Fall/Winter Timetable

POL2578H1S L0101

Topics in Methods

Network Analysis

Themes

Social science data are inherently network data. Individuals are embedded within networks of friendships and professional relations; administrative units influence and are influenced by the nearby units; countries are nested within complex alliance and trade networks. The course will introduce the descriptive and inferential tools for analyzing such data. Descriptive methods of network analysis are important for illuminating structural features of a given network, while the inferential methods allow for testing theories about the generation of networks. The first half of the course will cover the core descriptive methods and concepts, such as network centrality, transitivity, and modularity, and their application to the study of social sciences. The second half of the course will present several regression alternatives and variations in the network context which are designed to account for network dependencies.

Texts

TBA

Format and Requirements

Combination of lectures, labs, and seminars/workshops.