Introduction to Social Network Analysis

Instructor:	James Moody (Sociology, Ohio State University)
Dates:	November 4 & 5
Time:	10am-12noon, 1pm-3pm on both days
Location:	Day 1 - Room 270B, International Affairs Building, Columbia University Day 2 - Room 801, International Affairs Building, Columbia University

TOPIC:
This workshop introduces the basic concepts and procedures of social network analysis. The workshop will focus on measuring properties of complete social network data, including centrality, social cohesion, formal characteristics of global network structures and a brief introduction to statistical models for social networks. We will also cover analyses based on ego-network data, focusing on local structure and composition measures. The workshop will cover sources for network data and draws examples from multiple substantive areas. Participants are encouraged to read Wasserman and Faust (1994) Social Network Analysis (Cambridge University Press), chapters 1 - 3 and chapter 1 of Wellman and Berkowitz (1988) Social Structures: A Network Approach (JAI Press). There is also a good online social networks text at: http://faculty.ucr.edu/~hanneman/SOC157/TEXT/TextIndex.html.

All of the course notes will be posted on-line, listed under my presentations page. Because of the large number of slides, I have distributed them across thee files, each section is listed below. http://www.sociology.ohio-state.edu/jwm/presentations/index.htm

AGENDA:
1. Introduction (Pt. I file)

1. Background & history
2. Key conceptual questions

2. Social Network data

a. Basic data elements

i. Nodes, Lines, & Graphs

ii. Direction & Value

iii. Local à Partial à Complete

iv. Basic data Structures

1. Figures

2. Matrices & lists

v. 1 mode vs 2 mode networks

1. Duality of Persons and Groups

b. Network data sources

i. Existing Network data sources

ii. Collecting network data

1. Boundary Specification

2. Local networks

3. Snowball Sampling

4. Complete

iii. Missing data

3. Local (ego) Network Analysis

a. Introduction

b. Network Composition

i. Mixing Matrices

c. Network Structure

i. Volume

ii. Structural Holes & Constraint

d. Local Network Models

i. Modeling Issues: size, selectivity, endogeneity

ii. Peer Delinquency I.

4. Complete Network Analysis (Part II file)

a. Exploratory Analysis

i. Networks as social space

ii. Network Visualization

b. Network Connections

i. Network Topology

1. Connectivity

2. Distance

3. Centrality

ii. Network Dynamics

1. Evolution of networks over time

a. Social Balance

2. Time Constraints on network flow

iii. Network Diffusion

1. Global peer influence models

2. Dyad level models

3. QAP Models

c. Network Macro Structure (Part III files)

i. Small World Networks

ii. Scale-Free Networks

iii. Network Cohesion

iv. Cohesive Sub-Groups

v. Role Positions (Block Models)

d. Stochastic Network Analyses

i. Sensitivity analyses

ii. Monte Carlo Estimates

iii. Exponential Random Graph Models

5. Social Network Software

a. UCINET

b. PAJEK

Others