MCSN 2019 assignments

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short link: http://bit.ly/mcsn19a

NB: This page has not yet been updated for 2019!

There are three streams in this course: (a) SNA stream: Study of SNA, theory and mechanics, problem sets and lecture or lab formats, usually on Tuesdays; (b) Critical stream: reading of applications to music and culture, usually on Thursdays, in seminar format; (c) Your projects, including ideas, proposal, annotated bibliography, outline, presentation, and final paper.

SNA stream Critical Stream Project
In class Lectures and labs, quizzes (Tuesdays) Seminar discussions (Thursdays) Brief individual reports (Thursdays)
At home Problem sets (Due Tuesdays) Readings and reading reviews (Due Thursdays) Preparation (Due Thurs)
Week Tuesdays Thursdays
Date Topic Date Topic
1 03-Sep Course introduction and overview. Bring your laptops and we'll install Pajek. 05-Sep Reading and discussion:
2 10-Sep Social structure. Read Preface, p. 1, and sections 1.1 to 1.3.2. Graph theory exercise due (distributed by email) - submit answers via eClass (see above for instructions regarding network diagrams). Brainstorm some MCSN examples with research questions. 12-Sep Reading and discussion:
3 17-Sep 19-Sep Reading and discussion:
4 24-Sep 26-Sep Reading and discussion:
5 01-Oct 03-Oct Reading and discussion:
6 08-Oct 10-Oct Reading and discussion:
7 15-Oct 17-Oct Reading and discussion:
8 22-Oct 24-Oct Reading and discussion:
9 29-Oct 31-Oct Reading and discussion:
10 05-Nov 07-Nov Reading and discussion:
11 12-Nov 14-Nov Reading and discussion:
12 19-Nov 21-Nov Reading and discussion:
13 26-Nov 28-Nov Reading and discussion:
14 03-Dec 05-Dec Reading and discussion:
15 10-Dec 12-Dec
16 17-Dec 19-Dec

Note: in the following schedule, all reading assignments refer to Exploratory Social Network Analysis with Pajek (ESNAP) unless otherwise stated. Most of these readings are specified using the book's section numbers rather than page numbers. Click on dates for the day's outline (these are fluid, especially beforehand). Principal topics are in boldface. Be sure to try out all the applications using Pajek on your own computer! This is very important for your fluency with both theory and software.

Some optional readings are indicated in this table by reference to ESNAP chapters they complement. Wasserman and Faust contains more rigorous explanations of all the topics in ESNAP; I haven't marked these as optional readings, but feel free to refer to their Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications as needed. Likewise, browse Hanneman and Riddle's Introduction to social network methods, which covers largely the same material as ESNAP but permuted (and using software that runs only on Windows machines).

ESNAP questions are generally due on Thursdays, along with a Web example illustrating chapter content - prepare this example as a Pajek network that you can share with the class. ESNAP assignments are generally due on Tuesdays. There are also a number of self-guided in-class group projects, requiring a write up and submission by the following class period. Submit all assignments via eClass.

Some homework answers consist of prose, while others require network diagrams. You can prepare diagrams in your word processor (for instance, see MS Word's "Drawing" toolbar), but far better to prepare them as Pajek ".net" files.

Note that your work is always due by 11 am on the due date - i.e. you must submit your work before class! Without an approved excuse (doctor's note or evidence of family emergency), late work will decremented 3 percentage points per day or fraction thereof, and make-up quizzes will not be given without such excuse.

Stream 1 - SNA topics:

  • social structure
  • attributes and relations
  • cohesive subgroups
  • sentiments and friendship
  • affiliations and 2 mode networks
  • prestige

Stream 2 - Music/culture topics: (books: culture and SN, music and SNA; various articles)

  • culture
  • society

Stream 3 - projects

  • project ideas - brainstorming: SN in life, or online
  • SN as context vs SN as music
  • developing and sharing your ideas
  • proposals and research
  • reading reviews
  • finding references and tracing the bib network


