Networks & Community
Social network analysis takes as its starting point the premise that
social life is created primarily and most importantly by relations and the
patterns formed by these relations, which we call social networks. By studying behaviour as embedded in social networks,
sociologists in this area explain macro-level patterns not simply as a large
number of people acting similarly because they are similar, but as a large
number of people acting on one another to shape one another’s actions in ways that create
particular outcomes.
Social network analysis is both a theoretical perspective
and a method for studying the social relationships that make up our social
worlds and our communities. By measuring the character of ties between
individuals, scholars in this area study phenomena such as communication
patterns, occupational success, diffusion processes, and collective action.
Faculty members whose primary area of specialization is
the study of Networks and Community are: Bonnie Erickson, Alexandra Marin and
Barry Wellman.
Faculty members whose research overlaps with
this area include: Patricia Landolt and Vanina Leschziner.