1. education
2. graduate school

MANUAL
SummerschoolWorkshops
May‐June2014
April3,2014
PhDprogramme2013‐2014
GraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
VUUniversityAmsterdam
Contents
Collecting,AnalyzingwithAtlas.TI,andPublishingQualitativeData.....................................2
Set‐theoreticalcomparativemethodsandfuzzysetQCAanalysis...........................................6
ProgrammingandAnalyzinginR.............................................................................................................11
SocialNetworkAnalysis...................................................................................................................................18
VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
1
Collecting,AnalyzingwithAtlas.TI,andPublishingQualitativeData
PhDprogrammeGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences,2013‐2014
VUUniversityAmsterdam
Period:
5(May2014)
CourseCredits:
3ECTS
Lecturer:
Prof.BarbaraRisman([email protected])
Fee(externalparticipants):€300,‐
Maximumparticipants:
15
Sign‐up/inquiries: SaskiaJans([email protected])
Schedule:
Date
Time
Location
1Tuesday,May20
9.00‐16.30
HG‐1G28
2Wednesday,May21
9.00‐16.30
HG‐1G28
3Thursday,May22
9.00‐16.30
HG‐1G28
Courseobjectives
Qualitativeresearchinvolvesavarietyofdatacollectiontechniques,andmultipletypesofsources.
Researchersobserve,makenotesoftheirobservations,interviewpeople,sometimestakepictures,
usewrittenandelectronicarchivesanddoethnography.Thefirstobjectiveforthiscourseisto
assessthevarietyofwaystocollectqualitativedataandtoactuallyexperimentwithcollecting
someandassessingit’sreliability.Thesecondobjectiveofthiscourseistostructureandanalyze
thequalitativedatawithoutlosingsightofyourresearchproblem.Thiswillbetheheartofthis
workshop.Theworkshopisdesignedtoequipparticipantswithconceptualtoolsforanalyzing
interviewdata.Participantswilldevelophandsonskillswithhowtoanalyzequalitativedatausing
AtlasTibycompletingin‐classexerciseswithdataprovided.Finally,thethirdobjectiveofthis
workshopistoprovideskillstosuccessfullyturnqualitativeanalysisintomanuscriptsthatcanbe
submittedtojournalsforreview.
Coursecontent
Onthefirstdaywewillfocusonunderstandingthedifferences,prosandcons,todifferent
typesofqualitativedatacollection.Participantswillbeexposedtointerviewtechniquesand
practiceinterviewingskills.Afieldexercisewillinvolvesomeobservations,writingfieldnotes,and
comparingthemforreliability.
OntheseconddayoftheworkshopwewillmeetinacomputerlaboratorywithAtlasTi
installedonthemachines.Thishands‐onexperientiallearningwillbedesignedtotakethenovice
fromunderstandingtheconceptualbackgroundofcomputerassistedqualitativeanalysisthru
codingdataandanalysis.Theinstructorwillprovidedatafortheexercises.Theparticipantswill
learntocodedatausingbothopencodingstrategiesandtheoreticalones.Theywillalsolearnto
analyzedatausingqueries.Participantswillleavewiththeabilitytoorganize,code,andanalyze
datawithAtlasTi.
VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
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Thethirdandfinaldayoftheworkshopisdedicatedtopublishingqualitativeresearch.The
daybeginswithdiscussionsonthewritingprocessitself.Participantsareexpectedtobringsome
writingprojectwiththemtoworkonfortheexercisesgiventhisday.Informationwillbeshared
abouthowtoorganizeaqualitativejournalarticle,includingcreatinganinfrastructure.Finallytips
forthepublicationprocessaregiven.
Courseaudience
Thiscourseisopentoboth‘regular’andexternalPh.D.candidates(‘buitenpromovendi’)whoare
linkedtothevariousdepartmentsoftheVUFacultyofSocialSciencesandmemberoftheGSSS.The
courseisadvisedforadvancedPhDcandidates2nd,3rd(and4th)years.Onlyminimalknowledgeof
thecomputerprogramAtlastTiisrequired,butmoreadvancedstudentsarealsowelcome.PhD
candidatesfromrelevantotherVUfaculties(i.e.,psychology,economicsandmanagementscience)
andotheruniversitiesarewelcome.Theseexternalparticipantsarechargedafee(seeabove).
Generalknowledgeaboutresearchdesignandsomeknowledgeonhowtoconductqualitative
scientificresearchisrequired.
Registration
PleaseregisterforthiscoursebeforeMay1st2014throughsendinganemailtoSaskiaJans
([email protected]).ShewilladdyournametotheBlackboardpageofthiscoursesoyougetaccesstoall
necessarydocumentsandupdates.ParticipantsmustalsosubmitanabstractoftheirPhDprojectat
thebeginningofthecourse(onepagemax).Sendyourabstracttothecourselecturerultimately
oneweekbeforethestartofthecourse.
ImportantNote
ParticipantsarerequiredtobringaworkingdocumentabouttheirPhDprojectoranotherresearch
manuscriptforthein‐classexercisesonDay3.
