A Short First Course in Network Science

About this online short course: Networks are present in all aspects of our lives: networks of friends, computers, web pages, and roads are examples that we experience outwardly, while our brain cells and the proteins within our body form networks that determine our cognition and health. When people communicate through Facebook or Twitter, buy stuff on Amazon, search on Google, or buy an airline ticket to visit family, they use networks without knowing it. Today, a basic understanding of network processes is a power skill in job sectors from technology to marketing, from management to design, and from biology to economics. This interactive online short course, sponsored by the Network Science Society, explores the study of networks and how they help us understand the complex patterns of relationships that shape our lives. 

Target audience: A broad interdisciplinary-minded audience of learners. The course has no technical prerequisites other than some introductory programming and a willingness to learn by doing. Students in programs such as business, data science, social science, natural science, medicine, and engineering will benefit from this course.

Format: A combination of lectures by Professor Santo Fortunato; practical sessions with tutorials, exercises, and collaborative mini-projects; and office hours with teaching assistants. A certificate of participation will be awarded to individuals completing the full course. 

Registration is now closed. Those who registered will receive an email with additional course details by June 1, 2024. Contact netsci.education@gmail.com with questions.

Zoom links:

Lectures and hands-on sessions (Meeting ID: 84402723732, Passcode: 519536)

Office hours, room 1 (Meeting ID: 868 6787 8835, Passcode: 298625)

Office hours, room 2 (Meeting ID: 826 8722 9469, Passcode: 274148)

Schedule (times listed in Eastern Daylight Time, GMT-4). Lectures are 90 minutes, Hands-on sessions are 2 hours. Office hours are optional.

Week 1

• Monday, June 3: Lecture 1 [video] at 10am; Python tutorial [notebook] [video] (optional) at 1pm

• Tuesday, June 4: Lecture 2 [video] at 10am; Hands-on Session 1 [notebook w/ solution] [video] at 1pm. (Assignment 1, due Wed, Jun 5 at 5pm ET)

• Wednesday, June 5: Lecture 3 [video] at 10am; TA office hours at 1pm 

  • • Office Hours Room #1: Daniel; Room #2: Alessandra

• Thursday, June 6: Project guidelines and self-organization [video] [example pitches] at 10am; TA office hours at 1pm. (Project registration form, due Sat, Jun 8 at 5pm ET)

  • • Office Hours Room #1: Fatemeh; Room #2: Sara

• Friday, June 7: Hands-on Session 2 [notebook w/ solutions] [video] at 10am; TA office hours at 1pm. (Assignment 2, due Sun, Jun 9 at 5pm)

  • • Office Hours Room #1: Daniel; Room #2: Sara

Week 2

• Monday, June 10: Hands-on Session 3 [notebook] [video] at 10am; TA office hours at 1pm. (Assignment 3, due Wed, Jun 12 at 5pm ET)

  • • Office Hours Room #1: Daniel; Room #2: Ana

• Tuesday, June 11: Lecture 4 [video] at 10am; TA office hours at 1pm

  • • Office Hours Room #1: Fatemeh; Room #2: Ana

• Wednesday, June 12: Hands-on Session 4 [notebook] [video] at 10am; TA office hours at 1pm. (Assignment 4, due Fri, Jun 14 at 5pm)

  • • Office Hours Room #1: Alessandra; Room #2: Ana

• Thursday, June 13: TA office hours at 10am

  • • Office Hours Room #1: Alessandra; Room #2: Sara

• Friday, June 14: Project presentations [video] at 10am. (Final project submission, due Fri, Jun 14 at 9am)

Optional textbook for the short course: A First Course in Network Science

Resources: Link to lecture slides and Python Notebooks (updated Jun 3).

Questions: contact netsci.education@gmail.com