Currently we stand upon the precipice of a data revolution in our study of the past. The course will introduce PhD students to Big Data methodology in economic history. The focus will be holistic, guiding students from the inception of a research project to its culmination via research examples from the guest Professor. Topics such as data sourcing, web scraping, Optical Character Recognition methods, data base management, econometric analysis, sentiment analysis and visualization will be woven together. Research themes such as historical demography, social mobility, inequality, psychology and more, will provide the intellectual demand for such methodology. Students will explore their own projects and will complete and present a fleshed out research proposal by the end of the week.

The course is open for PhD students and early-career researchers in economic and social history, economics and related fields.

Course Procedure

The course consists of 5 days of classes and will be held physically at the SDU Odense campus. Living costs are at the student’s expense.

Instructor

Neil Cummins (Professor), London School of Economics.

Exam

Participants are required to present a research idea based on the contents of the course. The student presentations will take place on the final day of the course.

ECTS points

Upon completing all course activities, participants will be awarded 5 ECTS credits and a course certificate.

Course Fees

The course is free of charge for the students from AAU, AU, KU, CBS and SDU. For other participants, the course fee is EUR 300.

Registration

https://www.tilmeld.dk/phdcoursefromnumberstonarrativesdatatechniquesineconomicsdemographyandsocialsciences/conference