Assessment
ToobtainECTScreditsforthecourseparticipantsarerequiredto(1)bepresentinallsessions;(2)
activelyparticipateduringthelectures;(3)Completethefieldexperienceindatacollectionand
submittranscriptionsfromit;(4)Completethecomputerassignments;(5)submitafinalpaper
discussingifandhowcomputerassistedqualitativeanalysiswillbeusefulfortheirresearch.The
gradeforthiscourseis25%activeparticipationintheworkshop;25%completionofthecomputer
assignment;25%completionofthefieldexperienceandtranscripts;and25%reflectionpaperat
theendoftheworkshop.Allassignmentsneedtobegradedassufficientinorderforstudentsto
passthiscourse.
Schedule&Readings
Session
Topics
Readings
1(tue)
VarietiesofQualitativeData
Weiss:Chapter1‐4
InterviewTechniquesandChallenges
2(wed)
ConceptualFrameworksforQualitative
Weiss:Chapter5‐6
VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
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3(thu)
WorkshopActivity
Assignment:AnalysisandCodinginAtlasti.
FromAnalysistoWriting
WorkshopActivity:
WritingAnalyticMemos&ReiterativeCoding
AtlasTimanual(skim)
RismanandMartin(2012)
White(2005)
RequiredReadings(allwillbeavailableonline):
Thefollowingliteraturearethemainrequiredreadingsofthecourse,whichyouneedtoreadin
advanceoftheworkshopsessions.
Weiss,Robert.1994.LearningfromStrangers:TheArtandMethodofQualitativeInterviewStudies.
NewYork:Simon&Schuster.
AtlasTiInstructionManual
White,Lynn.2005.“WritinganEmpiricalArticle.”JournalofMarriageandtheFamily,Vol.67:791‐
798.
Risman,BarbaraandPatriciaYanceMartin.2012.“GuidetoPublishingArticles”.
Assignments
Thefieldworkexperienceassignmentwillbecompletedduringclasstimeasanactivelearning
project.ThecomputerdataanalysisassignmentwillbecompletedduringDay2inthecomputer
laboratory.Thefinalreflectionpaperassignmentforeachstudentwilldependuponthestageof
theirownresearchproject.Forstudentswhoareyettogointothefield,thefinalassignmentwill
bearesearchdesignproposal.Forstudentscurrentlyinthefield,thefinalassignmentwillbea
codingscheme,andananalyticmemo;forstudentswhohavecompletedtheirdatacollection,an
analyticmemowhichprovidesanoutlineofthemajorfindingstodate.
BioProf.Dr.BarbaraRisman
BarbaraRismanisProfessorandHeadoftheDepartmentofSociologyattheUniversityofIllinoisat
Chicago.ShewaspreviouslyAlumniDistinguishedResearchProfessor,aswellastheFounding
DirectoroftheGenderandWomen’sStudiesProgramatNorthCarolinaStateUniversity.Barbara
RismanistheauthorofGenderVertigo:AmericanFamiliesinTransition(Yale,1998),FamiliesAs
TheyReallyAre(Norton,2010),andovertwodozenjournalarticlesinvenuesincludingAmerican
SociologicalReview,Gender&Society,andJournalofMarriageandtheFamily.Shehasbeeneditor
ofthejournal,ContemporarySociology,andiscurrentlyoneoftheeditorsofabookseries,The
GenderLens,afeministtransformationprojectforthedisciplineofsociology.SheisalsoPresident
oftheBoardofDirectorsofTheCouncilonContemporaryFamilies,anationalorganizationwhose
missionistobringnewresearchfindingsandclinicalexpertisetopublicattention
VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
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(www.contemporaryfamilies.org).Sheisthein‐comingPresidentoftheSouthernSociological
Association.ProfessorRismanisabloggeronHuffingtonPost,andwritesop‐edsforcnn.com.
In2005,Dr.RismanwashonoredwiththeKatherineJocherBelleBooneAwardfromthe
SouthernSociologicalSocietyforlifetimecontributionstothestudyofgender.Shewasalsonamed
asthe2003FeministLecturerbytheSociologistsforWomeninSociety.In2011,Dr.Rismanwas
honoredwiththeAmericanSociologicalAssociation’sAwardforthePublicUnderstandingof
Sociology.ProfessorRismanhasacurrentresearchprojectfocusingonthedevelopmentofgender
andsexualidentitiesamongwhiteandblackmiddle‐schoolchildren.Asecondprojectin
collaborationwithgraduateandundergraduatestudentsisastudyofdatingandsexualityon
collegecampuses.IncollaborationwithShannonDavis,sheistestingtheoriesaboutwhether
hormonalexposureinuteroinfluencesgenderedselvesinadulthood.ProfessorRismanhasabook
undercontractforOxfordUniversitypresstitled,GenderasaSocialStructure:TowardaUtopian
VisionforaPost‐GenderSociety.ProfessorRismanstronglybelievesthatsociologistshavea
responsibilitytobothdogoodresearchandteachaboutit,insidetheclassroomandtothepublicat
large.TolearnmoreaboutProfessorRisman,gotowww.barbararisman.com.
VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
5
Set‐theoreticalcomparativemethodsandfuzzysetQCAanalysis
PhDprogrammeGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences,2013‐2014
VUUniversityAmsterdam
Period:
5(May2014)
CourseCredits:
3ECTS
Lecturer:
Prof.dr.BarbaraVis([email protected])
Fee(externalparticipants):€300,‐
Maximumparticipants:
15
Sign‐up/inquiries: SaskiaJans([email protected])
Schedule:
Date
Time
Location
1Wednesday,May21
9.30‐15.30
HG‐1G11
2Thursday,May22
9.30‐15.30
HG‐1G11
3Friday,May23
9.30‐15.30
HG‐1G11
Courseobjectives
Comparativeanalysesarecentraltothesocialsciences,makingknowledgeofcomparativemethods
crucialforallgraduate(MSRandPhD)studentsinthefield.InthisGSSSworkshop,youare
introducedto,discuss,andpracticecomparativemethodsthatarebasedonsettheoryandformal
logicandwhichhavebecomeknownundertheacronymQCA(QualitativeComparativeAnalysis),
configurationalcomparativemethods(Rihoux&Ragin2009),orset‐theoreticalmethods
(Schneider&Wagemann2012).Thesetechniqueshavebeenintroducedtothesocialsciencesby
CharlesRagininthelate1980s(Ragin1989)andhavebeenimprovedsince(e.g.Ragin2000,2008).
Overthelastyears,thescholarlyinterestforanduseofconfigurationalmethodsisincreasing,asa
risingnumberofpublicationsusingthesetechniquessignifies(seewww.compasss.orgforauseful
bibliographicaloverview).
Thisworkshopprovidesyouwithasolidunderstandingoftheset‐theoreticalunderpinningsof
configurationalmethodsandofthepracticalresearchskillsneededtoperformacomparative
configurationalanalysis,especiallyofthefuzzy‐settype.Aftertheworkshop,youwillbeableto
identifyanddealwiththeissues,problemsandstrategiesof‘smallandmediumsized’(Nbetween
around5to50)research,projectsforwhichthesetechniquesaremostsuited.Thisknowledgeof
systematiccomparativeresearchisalsohighlyrelevantforthosegraduatestudentswhodonot
intendtouseaconfigurationalmethod,butwhoareconductingacomparativestudy(suchasa
comparativecasestudydesign).
Coursecontent
Theworkshopisstructuredasfollows.Thefirstdaystartsbyrefreshingorintroducingyour
knowledgeofcomparativemethodsbydiscussingamongotherstheworkofJ.S.Mill,onwhich
configurationalmethodsarebased,andbyintroducingconfigurationalthinking.Wewillespecially
focusonkeyconceptsoftheapproach,suchascausalcomplexity,necessity,andsufficiency.
VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
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Moreover,wewilldiscusshownecessityandsufficiencycanbeusedtoidentifysubset
relationships.Inthefollowingdays,youwillputthisknowledgetopracticebyanalyzingsubset
relationshipsbymeansoftruthtables.Youwilllearntoworkwiththemostwidelyusedthe
available(opensource)software:Tosmana(http://www.tosmana.net/)andfsQCA2.5
(http://www.u.arizona.edu/~cragin/fsQCA/software.shtml).Weendbydiscussinghowtomixa
configurationalapproachwith(an)otherapproach.
Throughouttheworkshop,youractiveparticipationisrequired,bothinthediscussionsandinthe
exercisesandre‐analyses.Datasetsforthere‐analysiswillbecirculatedpriortothecourse.Ifyou
alreadyhaveaconfigurationaldataset,therewillbeampleopportunitythroughouttheworkshop
toaskquestionshowtoworkwiththesedata.
Classroomassignmentsinclude,amongotherthings,discussingissuesrelatingtotheapproachin
smallgroupsandconductingre‐analyses.
Courseaudience
Thiscourseisopentoboth‘regular’andexternalPh.D.candidates(‘buitenpromovendi’)whoare
linkedtothevariousdepartmentsoftheVUFacultyofSocialSciencesandmemberoftheGSSS.The
courseisbothusefulforPh.D.candidatesintheir1styearandinlateryears.Ph.D.candidatesfrom
relevantotherVUfaculties(i.e.,psychology,economics,andmanagementscience)andother
universitiesarewelcome.Theseexternalparticipantsarechargedafee(seeabove).Abasiclevelof
priorknowledgeonQCAissufficienttoenterthisworkshop.
Registration
PleaseregisterforthiscoursebeforeMay1st2014bysendinganemailtoSaskiaJans
([email protected]).ShewilladdyournametotheBlackboardpageofthiscoursesoyougetaccessto
thenecessarydocumentsandupdates.Participantsmustalsodoapreparatoryassignment,see
below,whichtheyneedtosendtothecourselecturerultimatelyoneweekbeforethestartofthe
course.
Importantnote
Youneedtobringyourlaptoptoclassforlearninghowtoworkwiththesoftwareandfor
conductingthere‐analyses.Pleasemakesuretoinstallthe(opensource)softwarethatwe’lluse
priortotheworkshop:
 Tosmana(http://www.tosmana.net/)
 FsQCA2.5(http://www.u.arizona.edu/~cragin/fsQCA/software.shtml).
