures and updates. {{< include _subscribe-button.html >}} ### Course Overview Opinions can determine whether societies **achieve sustainable futures** or become locked in harmful trajectories. From online echo chambers to institutional polarization, understanding opinion dynamics is essential for effective interventions. Students will design **empirically motivated models** of social influence, explore how extremism and polarization emerge, and evaluate strategies to promote consensus or diversity of thought. ### Learning Objectives By the end of the course, you will: - Understand major theories of **opinion formation and change** - Model **social influence** using agent-based and analytical approaches - Use **network models** to study echo chambers and polarization - Apply **statistical techniques** to measure opinion change reliably - Design and evaluate **social interventions** targeting polarization - Develop transferable skills in **technical writing, data analysis, and computational modeling** ### Weekly Topics ::: {.weekly-topics tbl-colspan=4 tbl-colwidths="[8,21,29,42]"} | Week | Dates | Topic | Description | |:------:|:-----------------:|:-------------------------------------:|----------------| | 1 | Mar 30 – Apr 5 | **Introduction** | Opinions and sustainability | | 2 | Apr 6 – Apr 12 | **Opinions Are Latent** | We measure behaviors, not opinions | | 3 | Apr 13 – Apr 19 | **Social Influence I** | Cognitive science of influence | | 4 | Apr 20 – Apr 26 | **Social Influence II** | Computational models| | 5 | Apr 27 – May 3 | **Measuring Change** | How to avoid false detections | | 6 | May 4 – May 10 | **Abstract+Outline** | Exercise to start capstone project | | 7 | May 11 – May 17 | **Social Networks** | Networks structure opinion exposure | | 8 | May 18 – May 24 | **Echo Chamber Effects** | Modeling influence asymmetries | | 9 | May 25 – Jun 1 | **Polarization** | Social and cognitive factors | | 10 | Jun 2 – Jun 8 | **Applications** | Structured student-led discussions | | 11 | Jun 9 – Jun 23 | **Student Presentations** | Share findings | | 12 | Jun 24 – Jun 30 | **Final Projects** | Finish research articles | ::: ### Tools and Resources - **R + socmod**: Simulating opinion dynamics and social influence - **Statistical modeling**: Measuring change robustly - **Network science**: Quantifying echo chambers and polarization - **Reproducible workflows**: Open materials and datasets ## Placement in the Curriculum This is the **third course** in the *Social Science for Sustainability* curriculum, to be taught **Spring 2026** **Preceding courses:** - **Autumn 2025** → *Introduction to Social Science for Sustainability* - **Winter 2026** → *Agent-Based Modeling for Sustainability* **Subsequent courses:** - **Summer 2026** → TBD ### Join for Free {{< include _subscribe-button.html >}}