Semester	Fall Semester, 2025
Department	Master's Program in Global Communication and Innovation Technology, First Year Master's Program in Global Communication and Innovation Technology, Second Year Master's Program in Global Communication and Innovation Technology, Third Year
Course Name	Social Media and Social Networks
Instructor
Credit	2.0
Course Type	Elective
Prerequisite

Course Objective

Course Description

Course Schedule

Week	Topic	Content and Reading Assignment	Teaching Activities and Homework
1	Course Introduction	Definitions of social networks and social media, how to make sense of new technology
2	Social networks I	Nodes, links, using software to visualize networks (Reading: Online reading assignment #1)
3	Six Degrees of Separation	Online session	Assignment #1
4	Social networks II	Degree, centrality, small world (Reading: Online reading #2 – chapters 1, 2, 3)
5	Algorithms	Definition of algorithms, types of algorithms (prioritization, classification, filtering, association), algorithm case studies (Reading: The hype machine – Chs 1, 2, 3)	Assignment #2
6	Privacy & Misinformation	Definition of Privacy, ways to protect privacy; Definition of misinformation, visual misinformation, and interventions (Reading: The hype machine – Chs 6)
7	Building relationships on social media	How social media influence the creation and maintenance of interpersonal relationships (Reading: The hype machine – Chs 7, 8)	Assignment #3
8	The social dilemma	Online Session	Assignment #4
9	Social capital; Diffusion and contagion I	Social capital, bridging and bonding. Memes, network structure and virality, how to create spreadable content (Reading: The hype machine – Chs 9)
10	Diffusion and contagion II	Virality lessons from Youtube, Buzzfeed and Jonah Berger; (Optional reading: Contagious: How things catch on)	Assignment #5
11	Designing for motivation and commitment	How to design social media sites to maximize user motivation and commitment (Reading: Online readings 3 & 4)
12	Regulating content; Final presentations	Misinformation, hate speech, content moderation practices and pitfalls (Reading: The hype machine – Chs 11, 12)	Final assignment

Teaching Methods

Teaching Assistant

張嘉龍 (David) hgltruong@gmail.com

Requirement/Grading

Class participation (20%)

As this course’s success is dependent on active participation from students, class attendance and discussions are highly encouraged. Students should read articles assigned by the instructor before coming to class and be prepared to critically engage with course content.

In-class Quizzes and Assignments (40%)

Various in-class quizzes and assignments will be given during class. These quizzes will take the form of multiple choice, True/False, or short answer questions, and will be taken and graded in class. They are designed to assess your understanding of reading materials or reinforce content recently covered in the course.

Project (40%)

There will be a few class assignments for individuals and teams. Most class meetings will include some time to work on assignments. Occasionally, teams will need to delegate or meet outside of class to complete teamwork. The final presentation is a team assignment.

Textbook & Reference

The Hype Machine: How Social Media Disrupts Our Elections, Our Economy, and Our Health--and How We Must Adapt (https://www.amazon.com/Hype-Machine-Disrupts-Elections-Health/dp/0525574514)

Additional readings will be posted to class site.

Urls about Course

Attachment