Assessment
ToobtainECTScreditsforthecourseparticipantsarerequiredto(1)bepresentinallsessions;(2)
activelyparticipateduringtheclasses,(3)submitthepreparatoryassignment(seebelow),and(4)
submitareflectionpaper(seebelow).
VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
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Thegradeforthiscourseis70%reflectionpaper;20%classparticipation;10%preparatory
assignment.Allassignmentsneedtobegradedassufficientinorderforstudentstopassthis
course.
RequiredReadings:
Thefollowingbooksarethemainrequiredreadingsofthecourse,whichyouneedtopurchaseand
readinadvanceofthecourse:
•Rihoux,B.&Ragin,C.C.(2009).ConfigurationalComparativeMethods:Qualitative
ComparativeAnalysis(QCA)andRelatedTechniques.LosAngelesetc.:Sage(Indicatedas
Rihoux&Ragininthedetailedschedulebelow).
•Ragin,C.C.(2008).RedesigningSocialInquiry:FuzzySetsandBeyond.ChicagoandLondon:
UniversityofChicagoPress(Ragininthedetailedschedulebelow).
Inaddition,Irecommendyoutoreadsomepartsofthefollowingbook:
•Schneider,C.Q.andC.Wagemann(2012).Set‐TheoreticMethodsfortheSocialSciences:A
GuidetoQualitativeComparativeAnalysis.Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress.
The2012bookbySchneiderandWagemannisanexcellent,up‐to‐dateadvancedtextbookforthe
differentset‐theoreticalapproaches.Itisamust‐readforresearchersintendingtouseaset‐
theoreticalapproachintheirresearch.
Inadditiontothesebooks,wereadanddiscussaseriesofarticles.Youwillreceivean
overviewwhenyousignupforthecourse.Itisexpectedthatyouhavereadtherelevantchapters
andarticlesinadvanceoftheworkshop.
Ifyouwanttoreadevenmoreonthelogicofcomparativeconfigurationalmethodsor
consultsomeofthemanyexamplesofempiricalapplicationsofthesemethods,seetheextensive
bibliographyavailableontheresourcewebsitewww.compasss.org.Alsotherecentlypublished
mini‐symposiumonconfigurationalapproachesinPoliticalResearchQuarterly(2013,vol.66,issue
1,167‐235)isapossiblyusefulread.
Detailedschedule
 Day1(morning)ComparativeResearchintheSocialSciences&Configurationalthinking,
partI
Thefirstdayofthisworkshopbeginsbyrefreshing,orintroducing,thebasicsofcomparative
research.Youwillreflectonsomekeyquestionsrelatedtothecomparativemethod.Why,for
example,isthismethodsocentralinthesocialsciencesingeneral?Whatareitsstrengthsandwhat
areitspitfalls?Bydiscussingtheseandrelatedquestionsyouwillbothlearnwhatthecomparative
methodhastoofferfortheirownresearchandwillarriveattheappropriatelevelfortherestofthe
course.
 Day1(afternoon)ConfigurationalThinking,partII
Intheafternoonofthefirstday,wecontinuediscussingset‐theoreticthinking,whichisattheheart
ofconfigurationalapproaches.Becauseoftheircentralityintheseapproaches,youwillamong
otherthingsbemade(more)familiarwithnecessaryandsufficientconditions.Itisinterestingto
notethat–althoughoftennotusingthisvocabulary–‘traditional’casestudiesalsotypicallyfocus
onnecessaryand/orsufficient(combinationsof)conditions.
VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
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
Day2CsQCA:Booleanalgebra,truthtables,applicationsandre‐analysis&FsQCA:the
basics
Arrivedattheseconddayoftheworkshop,youhavegatheredenoughtheoreticalbaggagetoturn
tothefirstconfigurationalapproach:crisp‐setQCA.IwillintroduceBooleanalgebraandshowhow
toapplyminimizationrulestoBooleantruth‐tables.BymeansofsomerecentapplicationsofcsQCA,
youwillbothlearnhowtoworkwiththesoftwarepackagesandobtainbetterinsightintohow
Booleananalysisworksandwhetherthismethodcanbeofusetoyourownresearch.
 Day3(morning)FsQCA:Calibration,coverage,consistency,applications&re‐analysis
Onthefinaldayoftheworkshop,wecontinuewithfuzzy‐setQCA(fsQCA).Againwere‐analyze
somerecentworktodemonstratehowtoconductafsQCAanalysiswiththesoftware(fsQCA2.5)
andmakeclearhowthisapproachcanbeofuse(ornot)inyourownresearch.
 Day3(afternoon)Mixingmethods
Weconcludetheworkshopwithadiscussionofmixingmethods,especiallyfocusingontowhat
extentaconfigurationalapproachcanbemixedwithamore“traditional”quantitativeapproach.
Whataretheadvantagesofmixing?Andwhatarethedisadvantages?Whataretheimplications
hereofforyourownresearch?Mixingconfigurationalcomparativeapproaches,likefsQCA,with
casestudiesmakesalotofsense,asyouwillalreadyhaveseenintheearliersessionsofthe
workshop.Ofcourse,thereisalsoroomtodiscussanyquestionsyoumayhaveinthisregard.
Assignments
Forthisworkshop,youneedtodotwoassignments:a(short)preparatoryassignmentanda
reflectionpaper.