Thursday, 08-Sep-11 Course introduction and overview. Bring your laptops and we'll install Pajek.
Tuesday, 13-Sep-11 Social structure. Read Preface, p. 1, and sections 1.1 to 1.3.2. Graph theory exercise due (distributed by email) - submit answers via the Moodle (see above for instructions regarding network diagrams).
Brainstorm some MCSN examples with research questions.
Thursday, 15-Sep-11 Read sections 1.3.3 to 1.5; submit 1.6; come to class prepared with a Pajek example drawn from the Web, and illustrating chapter content. This will be a regular Thursday assignment. This week, the ESNAP readings focussed on a directed graph, so any directed graph from the web is fine. For instance, you could extract a portion of Twitter.com "following" relations, or look at musician relations (influences, influenced by) on allmusic.com. The point is to create a directed graph in Pajek.
Tuesday, 20-Sep-11 Attributes and Relations. Read 2.1-2.4; submit 1.7.
Thursday, 22-Sep-11 MCSN Quiz #1. Read 2.5-2.7; submit 2.8; come to class prepared with a Pajek example drawn from the Web, and illustrating chapter content.
Tuesday, 27-Sep-11 Review week.Review SNA theory, ESNAP readings, and Pajek techniques to this point. Develop applications of ESNAP chapters 1 and 2 by analyzing websites for social network data relevant to music studies. See SNA analysis of MCSN on the www.
Thursday, 29-Sep-11 Review week continues. Prepare for coming musical composition week.
Tuesday, 04-Oct-11 Self-guided in-class project day: musical compositions. Everyone will develop a musical composition based in network theory. Use the class periods to brainstorm, design, and perform your musical networks.
Thursday, 06-Oct-11 Self-guided in-class project day: musical compositions.
Tuesday, 11-Oct-11 Cohesive Subgroups. Read p. 59 and 3.1-3.4.
Thursday, 13-Oct-11 Read 3.5-3.7; submit 3.8; come to class prepared with a Pajek example drawn from the Web, and illustrating chapter content.
Tuesday, 18-Oct-11 Sentiments and Friendship. Read 4.1-4.4; submit self-guided project writeup (composition) and 3.9.
Thursday, 20-Oct-11 Quiz (covering through chapter 3). Read 4.5-4.6; submit 4.7; bring Web example.
Tuesday, 25-Oct-11 Review chapters 3 and 4; submit 4.8. We will carefully review the quiz in class, and continue our discussion of chapter 4.
Thursday, 27-Oct-11 Repeat quiz from 11-11:30 am (exactly the same format as last week's quiz, with slightly different networks). Read 5.1-5.3 (we'll cover it more fully next week, but you may need affiliation network concepts for the project proposal). Submit initial project proposal (5 paragraphs & bib). We will discuss projects, and also wind up discussion of sentiments and friendship.
Tuesday, 1-Nov-11 Affiliations and 2-mode nets. Read 5.1-5.4; we'll review 4.8 also.
Thursday, 3-Nov-11 Read 5.5-5.6; submit 5.7; bring Web example. Discuss projects in class (please prepare to present yours in 2-3 minutes for feedback).
Tuesday, 8-Nov-11 Continue discussions of projects (prepare to present yours if you haven't already) and affiliation networks, m-slices. Also submit 5.8. No new reading in ESNAP, but use the time to work on your projects.
Thursday, 10-Nov-11 Centrality. Read p. 121, and Chapter 6.1-6.5. Note: NO CLASS - Remembrance Day holiday
Tuesday, 15-Nov-11 Submit 6.6, and second draft of your project proposals (rewrite in light of my comments on your first draft, and research you've been doing. Expand bibliography if possible.). Note: short class today ends at noon.
Thursday, 17-Nov-11 Self-guided in-class project day: (a) map affiliation network for the class and analyze it; (b) play Network message passing game. Read p. 185, and 9.1-9.4; submit 6.7.
Tuesday, 22-Nov-11 Centrality, continued. Read 9.5-9.7; submit 9.8 & results from last Thursday's self-guided session. Note: today we'll begin with course evaluations from 11:00 - 11:20, then review 5.7 & 5.8 (many people had questions), and chapter 6. (Note also that I've reserved some office hour time for you tomorrow,
Thursday, 24-Nov-11 Prestige. I'll talk primarily about chapter 9 today. Submit 9.9; locate Web example illustrating chapter 9.
Tuesday, 29-Nov-11 Student presentations. (sign up here). Submit take-home quiz.
Thursday, 01-Dec-11 Self-guided in-class project day: compositions redux.
Tuesday, 06-Dec-11 Student presentations (sign up here) and performance. Submit 10.8.
Friday, 16-Dec-11 Submit final papers (via Moodle, and also hardcopy to 382 FAB)