1. SOCY30292 Connections matter:
Sociological applications of social networks
Semester 2
Credits 20
Tuesday 10:00 – 13:00, Roscoe 1.001
10:00-11:00 Lecture.
11:15-12:00 Workshop
12:00-13:00 Tutorial
(All the activities are compulsory)

2. Lecturer:
Room:
Email:
Office Hours:
Dr. Elisa Bellotti
Arthur Lewis Building, 3rd floor, 3039
elisa.bellotti@manchester.ac.uk
Tuesday 2-3; Wednesday 2-3
NB: office hour is suspended in week 4 (Tuesday 18th and Wednesday 19th February), and
replaced by two extra hours 2-4pm on Monday 24th of February (in this date office hours are
by email appointment only).
Administrator:
William Start, UG Office G.001 Arthur Lewis Building
(0161) 275 3953 william.start@manchester.ac.uk

3. Mode of assessment
• An assessed essay worth 50% of the total mark to be handed in in week 7, on topics
discussed in the first half of the course (week 1-5).
• A two-hour unseen examination to be taken at the end of the course worth 50% of the
total mark, on the second half of the course (week 6-10).
• There will also be a compulsory non-assessed work in the form of an exam workshop in
week 10, an essay plan (max 600 words) in week 5, and group presentations to be given
in tutorials.
Essay hand in date: Thursday 13 March
Examination period: 12 May 2014 – 6 June 2014
Re-sit Examination period: 18 August 2014 – 29 August 2014

4. • Course outline available on blackboard under “course information”
• Lectures, workshops and tutorials outlines, together with materials, available in
blackboard under “course content”
• The course have a facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/connectionsmatter
If you have a FB account, “like” the page and check it regularly.
• Get a slideshare account www.slideshare.net and connect it with your FB profile. You
will need to upload slides on slide share and post them of the course’s FB page.

5. How is the course organised?
1 hour lecture
The course introduces to the main substantive research areas in sociology in which social
network analysis is applied. Each week is dedicated to a specific topic, where a synthesis of
the studies on that topic will be presented. Lectures are based on the required and
suggested readings, listed in the course outline and provided in balckboard.
Assignments (essay and exam) will require to show the knowledge and understanding of
the essential readings, and at least some knowledge and understanding of the suggested
readings.

6. Lectures’ topics:
LECTURE 1. WHAT IS SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS?
LECTURE 2. COMMUNITY, URBANIZATION, AND PERSONAL NETWORKS
LECTURE 3. SOCIAL CAPITAL, OCCUPATIONAL STRUCTURE AND STRATIFICATION
LECTURE 4. HEALTH NETWORKS
LECTURE 5. DIFFUSION NETWORKS
LECTURE 6. SCIENTIFIC NETWORKS
LECTURE 7. CULTURAL NETWORKS
LECTURE 8. COVERT NETWORKS
LECTURE 9. INTERLOCKING DIRECTORATES
LECTURE 10. ONLINE NETWORKS

7. 1 hour workshop
Workshops are designed to work in groups (6 people) and reflect upon relevant
materials/topics/issues related to the lecture. In some cases you will be required to collect
some data/information for the following week, and the workshop will be based on these
materials.
All the hand-outs are compulsory, and the materials have to be uploaded on the course’s
FB page (or sent to me) BEFORE the following workshop.
The list and description of workshop can be found in the course outline, as well as in
blackboard in the “course content” section.

8. 1 hour tutorial
In tutorials, you will be organised in small groups of 3 people.
Each week a group has to read three articles related to the topic discussed in the previous
lecture, and present them via a power point presentation. The group will analyse and
discuss the articles and engage the rest of the class in a critical reflection upon them.
The articles can be selected from the ones suggested in the course outline (in the
“suggested readings” section), but you can also decide, within your group, to select
different materials providing you previously discuss them with me.
Every group will have to upload the slides BEFORE the presentation on slideshare, and post
them on the facebook page of the course. Likewise, each student must submit a brief
summary of one of the three articles analysed, and send it to me before the presentation.

9. Attendance
You are expected to attend all lectures, tutorials, and workshops that are part of your
programme. It is also expected that you arrive on time.
PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU SIGN THE ATTENDANCE ROSTER EVERY WEEK!
And if I don’t circulate it, PLEASE REMIND ME…
Absences
If you are unable to attend a tutorial because of illness or other good reason you should
notify the course lecturer/tutor and your Programme Administrator. If you are a BSocSc
Sociology single-honours students this is William Start in the Social Sciences
Undergraduate Office (William.Start@manchester.ac.uk or telephone 0161 275 3953) in
advance if possible. This is especially important if you are due to make a presentation to
the class. Absences of more than a few days should be backed up by medical or other
evidence.

10. Assessment
The assessment for this module will be a 50% essay and 50% exam. Students will also be
expected to hand in a compulsory non-assessed essay plan.
Exam/ Essay topic crossover
Assessed essay and examination questions cover different parts of the course. There is no
overlap in topics. Assessed essay covers the topics found in weeks 1-5. Examination
questions will offer options covering weeks 6-10. You may choose any available question in
both the assessed assignment and the examination. In both the assessment students
cannot discuss the topic that they have presented during tutorials. They can refer to it, but
they also have to show knowledge of other topics covered in the course

11. 1. The Non-Assessed Essay Plan:
You must submit a (typewritten) non-assessed essay plan of maximum 2 pages, outlining
what your key argument will be and how you intend to structure it, as well as the theorists
you intend to discuss, and an indication of the readings you will base this essay on.
This essay plan must be submitted by no later than the lecture on 25th February 2014 (week
5).

12. 2. The assessed essay:
The maximum essay length is 3,000 words +/-10%. You must include a word count on the front
of your essay or suffer a 2% penalty to your overall mark. The essays must be typed, doublespaced in a reasonable font (eg. 12 point in Times New Roman or Arial).
ESSAY SUBMISSION - IMPORTANT:
Your assessed essay must be submitted by 2pm on the deadline day unless given course
specific instructions by email.
Your essay must be submitted electronically via the Turnitin plagiarism checking system
(details of how to do this will be available on Blackboard).
AND you must also submit two hard copies of the essay to the SoSS Undergraduate Office in
the Arthur Lewis building.
The assessed essay must be submitted by: 2pm on Thursday 13 March 2014

13. Feedback
You will get informal verbal feedback continuously throughout the course especially during
the weekly workshops and the presentations in tutorials.
Written formative feedback will be given on the non-assessed essays and the assessed
essays part way through the course to help students prepare for the final examination.
Half a day essay feedback will be offered the 29th of April, from 10am to 1pm. In that
occasion students will be able to discuss their feedbacks with the lecturer previous
appointment.
The final workshop (week 10) will be dedicated to Q&A and to discuss possible exam
questions.