The first Winter School is organized by INCT.DD in partnership with Compolítica and PUC-Rio.
Digital methods for knowledge and practice in humanities and social science research and analysis are the focus of the first Winter School. The initiative is organized by the National Institute of Science and Technology in Digital Democracy (INCT.DD), in partnership with Compolítica and PUC-Rio. Five in-person courses will run from 29 July to 2 August in the auditorium of PUC-Rio’s Department of Communication in Rio de Janeiro (RJ). Each course lasts six hours and aims to improve skills in digital methods for social science, communication, and political science research. Classes are intended for students who already have some introduction to the tools and methods covered. Registration is available through Sympla, with a fee of R$200.00.
As with the Summer School, the Winter School organizers offer full scholarships to members of the organizing institutions. There will be two INCT.DD scholarships and one Compolítica scholarship per course. Further information on each course follows.
Data workshop: SPSS, Python, and ChatGPT for data preparation and analysis (29 and 30 July, at 9 a.m.)
With Sivaldo Pereira (UNB)
This workshop uses SPSS, Python, and ChatGPT to clean, prepare, select subsets of, and analyze datasets. It aims to help participants address methodological questions, solve problems, correct and explore real datasets, and develop their data analysis skills. No prior knowledge of the software is required.
Intermediate network analysis (29 and 30 July, at 2 p.m.)
With João Guilherme Bastos Santos (Instituto Democracia em Xeque, INCT.DD)
This workshop introduces different dimensions of complex network analysis. It explores methods that combine actor network analysis, clustering, and text and image analysis. Using practical examples, the course focuses on clustering tools, identifying centrality, and evaluating network analysis results. Particular attention will be given to the effects of simple adjustments to research algorithms, such as clustering, PageRank, or “temperature” when using generative AI, and how they vary over time. These issues are essential to the critical use of digital methods in scientific research. As a supplement, the course will introduce open-source programs that can support these analyses, without aiming to provide complete training, and discuss the advantages of languages such as R and Python.
Gephi (31 July, 9 a.m.–noon and 2–5 p.m.)
With Raul Pimentel (COMP PUC-Rio)
Presentation and demonstration of the tool for creating and analyzing networks in communication and digital media. Stages from data preparation to visualization. Presentation of case studies.
Social media data scraping (1 and 2 August, at 9 a.m.)
With Marcelo dos Santos (PUC-Rio)
An overview of the possibilities and limitations of collecting digital platform data in the post-API context. Practical procedures and tools. Methodological restrictions. Discussions of ethics and case law.
Processing and machine learning for text analysis with Python (1 and 2 August, at 2 p.m.)
With Crysttian Paixão (UFBA)
Natural language processing provides techniques to extract information from text datasets. Text mining is one of its branches and aims to enable information extraction from these datasets. In some cases, it is combined with machine learning methods to support different analyses. This course offers a brief introduction to text mining combined with machine learning. It covers the processing of text data to extract metrics, summarization methods, and the representation and visualization of information.
Event details:
What: 2024 INCT.DD/Compolítica Winter School
When: 29 July–2 August
Where: Auditorium of PUC’s Department of Communication, Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Rua Marquês de São Vicente, 225, Kennedy Building, Gávea, room K 102
Who: Open to all interested participants
How: Register at https://www.sympla.com.br/evento/escola-de-inverno-de-metodos-digitais-inct-dd-compolitica-2024/2487551, with a fee of R$200.00
Why: An opportunity to update and improve your skills.