This course aims to introduce basic theoretical perspectives and research methods of social networks and their applications for a wide range of networking contexts such as media and communication networks (e.g., flows of news, entertainment, advertising, and public relations, online communities, etc.), business networks (e.g., viral marketing, business operations, etc.), and engineering networks (networking usage traffic, contagious human disease and computer virus, transportation systems, etc.). The students will be exposed to an interdisciplinary body of knowledge involving sciences, engineering, social sciences, and business studies. In addition, the students will carry out hands-on exercises, case studies, and group projects. At the end of the course, the students will gain not only intellectual knowledge, but also practical skills for scientific inquiry, critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, and professional presentation to address networking issues. The knowledge and skills will also enable the students to help enhance human experience and life quality in the contemporary networked society.

Continuous Assessment: 100%