Course Description
Focuses on the causes and consequences of interpersonal relationships and introduces students to analytic tools for understanding patterns in relationships. Considers how online and face-to-face networks help us understand phenomena ranging from career outcomes, musical tastes, criminal behavior, disease transmission, rumor propagation, and the course of social movements.
Athena Title
Social Networks
Pre or Corequisite
STAT 2000 or INFO 2000
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Social Networks is an analysis-heavy field. In this course, students will become social network analysts. We will cover what social network data looks like, how to describe the properties of social networks and positions within social networks, and how to use these skills to answer sociological questions. Students will learn to collect and manage social network data, to distinguish different kinds of social networks and network ties, to understand and calculate simple ego network measures by hand and with software, and to analyze network data to show relationships between network properties, their causes and their consequences.
Topical Outline
Possible Topics: Collecting Social Network Data Analyzing Social Networks Social Hierarchies Solidarity and Cohesion Small World Problem Madness of Crowds The Strength of Weak Ties Diffusion of Ideas Spread of Disease Structural Holes Hidden Power Focused Organization Thresholds and Cascades
Syllabus