Meeting Time and Place:
Tuesdays: 7:20 - 10:00 p.m.,
Innovation Hall 134.
Instructor's Office Hours:
Mondays 2:00 - 4:00pm Tuesdays: 5:00 - 6:30 p.m., Nguyen Engineering Building, Room 4412, or by email appointment.
Please send course-related email to Dr. Kerschberg using Blackboard.
We are now in the era of Social Networks, and they are transforming our interactions in social, educational, and business settings.
This course aims to study the theory of social networks, models to analyze social networks, and case studies of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Further we intend to analyze the role and impact of social media in business, government, and society.
The course will supplement the texts with journal articles and other readings. Students will be responsible for reading the articles and preparing a weekly synopsis for the class. Student projects will focus on current and advanced topics related to social networks and social media.
Pre-requisites: INFS Foudation Courses or equivalent, elementary graph theory, database management.
The course will address the following topics:
The grade will be determined by grades obtained in individual assignments, research paper review and report, a group research project and presentation, and class participation.
| Topic | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Individual Assignments | 15 |
| Group Reading Assignments and Presentations | 15 |
| Group Research Project Paper | 20 |
| Group Research Project Presentation (Individual Grade) | 15 |
| Class Participation | 10 |
| Final Exam | 25 |
In the group projects, students form small, 3-4 person, teams to perform research on a topic related to the course.
Required Text:
Networks, Crowds, and Markets: Reasoning about a Highly Connected World, David Easley and Jon Kleinberg, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-19533-1
Available in Fenwick Library as http://magik.gmu.edu/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=2152843
The web page for our textbook is here: http://www.cs.cornell.edu/home/kleinber/networks-book/
There is also an online pre-print PDF version of the book at Cornell University: http://www.cs.cornell.edu/home/kleinber/networks-book/networks-book.pdf
Recommended Texts:
We will be using the GMU Digital Library for books as well as journal articles. The books listed below are accessible in the GMU Digital Library.
Analyzing the Social Web, Jennifer Golbeck, 2013, Morgan Kaufman, ISBN 978-0-12-405531-5. (Safari Books Online at Mason Library: http://proquest.safaribooksonline.com.mutex.gmu.edu/9780124055315 )
Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age, Duncan J. Watts, W.W. Norton & Company, 2003. ISBN 0-393-32542-3.
Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science and Everyday Life , Albert-Laszlo Barabasi, Plume Book, ISBN 0-452-28439-2.
Mining the Social Web: Analyzing Data from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media sites, Matthew A. Russell, O'Reilly Media, 2011, ISBN: 978-1-449-38834-8.
Analyzing Social Media Networks with NodeXL: Insights from a Connected World, Derek L. Hansen, Ben Shneiderman, and Marc A. Smith, 2011, Morgan Kaufman, ISBN 978-0-12-382229-1