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7: Networks

Life is full of connections!

Networks are a particular kind of data that look deceptively simple. Human lives are full of relationships with others, and communities and identities are often defined through relationships between people. But how do we understand these connections historically, and how do we analyze them?

In this module, we will:

  • Think about what a network is and how we find network data
  • Think about what networks can and can’t tell us
  • Work with the basics of analyzing and visualizing network data
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Mar 22Mar 24Mar 26

Reading

Everyone

Grad

  • Maeve Kane, “For Wagrassero’s Son: Colonialism and the Structure of Indigenous Women’s Social Connections, 1690–1730.” The Journal of Early American History. (2017) https://doi.org/10.1163/18770703-00702002 [Not available through UAlbany, please download PDF]
  • OPTIONAL I’ve been asked to annotate the “For Wagrassero’s Son” piece above for a special issue of the Journal of Social History focused on digital humanities methods. You can see my annotated version of the article above here. This is optional since it was not available at the time that the discussion starter video was filmed.
  • Robert Michael Morrissey, “Archives of Connection.” Historical Methods, 48:2 (2015) https://doi.org/10.1080/01615440.2014.962208

Watch

Discussion Starter

The discussion starter video for this week is on Blackboard under the title “Module 7: Networks.” After reading and watching all the assigned material and the discussion starter video, respond in the #module7 channel on Slack using the 3CQ structure.

Tasks

  1. Read and watch all the assigned material
  2. Respond to the discussion starter video in the #module7 channel on Slack
  3. OPTIONAL: Do the Networks Colab assignment
  4. OPTIONAL: Do the Networks Observable assignment

I’ve made this week’s assignments optional because they’re pretty intense and a bit to get your mind around. I recommend looking at the intro sections of both assignments even if you end up not doing them. If you’re interested in networks after doing the reading or you’re thinking about doing networks in your final project, the optional assignments are a good way to dig into the details of network analysis.