MCSN Thursday,08-Sep-11

Introduction

• Ethnomusicology: the study of global music culture
• What is music culture? Broad definition includes:
  • social: music relations and practices, from individual to group, over time
  • semantic: discourses, concepts and meanings of music
  • phenomenological: experiences and emotions in music performance
  • sonic: musical form and content
• What is a social network (SN)?
  • Traditional concepts used to describe social structures--the aggregate of social relations--are vague, macro, and often ideologically a priori (e.g. "culture", "class", "government")
  • The concept of SN allows us to make social structure precise by defining social relations precisely.
  • The theory and method of SN research is called "Social network analysis" (SNA) and is based on graph theory.
• SNA
  • Theory of Graphs, and its applications to social groups
    • What is a graph? Some terms.
      • Node, vertex
      • Link, edge, arc
    • Social groups as graphs (social networks)
      • Nodes represent social entities
      • Links represent relations between social entities
      • Properties of nodes and links:
        • Network properties
        • Attribute properties
  • Methods
    • Data collection
    • Data analysis
    • Statistical measures
    • Exploration vs hypothesis testing
    • Software: Pajek: download and install
    • Ethical problems in SNA methodology
  • Brief history of SNA
• MCSN and ethnomusicology
  • Musical networks (MNs)
  • Musical Social Networks (MSNs)
  • Research in MCSN

1. Defining a relevant phenomenon
2. Formulating a naive research question (how? what? why?)
3. Theorizing the question using a model derived from SNA theory
   1. exploratory research
   2. variable analysis research (comparing networks, or relating network and attribute variables within a single network)
4. Designing a feasible research method to answer the question

Course mechanics

• • Wiki: for course outline, resources, lecture notes, your collective contributions
  • Moodle: for uploading assignments
  • Tuesdays: more lecturing, presenting material, answering questions.
  • Thursdays: more review, demos, discussions, brainstorming...
  • Self-guided days, facilitators
  • Pajek: practice makes perfect!
    • Installing
    • Using
    • Pajek help
  • ESNAP: primary textbook
  • participation, including attendance, and demos (Thurs).
  • chapter exercises, questions (due Thurs), assignments (due Tues)
  • grading; late and missed work policies
  • Course outline: bit.ly/mcsn
  • Course expectations
    • Reading and exercises
    • Homework
    • Quizzes
    • Research paper

Homework

• • Social structure. Read Preface, p. 1, and sections 1.1 to 1.3.2.
  • Read Robin Wilson, Introduction to Graph Theory, ch. 1 and do the exercises at the end of the chapter.
  • Brainstorm: your examples of MCSN with research questions