COMM 481: Social Networks (Fall 2006)tag:www.mysocialnetwork.net,2010:/blog/481/42006-11-09T15:48:14ZCourse blog for COMM 481 Social Networks, Prof. Keith Hampton, Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania.Movable Type Pro 4.23-enAssignment #4tag:www.mysocialnetwork.net,2006:/blog/481//4.5262006-12-07T18:29:00Z2006-11-09T15:48:14ZAdminister the survey in the assignment handout to a minimum of 20 people. The survey consists of a small number of demographic questions, a position generator, and a name generator. Half of your interviews must be with people between the...Keith Hampton
handout to a minimum of 20 people. The survey consists of a small number of demographic questions, a position generator, and a name generator. Half of your interviews must be with people between the age of 18 and 22, the other half must be over the age of 33. Within each age group half of your interviews must be with men, the other half with women.
After completing your surveys analyze and discuss your findings in relation to the course readings. At a minimum, your findings should include a discussion of the following course themes and topics: social support, network size, network density, community, privatization, network diversity, strong ties, weak ties, homophily, the role of new media, and issues of measurement as they pertain to this survey. Some of these topics may be overlapping, you may address them point-by-point or you may integrate them into a more holistic or focused analysis. You may find it helpful to conduct your analysis as a comparison between different survey participates. For example, comparing men and women, young and old, big networks vs. small networks, those with diverse networks vs. those who are less diverse, etc. (there are many possibilities for comparison).
You must provide evidence and references from the course readings to substantiate your findings / conclusions.
Submit your findings in the form of a blog post of 1250-1750 words. Your blog post is due by 1:30pm on December 7. Print your full name and your blog username on the top of each survey, staple them together and hand in to the course instructor at the end of class on December 7.
Note that the occupations listed in the position generator included in this survey are ranked in order of occupational prestige, highest at the top, lowest at the bottom.
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Week 14: Social Inequalitytag:www.mysocialnetwork.net,2006:/blog/481//4.342006-12-07T13:00:00Z2006-12-01T01:47:11ZReadings: Fernandez, Roberto and David Harris. (1992). Social Isolation and the Underclass. Pp. 257-293 in Drugs, Crime, and Social Isolation, edited by Adele Harrell and George Peterson: The Urban Institute. Marsden, Peter, and Jeanne Hurlbert. (1988). Social Resources and Mobility...Keith Hampton
Readings:
Fernandez, Roberto and David Harris. (1992). Social Isolation and the Underclass. Pp. 257-293 in Drugs, Crime, and Social Isolation, edited by Adele Harrell and George Peterson: The Urban Institute.
Marsden, Peter, and Jeanne Hurlbert. (1988). Social Resources and Mobility Outcomes. Social Forces 66:1038-1059.]]>
Assignment #1: (Part 2 and 3) Small University Experimenttag:www.mysocialnetwork.net,2006:/blog/481//4.5742006-11-30T18:30:00Z2006-11-17T00:26:38ZPart 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...Keith Hampton
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.]]>
Week 13: Healthtag:www.mysocialnetwork.net,2006:/blog/481//4.332006-11-30T13:00:00Z2006-11-16T17:36:47ZReadings: Cohen, S., Brissette, I., Doyle, W. J., & Skoner, D. P. (2000). Social Integration and Health: The Case of the Common Cold. Journal of Social Structure 1(3). Dickens, C.M., L. McGowen, C. Percival, J. Douglas, B. Tomensen, L. Cotter,...Keith Hampton
Readings:
Cohen, S., Brissette, I., Doyle, W. J., & Skoner, D. P. (2000). Social Integration and Health: The Case of the Common Cold. Journal of Social Structure 1(3).
Dickens, C.M., L. McGowen, C. Percival, J. Douglas, B. Tomensen, L. Cotter, A Heagerty, and F.H. Creed. (2004). Lack of Close Confidant, but not Depression, Predicts Further Cardiac Events After Myocardial Infraction. Heart 90(5): 518-522.
