MCSN Thursday,08-Sep-11

Introduction

• Understanding the course title: "Topics in Ethnomusicology: Music culture as a social network"
  • 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)? What is social network analysis? (SNA)
    • Graph: set of vertices (nodes) and lines (links) (abstract)
    • Network: graph with additional information and real-world interpretation (concrete)
    • Social network: network carrying social interpretation (vertices and lines are "social")
    • The theory and method of SN research is called "Social network analysis" (SNA)
  • Why SNA?
    • Traditional concepts used to describe social structures--the aggregate of social relations--are vague, macro, and often ideologically a priori (e.g. "society", "class", "government", "university")
    • The concept of SN allows us to make social structure precise by defining social relations precisely.
  • What is a music network (MN)? A network carrying musical interpretation (vertices and lines are "musical")
  • MSN

• 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. See especially the MCSN 2011 schedule (linked from the main page), and take note of instructions at the top of that page.
• 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