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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Network Dynamics of Social Behavior by University of Pennsylvania

4.6
stars
312 ratings
•
83 reviews

About the Course

How do revolutions emerge without anyone expecting them? How did social norms about same sex marriage change more rapidly than anyone anticipated? Why do some social innovations take off with relative ease, while others struggle for years without spreading? More generally, what are the forces that control the process of social evolution –from the fashions that we wear, to our beliefs about religious tolerance, to our ideas about the process of scientific discovery and the best ways to manage complex research organizations? The social world is complex and full of surprises. Our experiences and intuitions about the social world as individuals are often quite different from the behaviors that we observe emerging in large societies. Even minor changes to the structure of a social network - changes that are unobservable to individuals within those networks - can lead to radical shifts in the spread of new ideas and behaviors through a population. These “invisible” mathematical properties of social networks have powerful implications for the ways that teams solve problems, the social norms that are likely to emerge, and even the very future of our society. This course condenses the last decade of cutting-edge research on these topics into six modules. Each module provides an in-depth look at a particular research puzzle -with a focus on agent-based models and network theories of social change -and provides an interactive computational model for you try out and to use for making your own explorations! Learning objectives - after this course, students will be able to... - explain how computer models are used to study challenging social problems - describe how networks are used to represent the structure of social relationships - show how individual actions can lead to unintended collective behaviors - provide concrete examples of how social networks can influence social change - discuss how diffusion processes can explain the growth social movements, changes in cultural norms, and the success of team problem solving...

Top reviews

PG
Jul 28, 2019

This course really enhanced my understanding of collective intelligence, however, it would be great if instructors provide lecture slides also to revise the course whenever required.

SC
Jan 20, 2018

A Crisp yet effective overview of some of the most critical works in the field of Networking. Anyone from the fields of Management, Sociology, Anthropology et al should try the MOOC.

Filter by:

26 - 50 of 82 Reviews for Network Dynamics of Social Behavior

By Mireille L

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May 10, 2020

Great course for beginners - simple to understand and changes the way you think about communication networks.

By PRIYARANJAN P

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Jul 18, 2018

excellent course accessible to all. highly recommended.Really looking forward to more courses from this team.

By Jeffrey P

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Apr 12, 2020

A short course (I completed in a single evening) but really interesting with lots of potential applications.

By Karen L

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Aug 21, 2020

loved this class. Helped explain scenarios of collective behavior, drivers, variables. Very interesting.

By Martin B L

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Dec 4, 2018

Interesting course! Concepts are very well explained, but it misses practical classes in NetLogo.

By Sebastian P

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Feb 28, 2021

Interesting topics, well lectures, if it would go a little bit more in-depth it would be perfect

By Manyu

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May 31, 2018

Very down-to-earth. Highly recommended for anyone who wants basic knowledge on network dynamics.

By Venkataraman G

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Dec 9, 2019

This is an excellent introductory course. Highly recommended for students of social sciences.

By Fabian G V

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Apr 5, 2020

Excelent course to start in Network Dynamics. I hope a more advanced course after this one.

By Hugo M d F

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May 31, 2020

An eye-opening course, well structured and with a good balance of knowledge and analysis.

By Aleix D

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Mar 17, 2019

Very interesting topics. I can't wait to apply them to current research.

By Hansel E

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Aug 1, 2020

Insightful course with knowledge that can be applied in various fields.

By Jack O

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Aug 4, 2018

An excellent and inspiring introduction to a new approach to sociology.

By Skyler S

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Sep 25, 2019

Very interesting course. Occasionally test questions are too vague.

By Ramkumar S

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Jan 9, 2019

Simple concise videos. Crisp explanations. Cool demos with Netlogo.

By Gustavo C

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Jun 26, 2020

Bring us a new way to see the people's behavior and the world.

By Fayez K

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Dec 1, 2019

Amazing course! Taught me a ton. Buying a new one real soon

By Ana G R M

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Sep 8, 2019

Both Professors easily give an overview of Network Dynamics

By Daniel H J

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Jan 17, 2020

It's a good course for introduction to social networks

By Jasmine B

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Jul 6, 2020

Congratulations. It is a very well structured course.

By Ignacio O

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Feb 1, 2019

Great introductory course, although a bit too easy.

By John

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Dec 5, 2020

A great introduction to an ever interesting topic.

By Deepakshi A

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Apr 24, 2021

A very interesting and helpful course. Thank you!

By Kedric W

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Oct 21, 2019

A great entry level course for network dynamics.

By Sharon S

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May 19, 2021

A must for anyones is in a business of change

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