Bearman, P. S., Moody, J., & Stovel, K. (2004). Chains of Affection: The Structure of Adolescent Romantic and Sexual Networks. American Journal of Sociology, 110(1), 44-91.]]>
Week 12: No classtag:www.mysocialnetwork.net,2006:/blog/481//4.322006-11-23T13:00:00Z2006-11-16T17:35:02ZNo class this week....Keith Hampton
No class this week.
Assignment #3tag:www.mysocialnetwork.net,2006:/blog/481//4.4072006-11-16T18:29:00Z2006-10-19T13:07:30ZYour assignment is to keep a diary of the interactions you have with people using “new media” (i.e. mobile phones and the Internet). You must record every interaction that you have with another person using new media over a full...Keith Hampton
handout. Record your interactions shortly after they happen, do not wait and complete the diary retrospectively at the end of the day or week.
For each interaction, record the date and time, the first name and last initial of the person, the type of support exchanged (indicate gave and/or received), the medium of communication used, your location at the time of the interaction, your best guess at how far away the person is (miles), your relationship to the person, the person’s sex and age, how long you have known the person, and your tie strength. See the attached legend for a coding scheme that you can use to record “type of support,” “medium,” location,” “relationship,” and “tie strength”.
After you have recorded your interactions for the full 7 days, analyze your diary and write a blog post answering the questions in the handout. Your blog post should be 1250-1750 words, not including your answer to question 1. For question 2 and 3, be sure to discuss your answer with reference to the course readings. For example, are your observations consistent or inconsistent with the readings? Do they provide new evidence for or against existing hypotheses? Based on your observations can you formulate new hypotheses, theories, or conclusions that build or contrast with the literature you have read?]]>
Week 11: Search Process and Information Flowtag:www.mysocialnetwork.net,2006:/blog/481//4.312006-11-16T13:00:00Z2006-11-09T15:45:08ZReadings: Tepperman, Lorne. (1975). Deviance as a Search Process. Canadian Journal of Sociology 1 (3): 277-294. Rogers, Everett. (2003). Diffusion Networks. Pp. 300-364 in Diffusion of Innovations. New York: The Free Press. Burt, Ronald. (1999). The Social Capital of Opinion...Keith Hampton
Readings:
Tepperman, Lorne. (1975). Deviance as a Search Process. Canadian Journal of Sociology 1 (3): 277-294.
Rogers, Everett. (2003). Diffusion Networks. Pp. 300-364 in Diffusion of Innovations. New York: The Free Press.
Burt, Ronald. (1999). The Social Capital of Opinion Leaders. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 566: 37-54.]]>
Week 10: Computer Networks as Social Networks II.tag:www.mysocialnetwork.net,2006:/blog/481//4.302006-11-09T13:00:00Z2006-11-02T12:01:08ZReadings: Kleinberg, J., & Lawrence, S. (2001). The Structure of the Web. Science, 294. Park, H. W. (2003). Hyperlink Network Analysis: A New Method for the Study of Social Structure on the Web Connections, 25(1), 49-61. Marks, Paul (2006, June...Keith Hampton
Readings:
Kleinberg, J., & Lawrence, S. (2001). The Structure of the Web. Science, 294.
Park, H. W. (2003). Hyperlink Network Analysis: A New Method for the Study of Social Structure on the Web Connections, 25(1), 49-61.
Marks, Paul (2006, June 9). Pentagon sets its sights on social networking websites. New Scientist. http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19025556.200
Ellison, N., Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2006). Spatially Bounded Online Social Networks and Social Capital: The Role of Facebook, Annual Conference of the International Communication Association. Dresden, Germany.
