SOC 3332 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Relational Theory, Miso, Antisymmetric Relation

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 3332
• Professor: Ariel Fuenzalida

Document Summary

Societies are networks of people that are linked by things like friendships, families, or professional ties. On a smaller scale, the brain is a network of neurons connected by axons and cells which themselves are networks too. On a larger scale, the ecosystem and the food chain are networks of species. We can look at these things and their relationships with the outside world. An example of a simple dyad would be a predator versus prey situation. The internet is the most obvious network. It contains nodes and connections (e. g. hyperlinks lead to web pages). Other examples include: telecommunication systems, transmission grids, interstate highway systems, transportation systems, and language (when words enter into relationships they make sentences which results in meanings). Hubs are points where a lot of traffic goes through. Social network theory is a relational theory its main concern is with the analysis of relations and connections.