Spring School short course 22

The title for this 2011 Spring School short course is 'Analyzing network dynamics using RSiena'.

The course tutor will be Tom Snijders.

The course will take place in the Department of Politics & International Relations at the Manor Road building.

Course Description

The course will give an introduction to statistical modelling of longitudinal network data and demonstrate the basics of using the RSiena program, a package in the statistical system R.
Information about the method and the program is available at
http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~snijders/siena/
Attention will be paid to the underlying statistical methodology, to examples, and to the use of the software.

No previous knowledge of this method or of R is required, but a basic knowledge of network analysis and of statistical modelling including logistic regression is assumed. The course will treat dynamics of networks as well as the simultaneous dynamics of networks and behaviour, and also other more advanced topics such as model specification, multivariate networks, structurally determined values, and goodness of fit checking.

To get maximal profit out of the workshop, participants are advised to bring a laptop with a working recent version of R installed. No previous knowledge of R is necessary, but participants should have figured out before the workshop how to run R on their machine. This applies especially to Mac or Linux users, because they will be on their own with respect to handling their operating system.

Preparatory material for the course will be distributed through

http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~snijders/siena/siena_events.htm

Course Schedule

Tuesday: (morning)

Introduction to stochastic actor-oriented models for network dynamics
Introduction to RSiena

Tuesday: (afternoon)

Hypothesis testing. Model specification
Continuation of computer work

Wednesday: (morning)

Models for simultaneous dynamics of networks and behaviour
Dynamics of networks and behaviour: specification in RSiena

Wednesday: (afternoon)

Assignment: homophily and transitivity
Examples. Model specification issues

Thursday: (morning)

Structurally determined values. Time heterogeneity
Model checking. Meta-analysis approach to analysis of multiple networks

Thursday: (afternoon)

Modelling of bipartite networks and of two-sided (non-directed) relations
Continuation of computer work, questions and discussion

Programme pdf

Course materials

Coure materials can be accessed here.

Instructor

Tom Snijders

Tom Snijders is Professor of Statistics in the Social Sciences in Oxford and a fellow of Nuffield College. He also is Professor of Methodology at the University of Groningen.

He is a prominent researcher in the field of statistic methods in behavioural and social sciences. His specialist area is social network analysis, and he has contributed to the development of statistical methods for social network analysis. The SIENA program, which is the topic of this course, implements methods for longitudinal network analysis developed by him and collaborators. Another of his research interests is multilevel analysis, about which he wrote a textbook with Roel Bosker, entitled Multilevel Analysis: An Introduction to Basic and Advanced Multilevel Modeling (1999). Further research interests are statistical modelling in social science in general, mathematical sociology, and item response theory.

Together with Professor Patrick Doreian (University of Pittsburgh and University of Ljulbjana), Tom Snijders edits the international scientific journal Social Networks.

Costs

Participants from academic institutions: £360
Participants from non-academic institutions: £540

Unfortunately we are no longer able to offer a discounted rate to members of ECPR institutions. However, you may be able to apply to the ECPR scholarship fund. The appropriate form is now available on the ECPR website. Please note that the deadline for applications is 31 January 2011. Please address any queries to the ECPR and not to the Oxford Spring School.

The National Centre for Research Methods (NCRM) is offering training bursaries up to £1000 to enable staff in the UK social science community engaged in research, teaching research methods or supervising research to update their skills. Contract researchers working in HEIs are also eligible for the bursaries. Please note that the bursary scheme is open for applications throughout the year i.e. there are no deadlines for applications. For further information about the bursaries and to apply please see http://www.ncrm.ac.uk/about/funding/training/

Accommodation

Accommodation is available in Mansfield College, Oxford. These rooms are available on a first come first served basis for 1-4 nights (21-24 March inclusive). Mansfield College is situated a 0.5 km (10 minute) walk from the Manor Road Building.

All available rooms at Mansfield College are en-suite study bedrooms with wash-basin, shower and WC. These bedrooms are provided with internet connection, telephone and tea and coffee making facilities. Breakfast is included in the price.

Prices (please enquire if you require non-consecutive nights):

1 night (Monday 21 - Wednesday 23 March non-inclusive) : £74.17
2 nights (Monday 21 - Tuesday 22 March inclusive) : £138.34
2 nights (Tuesday 22 - Wednesday 23 March inclusive) : £138.34
2 nights (Wednedsay 23 - Thursday 24 March inclusive) : £138.34
3 nights (Monday 21 - Wednesday 23 March inclusive) : £202.51
3 nights (Tuesday 22 - Thursday 24 March inclusive) : £202.51
4 nights (Monday 21 - Thursday 24 March inclusive) : £266.68

Please indicate on the registration form if you would like accommodation during the course. Full payment for accommodation must be received by Friday 25 February.

If you would like to make your own arrangements to stay in Oxford, you can find information about accommodation in Oxford on the Oxford City website or on the Oxford Daily Information website. Please note that the cost of college accommodation provided by Spring School is among the cheaper options.

Registration

Registration for this course closed at noon on Monday 7 February 2011.

Please familiarise yourself with our important correspondence dates and deadlines.

Acceptance emails, including details of how to pay, will be sent to all registrants as soon as possible, and certainly by Monday 16 February. Please note that we must receive all payment by Friday 25 February. If payment is not received by 25 February and the course is over-subscribed we reserve the right to offer your place to someone on the waiting list. Please note, prior to your booking being accepted, we must receive both confirmation from you that you intend to come on the course and payment in full.

Computer requirements

Attendees for this course are kindly asked to supply their own laptops, with the necessary software installed:

'R'

R can be downloaded from http://cran.r-project.org/.
It exists in versions for Windows, Mac, and Linux. There are extensive "FAQ" documentations available at the same website for issues with installing.
For Windows users, if for some reason this does not succeed, we can install R during the course.
We hope that Mac and Linux users will have been able to install by themselves, as we will be less able to provide support for those platforms.

RSiena

The start of the RSiena manual, available at http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~snijders/siena/s_man400.pdf, offers further information about installation. Early in the course we shall install RSiena from the repository in http://r-forge.r-project.org/R/?group_id=461

Note:

If your laptop uses a non-UK plug, please be sure to bring a plug adapter for a UK 3-pin socket. Many thanks.

Spring School short course, 22 - 24 March 2011 Analyzing network dynamics using RSiena