Wellman, Barry (2001). Physical Place and Cyber Place: The Rise of Personalized Networking. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research 25(2), 227-252.]]>
Week 9: Computer Networks as Social Networks I.tag:www.mysocialnetwork.net,2006:/blog/481//4.292006-11-02T12:00:00Z2006-10-26T19:16:23ZReadings: Kronholz , June (2003, February 13). After the Science Fair: Dear World, Please Stop Writing Me: A Girl's E-Mail Experiment Clogs In-Box for Weeks. The Wall Street Journal: A1. Wellman, Barry and Milena Gulia. 1999. Net-Surfers Don’t Ride Alone:...Keith Hampton
Readings:
Kronholz , June (2003, February 13). After the Science Fair: Dear World, Please Stop Writing Me: A Girl's E-Mail Experiment Clogs In-Box for Weeks. The Wall Street Journal: A1.
Wellman, Barry and Milena Gulia. 1999. Net-Surfers Don’t Ride Alone: Virtual Communities as Communities. Pp. 331-366 in Networks in the Global Village, edited by Barry Wellman. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Baym, N., Zhang, Y. B., & Lin, M.-C. (2004). Social Interactions Across Media: Interpersonal Communication on the Internet, Telephone and Face-to-Face. New Media & Society, 6(3), 299-318.
Mesch, G., & Talmud, I. (2006). The Quality of Online and Offline Relationships: The Role of Multiplexity and Duration of Social Relationships. The Information Society, 22, 137-148
Hampton, Keith (2004). Networked Sociability On Line, Off Line. In Manuel Castells (Ed.) The Network Society: A Global Perspective. London, UK: Edward Elgar. 217-232. ]]>
Week 8: Measurementtag:www.mysocialnetwork.net,2006:/blog/481//4.282006-10-26T12:00:00Z2006-10-19T12:59:58ZReadings: Zwijze-Koning, K., & Jong, M. D. T. d. (2005). Auditing Information Structures in Organizations. Organizational Research methods, 8(4), 429-453. Marin, Alexandra & Keith Hampton (forthcoming). Simplifying the Personal Network Name Generator: Alternatives to Traditional Multiple and Single Name Generators....Keith Hampton
Readings:
Zwijze-Koning, K., & Jong, M. D. T. d. (2005). Auditing Information Structures in Organizations. Organizational Research methods, 8(4), 429-453.
Marin, Alexandra & Keith Hampton (forthcoming). Simplifying the Personal Network Name Generator: Alternatives to Traditional Multiple and Single Name Generators. Field Methods.
Lin, Nan, Yang-chih Fu, & Ray-May Hsung. (2001). The Position Generator: Measurement Techniques for Investigations of Social Capital. Pp. 57-84 in Social Capital: Theory and Research, edited by Nan Lin, Karen Cook, and Ronald Burt. New York: Aldine De Gruyter.
van der Gaag, Martin and Tom .A.B. Snijders. (2005). The Resource Generator: Social Capital Quantification with Concrete Items. Social Networks 27(1): 1-29.]]>
Week 7: Popularity, Centrality and Prestigetag:www.mysocialnetwork.net,2006:/blog/481//4.272006-10-19T12:00:00Z2006-10-15T21:00:31ZReadings: Wasserman, S., & Faust, K. (1994). Chapter 6: Centrality and prestige. In Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications. Cambridge University Press. Freeman, Linton. 1979. Centrality in Social Networks: Conceptual Clarification. Social Networks 1: 215-39. Krebs, V. (2002). Uncloaking Terrorist...Keith Hampton
Readings:
Wasserman, S., & Faust, K. (1994). Chapter 6: Centrality and prestige. In Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications. Cambridge University Press.
Freeman, Linton. 1979. Centrality in Social Networks: Conceptual Clarification. Social Networks 1: 215-39.
Krebs, V. (2002). Uncloaking Terrorist Networks. First Monday, 7(4).
Valente, T., Unger, J., & Johnson, A. (2005). Do popular students smoke? The association between popularity and smoking among middle school students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 37, 323-329.
