Welcome to the Segregation Models module! This section explores computational models of residential segregation, building on Thomas Schelling’s groundbreaking work Schelling (1971) on how individual preferences can lead to collective patterns of segregation. We will generalize the residential model and see ways to apply it to other contexts.
Segregation models help us understand how micro-level individual choices can lead to macro-level social phenomena Schelling (1978). Through agent-based modeling, we’ll explore how even mild preferences for similarity can result in highly segregated neighborhoods, providing insights into urban dynamics and social processes.
Module Duration: 2 weeks
👩🏾🎓 Student Learning Objectives (SLOs)¶
By the end of this module, students will be able to:
Core SLOs¶
Increase students’ knowledge of social systems and of human behavior within such systems
Apply algorithmic, statistical, and/or mathematical methods to solve problems, broadly defined to find the answers to questions in various domains (as appropriate).
Represent, interpret, and process information in graphical, numeric, and/or symbolic forms.
Conceptual SLOs¶
Explain the difference between individual preferences and collective outcomes
Analyze how threshold models work in social systems
Evaluate the relationship between micro-motives and macro-behavior
Technical SLOs¶
Navigate the NetLogo interface and basic programming concepts
Create simple agent-based models with basic behaviors
Run simulations and collect data from model outputs
Interpret basic visualization and data outputs
Implement Schelling’s segregation model in NetLogo
Modify agent rules and parameters to test different scenarios
Collect and analyze data from agent-based simulations
Critical Thinking¶
Assess the implications of segregation models for real-world policy
Compare model predictions with empirical data on residential patterns
Critique the assumptions and limitations of segregation models
Communication¶
Present findings from simulation experiments clearly
Discuss ethical implications of segregation research
Connect model insights to contemporary social issues
📚 Readings and Extra Materials¶
🔒 Required Readings¶
The required and optional readings for this module are available by 📖 clicking in this link. You have to be logged in with your Calvin account to access them.
📖 “Neighborhood choice and neighborhood change” by Bruch, Elizabeth E., and Robert D. Mare, 2006.
📖 “American Apartheid” by Massey & Denton (1993), Ch. 1.
📖 “Systemic Racism” by Banaji, Fiske & Massey , 2021.
🔓 Recommended Readings¶
📖 How population structure shapes neighborhood segregation by Bruch, Elizabeth E., 2014.
📖 Dynamic models of segregation by Schelling, Thomas C., 1971.
📖 The Most Segregated Hour? Rethinking Race and Religion in America by Ryan Burge, 2025.
📖 McAdam (1999). Political Process and the Development of Black Insurgency, 1930-1970.
📖 Smaldino (2023). Modeling social behavior: Mathematical and agent-based models of social dynamics and cultural evolution. Chapter 3: The Schelling Chapter.
📽️ Inspirational Videos¶
🎥 The Power of Models (4 min)
🎥 Top 3 aspects people get wrong about Agent Based Modeling (9 min)
🎥 When is a system complex? (3 min)
🎥 Emergence – How Stupid Things Become Smart Together (7 min)
- Schelling, T. C. (1971). Dynamic models of segregation. Journal of Mathematical Sociology, 1(2), 143–186.
- Schelling, T. C. (1978). Micromotives and macrobehavior. WW Norton & Company.
- Bruch, E. E., & Mare, R. D. (2006). Neighborhood Choice and Neighborhood Change. American Journal of Sociology, 112(3), 667–709. 10.1086/507856
- Massey, D. S., & Denton, N. A. (1993). American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass. Harvard University Press. https://books.google.com/books?id=uGslMsIBNBsC
- Banaji, M. R., Fiske, S. T., & Massey, D. S. (2021). Systemic racism: individuals and interactions, institutions and society. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 6(1). 10.1186/s41235-021-00349-3
- Bruch, E. E. (2014). How Population Structure Shapes Neighborhood Segregation. American Journal of Sociology, 119(5), 1221–1278. 10.1086/675411
- Schelling, T. C. (1971). Dynamic models of segregation†. The Journal of Mathematical Sociology, 1(2), 143–186. 10.1080/0022250x.1971.9989794
- McAdam, D. (1999). Political process and the development of black insurgency, 1930-1970. University of Chicago Press.
- Smaldino, P. (2023). Modeling Social Behavior: Mathematical and Agent-based Models of Social Dynamics and Cultural Evolution.