Syllabus

Prerequisites
Class Meetings
Books and Materials
Instructor
Grades
Schedule of topics and readings

Students enrolling in Sociology 157 are required to have taken an Introduction to Sociology; this is not necessarily essential in all cases, but those who have not should see the instructor. I will assume that students are familiar with basic sociological terminology and methodology.

Throughout the course we will look at some of the formal methodology used by social network researchers. Many of the methods used by SNA are based on the mathematical study of graphs; and most SNA involves the statistical and mathematical analysis of quantitative data. No advanced training in mathematics or statistics, however, are pre-requisite for this course.

table of contents

The class meets in Olmsted 1102 each Tuesday and Thursday from 11:10 until 12:30 (see the calendar, below).  You are expected to be there.  Class meetings are important.  At most class meetings, we will do interactive quizzes and exercises that count toward your course grade.

table of contents

Books:  

Duncan J. Watts.  2003.  Six Degrees:  The Science of a Connected Age.  New York:  W.W. Norton and Company.  Available at campus and other bookstores in paperback, and through web bookstores.

Hanneman, Robert and Mark Riddle.  2005.  Introduction to Social Network Methods.  Free to read on-line or to download.  Go to:  http://faculty.ucr.edu/~hanneman  look for links at the bottom of my home page.

Software:

Borgatti, S.P., Everett, M.G. and Freeman, L.C. 2002. Ucinet for Windows: Software for Social Network Analysis. Harvard, MA: Analytic Technologies.  Download free software from:  http://www.analytictech.com/ucinet.htm
The free download is good for 30 days.  You may then purchase the software ($40), or download another free copy.

Other resources:

From time-to-time, articles may be placed in the electronic reserve room.  These will be announced in class, and you can download or read them by visiting:

http://library.ucr.edu/?view=services/reserves/ereserves.html

You should also visit the web-site of the International Network of Social Network Analysts, and just look around for cool and interesting stuff (other software, other courses on network analysis, etc.)

http://www.insna.org/

There is also a wealth of information on social network topics on the Internet.  Google (or your favorite search engine) will usually find interesting supplemental materials on any topic we discuss in class.

Your instructor is Robert A. Hanneman. My office is 1144 Watkins Hall. My office hours will be announced in class, and posted to the class web site.  I am also frequently in my office, and can make appointments to meet with you. My office phone is (951) 827-3638. Written messages may be left for me at my mailbox in the Department of Sociology. Better is to leave e-mail. I can be reached as Robert.Hanneman@UCR.EDU.

At the top of this page, and elsewhere in this web site, you will find links to my home page. I invite you to visit if you want to find out more about my interests and background.

table of contents

Grades in the class will be based total points earned on five components, weighted as:

• First mid-term 20%
• Second mid-term 20%
• Final exam 20%
• In-class quizzes 20%
• Term paper 20%

The exams will be non-cumulative (i.e. each will cover a different part of the course material).  In-class quizzes will be taken using the audience response "clicker" system.  More information about the term paper is provided on a separate page.

table of contents

The table below contains a tentative schedule of lecture topics, required readings, and other course events. All of this is subject to change with adequate advance notice. You should be sure to check the news and announcements page for updates.

course home page