 Assignment1:Preparatoryassignment
Pleaseprepareadocumentinwhichyouanswerthefollowingquestions.
1. WhatistheresearchquestionofyourPhDprojectorResmathesis?Pleasewritedownboth
theresearchquestionandashortdescriptionofthetopicofyourproject.Ifyouhaveno
researchquestionyet,pleasedescribewhattheprojectwillbeaboutandwhatpossible
questionsyouarethinkingabout.
2. Whatisthemethodologicalapproachofyourproject?Thatistosay,whichmethodor
methodsareyouplanningtouse?Whyhaveyoumadethischoice?Whenansweringthis
latterquestion,youcandiscussissuessuchasthenumberofcasesinyourstudy,your
researchquestionorotherissuesyoufindpertinent.Ifyouhavenomethodological
approachyet,pleasediscusstheapproachesyouareconsideringusing(andwhy).
3. Howmuchdoyoualreadyknowaboutcomparativeresearchingeneralandabout
configurationalapproaches(QCA,and/orfsQCA)inparticular?Ifyouareplanningto
includeaconfigurationalapproachinyourproject:haveyoualreadycollecteddata?
Feelfreetouseasmuchspaceasyouneedwhenansweringthesequestions.However,inmost
cases1to1.5pageswillprobablybeenoughtoanswerthemall.
Thegoalofthisassignmentistwofold.First,itpreparesyouforthiscourse.Second,itprovides
therelevantbackgroundinformationformeasinstructorandforyourfellowworkshop
participants.Thelatterwillfacilitatethediscussionandgroupworkthroughouttheworkshop.
Pleaseemailyourassignmenttome([email protected])andtotheotherparticipants(emaillistwill
beprovidedinduecourse)1weekpriortothecourse(i.e.,May14,2014),atthelatest.
VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
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 Assignment2:Reflectionpaper
Inassignment2,youneedtoreflectonwhatyouhavelearntintheworkshop,inparticularwhether
configurationalcomparativeapproaches(likefsQCA)havesomethingtoofferforyourownproject
andwhy(not).
Thereisnorequiredstructureforthereflectionpaper,butyoumaywanttoaddressthefollowing
points:
 Istheargumentthatyouwanttomakeinyourstudyaset‐theoreticalargument?Ifyes,
whatistheargumentexactlyandhowcanaconfigurationalcomparativeapproachhelpyou
totestit?Ifnot,woulditmakesensetotryandturnitintoaset‐theoreticalargument?Why
(not)?
 Whatareyourmainconceptsandhowwouldyoucalibratethese?(ifapplicable)
 Doyouwanttocombineaconfigurationalcomparativeapproachwithanotherapproach
and,ifso,whichone?Doesthisposeepistemologicaland/orontologicalproblemsand,if
yes,howareyouplanningtoaddressthese?
 Irrespectiveofwhetheryou’llusetheapproachforyourownresearchprojectornot,what
arethestrengths,weaknesses,opportunitiesandthreatsofconfigurationalcomparative
approaches?
Theapproximatelengthoftheassignmentis2,000words(incl.references),butyouarefreeto
writealongerpaperifthisisrelevantforyourproject.Pleaseemailyourreflectionpaperto
BarbaraVis([email protected])onJune27,2014atthelatest.
BioProf.Dr.BarbaraVis
Prof.dr.BarbaraVisisfullProfessorofPoliticalDecision‐MakingonaFennaDiemerLindeboom
ChairattheDepartmentofPoliticalScienceandPublicAdministrationoftheVUUniversity
Amsterdam,theNetherlands.Herresearchandteachinginterestslieincomparativepolitical
economy,politicaldecision‐making,andpoliticalmethodology.Herresearchlargelytakesplacein
thecontextoftheVIDIproject'HIGH‐RISKPOLITICS:ExplainingandImprovingPoliticalActors'
Decision‐MakingonElectorallyRiskyIssues'thatsheisdirecting(2012‐2017).Thisproject,funded
bytheNetherlandsOrganisationforScientificResearch(NWO),studiesriskydecision‐makingof
differentpoliticalactors(politicians,politicalparties,governments)onsalientissues(welfarestate
reformandmilitaryintervention).Seealsotheproject'swebsitewww.highriskpolitics.org.Prof.dr.
BarbaraVisisalsoinvolvedintwoother,related,researchprojectsatVUUniversityAmsterdam:
NEUJOBS,anFP7fundedprojectthatexaminesthefuturedevelopmentsofEuropeanlabor
markets,andInSearchofaNewWelfareState,aprojectfundedbyStichtingInstituteGak.Youcan
readmoreaboutherworkonherpersonalwebsite:www.barbaravis.nl.
VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
10
ProgrammingandAnalyzinginR
PhDprogrammeGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences,2013‐2014
VUUniversityAmsterdam
Period:
5(May2014)
CourseCredits:
3ECTS
Lecturer:
Dr.WoutervanAtteveldt([email protected])
Fee(externalparticipants):€300,‐
Maximumparticipants:
15
Sign‐up/inquiries: SaskiaJans([email protected])
Schedule:
Date
Time
Location 1Monday,June2
9.00‐15.30
BV‐1H24 2Tuesday,June3
9.00‐15.30
IN‐3B50 3Wednesday,June4
9.00‐15.30
BV‐0H20 4Friday,June6
9.00‐15.30
HG‐14A36 Courseobjectives
Risastatisticaltoolkitthatisbecomingincreasinglypopularformoreadvancedanalysesinthe
socialsciences.RhasanumberofadvantagesoverothertoolkitssuchasSPSSandSTATA.Itisfree
ofchargeandopensource,anditisveryeasytowriteadditionalpackagestoaddfunctionality.The
centralRpackagerepositoryCRANhasover5,000packagesthatarefreelyavailableandinstalled
withasingleclick,thatprovidestatisticalanalysessuchastimeseriesandmultilevelmodels,data
visualization,anddataprocessingtools.
GettingstartedwithusingR,however,canbequitechallenging.Thereisnonicevisualmenu
structurelikewithSPSS,andalthoughthesyntaxmodeismuchmorepowerful,itisalsoquite
complicatedtolearn.Moreover,becausethepackagesarenotcentrallycontrolled,itisoften
necessarytotransformyourdataintothestructurethatthespecificpackageyouareusingwants.
Thegoodnewsis,onceyou'velearnedtouseR,youhaveaccesstoavastarrayofstatistical
methodsandvisualizationtechniquesandtoextremelyversatiledataprocessingandvisualization
techniques.
Thepresentworkshopisaimedatbeginnerswhohaveageneralknowledgeofconducting
quantitativeanalyses,butwhowanttolearnhowtoconducttheirstatisticalanalysesinR.This
intensivehands‐onworkshopwillgetyoustartedusingRonyourowndataset.
Coursecontent
Theworkshopconsistsoffourconsecutivefulldaymeetings.Eachmeetingconsistsofan
instructionpartinwhichthelecturerexplainstheparticulartopicathand,andapracticalpartin
whichyouwillgethands‐onexperienceusingRonbothprovideddataandonyourowndata.
PriortothefirstmeetingyouarerequiredtoobtainageneralstartingknowledgeofRbasics,by
performinganumberofintroductorytutorials.Thefirstmeetingcontinuesfromthisbasiclevel
withageneralintroductiontoR,includingthestructureofRcodeandreadingandexploringdata.
VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
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Theseconddayisfocusedonvisualizingdataandperformingthe'everyday'statisticssuchas
ANOVAandregression.Thethirddaytouchesonmoreadvancedtopics,includingmoreadvanced
statisticalanalyses(timeseries,multilevel)andtextanalysis.
Besidesin‐classinstructionandexercises,studentswillworkonadataprojectfrom,orinspired
by,theirownresearch.Onthefourthday,studentswillpresenttheprogressoftheiranalysesand
visualizationsinR.ThisgivesthemanopportunitytoseethepossibilitiesinRandlearnfromeach
other’ssourcecodeandtoreceivefeedbackontheworkfromeachotherandfromtheinstructor.
Afterthis,studentswillwriteuptheseanalysesinabrieftechnicalpaperwhichformstheend
productofthiscourse.
Courseaudience
ThiscourseisopentobothinternalandexternalPh.D.candidates(‘buitenpromovendi’)whoare
linkedtothevariousdepartmentsoftheVUFacultyofSocialSciences.PhDcandidatesfrom
relevantotherVUfaculties(i.e.,psychology,economicsandmanagementscience)andother
universitiesarewelcomeprovidingspace.Theseexternalparticipantsarechargedafee(see
above).Participantarerequiredtobringtheirownlaptopanddatasettotheworkshoponwhichto
performRanalyses.
Registration
PleaseregisterforthiscoursenolaterthanMay26st2014viaemailtoSaskiaJans([email protected]).
ShewilladdyournametotheBlackboardpageofthiscoursesoyougetaccesstoallnecessary
documentsandupdates.ParticipantsmustalsosubmitanabstractoftheirPhDprojectatthe
beginningofthecourse,andadescriptionofwhatyouaimtolearnduringthiscourse(see
assignment0below).PleasedescribeindetailwhatyouwanttobeabletodoinRonyourown
databytheendofthisworkshop.Sendyourabstractandlearninggoalstothecourselecturer
ultimatelyoneweekbeforethefirstmeeting.
Importantnote
PleasebringalaptoptothecoursewithRStudioinstalled(canbeobtainedhere
https://www.rstudio.com).AsaplayfulwaytogetfamiliarwithRsyntaxbeforethemeetingsstart,
havealookathttp://tryr.codeschool.com/levels/1/challenges/1
Assessment
ToobtainECTScreditsforthecourseparticipantsarerequiredto(1)bepresentinallsessionsand
activelyparticipateduringthelecturesandpracticalsessions,(2)presenttheirownresearch
exercise,and(3)completeandsubmitallassignmentssufficientlyincludingafinalpaperand
sourcecode.Thegradeforthiscourseisbasedonthefinalpaper(includingsourcecode).Judgment
criteriaarecorrectnessandcomplexityoftheanalysis;clarityofwriting;andstructure,clarityand
eleganceofthesourcecode.
