OLET2346: Social Network Analysis Principles

University of Sydney•2026 S2
In Progress
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Network Analysis
Centrality
Diffusion
Network Topology
Social Data

Foundations of network thinking for understanding relational structure, centrality, diffusion and the real-world consequences of connections among people and organisations.

Learning Outcomes

Official unit information
  • Network thinking: Understand networks as a way to represent and reason about relationships between entities.
  • SNA principles: Explain foundational concepts and measures used in social network analysis.
  • Centrality and topology: Recognise quantitative measures of network structure and what different forms of centrality can indicate.
  • Diffusion: Understand how information, ideas and behaviours spread through networks.
  • Real-world application: Analyse how network structures enable or constrain outcomes and how networks may be leveraged in practice.
  • Data limitations: Recognise different sources of social-network data and the limitations of the conclusions they support.

Current Focus

I am using the unit to strengthen relational thinking beyond ordinary tabular analysis. The concepts are relevant to team interaction, information diffusion and multi-person systems, while the emphasis on data limitations keeps the interpretation grounded.