Part II (In class on Nov 16)
Complete the group worksheet. Your group only needs to complete one copy of the worksheet; the completed worksheet will be photocopied and distributed to all members of the class for use during Part III of this assignment. Copies will also be available on Blackboard.
Update: Here are the results of the group worksheet: Target "Tony", Target "Susan".
Part III (due November 30)
Make sure you have a copy of the completed Part II group worksheet for both targets, and that you have your own returned postcards / folder. Copy of assignment handout.
Read the following article:
Stevenson, William B., Barbara Davidson, Ivan Manev and Kate Walsh. 1997. The Small World of the University: A Classroom Exercise in the Study of Networks. Connections 20(2): 23-33.
Taking into account your own experience with this experiment and the aggregate results for both target persons, discuss the findings of the “Small University Experiment” in a blog post of 1000-2000 words. Make sure to explicitly address relevant class readings (including the above article by Stevenson et al.), as well your own questions and hypotheses posted in response to Part I of this assignment. Consider possible causes for the relative success or failure of folder delivery to the two targets based on the aggregate results, as well as possible reasons for your own folder being delivered or not. In addition, try to identify relevant points accounting for the similarities and differences between the class results and that conducted by Stevenson et al.
Within your blog post for this assignment, include a link to your blog post for Part I of the assignment.