Readings:
Thereadingforthecourseis"DiscoveringStatisticsusingR",byField,Miles,andField(Sage2012).
VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
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Suggestedotherbooksare“RforSPSSusers”(byRobertA.Muenchen,Springer2009)and“theR
book”(byMichaelJ.Crawley,Wiley2012).
Detailedschedule
 Day1:Rbasicsanddatamanipulation
TheaimofthefirstdayistogetacquaintedwithRandtheRenvironment;togetstartedon
reading,manipulating,andanalyzingdata;andtogetstartedwithdescriptiveanalyses.
Topics:
 Gettingstarted

◦
PrinciplesofR
◦
Rstudio,knitr,scripts,projects
◦ Howtogethelp?
YourdatainR
◦
Datatypes:dataframes,vectors,lists,…
◦
Readingandwritingdata:CSV,SPSSandothersources
◦
Simpledescriptives:summary,table,…
◦
Selecting,sorting,andcalculatingdata
Duringtheinstructionpart,practicalassignmentswillbegiventoattainproficiencywiththe
studiedtechniquesandcommands.Aftertheinstructionpart,participantswhotakethecoursefor
creditshouldworkontheresearchprojectsandcompleteassignment1(seebelow).
 Day2:StatisticsandvisualizationsinR
Theaimoftheseconddayistobecomecomfortablewithgettingthedataintheshapeyouwantitto
be;todotraditionalinferentialstatisticsonthesedata;andtogetstartedwithmakingplotsand
chartsinR.
Topics:
 Combiningandtransformingdata
◦

◦ Transformingdata:aggregateandreshape
SimplestatisticsinR
◦

Combiningdata:cbind,rbind,mergeandmatch
Tabulatingdata
◦ correlation,t‐tests,anova,regression
Visualizingdata:
◦
plot,barplot,hist
◦
Customizingplotsonelineatatime
◦
Multipleplots
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Asonday1,practicalassignmentswillbegivenduringtheinstructionparttoattainproficiency
withthestudiedtechniquesandcommands.Aftertheinstructionpart,participantswhotakethe
courseforcreditshouldworkontheresearchprojectsandcompleteassignment2(seebelow)
 Day3:AdvancedtopicsinR
Thegoalofthethirddayisfirsttoansweranyremainingquestionsaboutthefirsttwodays;and
thentogiveasamplingofsomemoreadvancedtechniquesthatarepossiblewithvariouspackages
inR.
Topics(dependingontimeandinterestsofparticipants,sometopicsmaybedroppedinfavorof
morein‐depthdiscussionoftheothertopics):
 Advancedstatistics

◦
Multilevelmodeling
◦
Logisticregression
◦ VARandARIMAmodels
Advancedlanguagefeatures
◦


Functionsandloops
◦ DealingwithDatesanddates
Dealingwithtextvariables:paste,grep,split,...
AdvancedTextAnalysisinR
◦
tm,rtexttools
◦
amcat
◦ lda
Asontheotherdays,practicalassignmentswillbegivenduringtheinstructionparttoattain
proficiencywiththestudiedtechniquesandcommands.Aftertheinstructionpart,participantswho
takethecourseforcreditshouldworkontheresearchprojectstoworktowardstheirfinalpaper
andpresentation(seeassignment3,below).
 Day4:Discussionandpresentations
Day4isthelastdayofinstructionandwillbeproblem‐driven.Eachparticipantisrequiredtogivea
presentationofthedata,analyses,outcomesandvisualizationsmadesofar.Participantsare
requestedtohighlightthethingsthatgowellorareniceandeasyinR,butespeciallyalsowhatthey
arestrugglingwith.
Assignments
Toobtaincreditsforthisworkshop,youneedtocompletethefollowingassignments.Onlythefinal
paperwillbegraded,theotherassignmentsaremarkedpass/fail.
 Assignment0:Preparatoryassignment
Pleaseprepareadocumentinwhichyouanswerthefollowingquestions.
VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
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1. WhatistheresearchquestionofyourPhDprojectorResmathesis?Pleasewritedownboth
theresearchquestionandashortdescriptionofthetopicofyourproject.Ifyouhaveno
researchquestionyet,pleasedescribewhattheprojectwillbeaboutandwhatpossible
questionsyouarethinkingabout.
2. Whatisthemethodologicalapproachofyourproject?Thatistosay,whichmethodor
methodsareyouplanningtouse?Whyhaveyoumadethischoice?Whenansweringthis
latterquestion,youcandiscussissuessuchasthenumberofcasesinyourstudy,your
researchquestionorotherissuesyoufindpertinent.Ifyouhavenomethodological
approachyet,pleasediscusstheapproachesyouareconsideringusing(andwhy).
3. Whatdoyouintendtolearninthepresentworkshop;describeindetailwhatyouwantto
beabletodoinRonyourowndatabytheendofthisworkshop.
Feelfreetouseasmuchspaceasyouneedwhenansweringthesequestions.However,inmost
cases1to1.5pageswillprobablybeenoughtoanswerthemall.Thegoalofthisassignmentis
twofold.First,itpreparesyouforthiscourse.Second,itprovidestherelevantbackground
informationformeasinstructorandforyourfellowworkshopparticipants.Thelatterwillfacilitate
thediscussionandgroupworkthroughouttheworkshop.Pleaseemailyourassignmentnolater
than1weekpriortothecourse(i.e.,May26),totheinstructor’semailaddressindicatedabove.
