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SYSC 440/540: Introduction to Network Science
The course is an intermediate level introductory course in network science, one of the popular approaches used to study complex systems. The tone is necessarily interdisciplinary and discipline neutral, although examples will heavily favor the social sciences. A wide variety of important ideas are presented but core concepts are discussed in depth. The course begins with a brief exposure to complex systems concepts, followed by a discussion of relevant sociology and social-psychological concepts. The second part of the course introduces students to basic vocabulary and concepts in the field. Equal emphasis is given to modeling, analysis and simulation of systems amenable to a network based approach. The course concludes with a brief exposure to current topics like spatio-temporally situated networks and engineering (social) network interventions on large scale social systems. A term-ending paper allows students to expand the scope of the course and develop research questions in a field of their choice.