The course aims to help students develop “networking perspectives” that views entities of communication processes (e.g., communicators, audiences, media organizations, information messages, news events, regulatory agencies, etc.) as “network nodes” interconnected through direct or indirect, formal and informal, explicit or hidden ways. The course covers basic theories and research methods of social network analysis, with a variety of applications for communication purposes. Specific topics include human interactions over online friendship networks (e.g., Facebook, Google+, etc.), information diffusion through microblogging websites (e.g., Twitter, Weibo, etc.), cross-national flow of media content (news, entertainment, advertising, etc.), word of mouth and viral marketing, contagious models for health communication, and etc. Through individual exercises, group projects, class discussions, and other activities, students will learn how to design social network analysis studies, how to collect, integrate, analyse, and visualize social network data, and how to apply networking perspectives to solve real life issues in communication context.

Discussions and Quizzes: 30%
Hands-on Exercises: 20%
Research Paper: 40%
Class Presentation: 10%