Intermediate SNA
Instructor: Steve Borgatti
This is a 4-day (Mon-Thu) workshop designed for people interested in gaining both a deeper and broader look at network theory and methods. A key objective is making connections between different network concepts, such as seeing the underlying unity behind families of measures, including those at different levels of analysis, such as measures of cohesion and measures of centrality. It is assumed that participants are familiar with UCINET and have some knowledge about network concepts.
Module Website
The website for this module, which contains slides, resources, and a detailed schedule, is here:
Topics include:
Characterizing whole networks both in terms of cohesion and shape, and examining change over time
Relations among relations, including change over time
Advanced centrality measures, including induced (vitality) measures, betweenness variants, closeness variants
group centrality
attribute-aware centrality (e.g., betweenness is higher when connecting nodes in different categories)
negative ties
The latest in structural holes, including Burt's character assassination index
Combining attribute data with network data
When to use ERGM and QAP
Descriptive models of actor strategies as revealed by longitudinal data
Using the UCINET command line interface (CLI), for example:
->net = loadexcel(kracknet.xls) //load excel file and create ucinet file
->draw net //visualize network
->dsp corr(indeg(net),outdeg(net)) //correlate indegree with outdegree
->cent = centrality(net) //compute centrality measures
->holes = holes(net) //compute structural holes measures
->attr = loadexcel(krackattr.xls) //import attributes from Excel
->data = joincols(cent,holes,attr) //combine centrality, structural holes, and attribs into one file
->saveasexcel data mydata.xls //export to excel
Learning the best ways to import data structured in widely varying ways
Deriving the right variable for the research question, including things like measuring change
Integrating network variables and results into a larger study -- i.e., how do you use this stuff to generate knowledge write publishable papers.
Schedule
Monday: importing data, working with 2-mode data, constructing dyadic proximities, relating relations, network change
Tuesday: stochastic modeling via QAP
Wednesday: whole network analysis; Egocentric analysis including egonet composition and structural holes
Thursday: centrality
For a detailed schedule, see the Intermediate website. [not yet updated for 2018]
Software
We will be using UCINET. Please visit our software page.
Recommended Textbook
Borgatti, SP, Everett, MG & Johnson, JC. 2018. Analyzing Social Networks. 2nd Edition. Sage: London.
Additional Readings