Mouttapa, M., Valente, T., Gallaher, P., Rohrback, L. A., & Unger, J. B. (2004). Social Network Predictors of Bullying and Victimization. Adolescence, 39(154), 315-335.]]>
Assignment #2tag:www.mysocialnetwork.net,2006:/blog/481//4.2412006-10-12T17:30:00Z2006-10-15T21:03:12ZListen to Prof. Lynn Smith-Lovin (Duke University) and Prof. Robert Putnam (Harvard University) on WUNC “State of Things” (June 27, 2006). This interview discusses this article: McPherson, M., Smith-Lovin, L., & Brashears, M. E. (2006). Social Isolation in America: Changes...Keith Hampton
State of Things” (June 27, 2006). This interview discusses this article:
Based on the article, interview, and course readings, write a blog post (500-750 words) answering the questions in the handout. Be sure to provide evidence based on the course readings. Copies of the handout, readings, and audio file can also be found on the course Blackboard website.
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Week 6: Network Size and Homophily.tag:www.mysocialnetwork.net,2006:/blog/481//4.262006-10-12T12:00:00Z2006-10-05T12:43:51ZReadings: McPherson, Miller, Lynn Smith-Lovin and James Cook. (2001). Birds of a Feather: Homophily in Social Networks. Annual Review of Sociology 27: 415-444. Pearson, M., Steglich, C., & Snijders, T. (2006). Homophily and assimilation among sport-active adolescent substance users. Connections,...Keith Hampton
Readings:
McPherson, Miller, Lynn Smith-Lovin and James Cook. (2001). Birds of a Feather: Homophily in Social Networks. Annual Review of Sociology 27: 415-444.
Pearson, M., Steglich, C., & Snijders, T. (2006). Homophily and assimilation among sport-active adolescent substance users. Connections, 27(1), 47-63.
Hill, R. A., & Dunbar, R. I. M. (2003). Social Network Size in Humans. Human Nature, 14(1), 53-72.
Killworth, Peter, Eugene Johnsen, H Russell Bernard, Gene Ann Shelley, and Christopher McCarthy. 1990. Estimating the Size of Personal Networks. Social Networks 12: 289-312.
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Week 5: Communitytag:www.mysocialnetwork.net,2006:/blog/481//4.252006-10-05T12:00:00Z2006-09-28T12:23:02ZReadings: Bott, Elizabeth. (1955). Urban Families: Conjugal Roles and Social Networks. Human Relations 8:345-83 Fischer, Claude. (1982). To Dwell Among Friends. Berkeley: University of California Press. [Ch. 1, 7-10] Wellman, Barry, and Scot Wortley. (1990). Different Strokes From Different Folks:...Keith Hampton
Readings:
Bott, Elizabeth. (1955). Urban Families: Conjugal Roles and Social Networks. Human Relations 8:345-83
Fischer, Claude. (1982). To Dwell Among Friends. Berkeley: University of California Press. [Ch. 1, 7-10]
Wellman, Barry, and Scot Wortley. (1990). Different Strokes From Different Folks: Community Ties and Social Support. American Journal of Sociology 96(3):558-88.
Kalmijn, M. (2003). Shared friendship networks and the life course. Social Networks, 25, 231-249.
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Week 4: Tie Strength.tag:www.mysocialnetwork.net,2006:/blog/481//4.242006-09-28T12:00:00Z2006-09-21T13:03:33ZReadings: Granovetter, Mark. (1973). The Strength of Weak Ties. American Journal of Sociology 78(6): 1360-1380. Burt, Ronald. (1993). The Social Structure of Competition. Pp. 65-103 in Explorations in Economic Sociology, edited by Richard Swedberg. New York: Sage. McPherson, M., Smith-Lovin,...Keith Hampton
Readings:
Granovetter, Mark. (1973). The Strength of Weak Ties. American Journal of Sociology 78(6): 1360-1380.
Burt, Ronald. (1993). The Social Structure of Competition. Pp. 65-103 in Explorations in Economic Sociology, edited by Richard Swedberg. New York: Sage.
McPherson, M., Smith-Lovin, L., & Brashears, M. E. (2006). Social Isolation in America: Changes in Core Discussion Networks over Two decades. American Sociological Review, 71, 353-375.]]>