Importantnoteforallassignments:TheRcodeyouareaskedtowriteneedstobeexecutablein
onegofromtoptobottom.Thatis,thecodeshouldstartwithreadingandshapingthedataandend
withtheanalysesorvisualizationyoureport.IneedtobeabletoloadtheRscript(s),selectall,and
pressrun.Thisisnotjustformygrading,butyoushouldlearntoworkthiswayaswell:allfiles
exceptfortherawdataaretemporary,thesourcecodeiswhatcounts.Thatway,youneverhaveto
fretaboutwheretodataisorwhetheryouneedtosaveit,sinceallyouneedtodoisrunthescript
andyouhavethedata.Makesuretonameyourvariablesinformativelyandinsertcommentsin
yoursourcecodesoyouunderstandwhatyoudidwhenyouhavetowritetherevision2years
later!
 Assignment1:
ThegoalofthefirstsubstantiveassignmentistogetstartedonusingRforyourownresearch.
1. Chooseatopicorproblemthatyouarecurrentlyworkingonorthatyoupreviouslysolved
usingadifferentstatisticspackage.
2. Writedownwhatthedatais;whatquestionyouwantto“ask”thedata(hypotheses,
researchquestions,etc);andwhatanalysesyouwillneedtogettheanswers.
3. WriteanRscripttoreadyourdataintoR.Exploretheshapeandcontentsofyourdata.Is
thereaninternalstructure?Howmanydataframesdoyouhave?Whatdatatypesdothe
columnshave?
4. Makeanumberoftablestoshowyourdataandexplainwhattheymean.
 Assignment2:
Thegoalofthesecondassignmentistogetyourdataintherequiredshapeanddoinferential
statisticsandvisualization.
VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
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1. Writedownananalysisplan:whichanalyseswillyouconduct,whatquestionswillthey
answer,andwhatkindofdatadoyouneed
2. Extract,reorder,recode,filter,merge,melt,andcastyourdatatogetitintheshape
required.
3. Visualizethedatausingplotsthatareinformativetoexplorethequestionsyouwantto
answer.
4. Conductinferentialstatisticsasappropriate.Feelfreetotrydifferentalternativeanalysesto
answerthesamequestion.
5. Whenpossible,visualizetheresultsoftheanalysis,e.g.giveaplotwiththeregressionline
orvisualizetheresidualsofyouranalysis.
 Assignment3:
Worktowardsthefinalgoalofyourprojectandprepareapresentation:
1. Makeclearwhatthequestionsare,whatdataandanalysesyouneedtoanswerthem,and
howthisdataneedstobeshaped.
2. WriteanRscripttoreadthedata,shapeitcorrectly,dotheanalyses,andvisualizethe
resultsasneeded.
3. Useanytechniquesfromthecourseasneeded,feelfreetodoasmanyexplorations,
alternativeanalyses,orassumptiontestsasyouthinkmightbeinformative.
4. Preparea15minutepresentationwhereyou(1)showyourquestionandanalysisplan,(2)
showtheresults,andmostimportantly(3)showyourproblems,questions,decisionsetc.
Thefeedbackyouwillgetfrom(andgiveto!)yourpeerswillhelpyouimprovetheanalysis
morethananyinstructionyoucanget.
 Finalassignment:
Thefinalassignmentconsistsofanimprovedandextended(andwherenecessary,abridged)
versionofyourresearchproject.Theassignmentconsistsoftwoparts:awrittenscientificreport
whichcouldfunctionasamethods,results,and/orconclusionsectioninascientificpaper;andthe
Rsourcecodethatproducesallthenumbers,tables,andfiguresinthereport.Thereportshould
include:
1. Whatarethequestionsyouaretryingtoanswer?
2. Adescriptionandexplorationofthedata,withvisualizationsasappropriate
3. Adescriptionoftheanalysesconducted
4. Theresultsoftheanalysis,withvisualizationsasappropriate
PleaseemailyourfinalpapertotheinstructoronJune28,2014atthelatest.
BioDr.WoutervanAtteveldt
WoutervanAtteveldtisassistantprofessorinCommunicationScience.Hehasastrongbackground
incomputing,gettinghisMaScinArtificialIntelligencefromtheUniversityofEdinburghandhis
Ph.D.fromtheVUUniversity,whichwasinajointprogramwiththeArtificialIntelligenceand
CommunicationSciencegroup.BeforestartingonhisPh.D.program,heco‐foundedacompanyin
VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
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softwaredevelopmentandgaveanumberofprofessionalcoursesinprogrammingandcomputing
forvariousITcompanies.Inhiscurrentresearch,heisinterestedintextanalysismethodologyand
politicalcommunication.
VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
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SocialNetworkAnalysis
PhDprogrammeGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences,2013‐2014
VUUniversityAmsterdam
Period:
6(June2014)
CourseCredits:
3ECTS
Lecturers:
Prof.PeterGroenewegen,Dr.GerhardvandeBunt,Dr.Christine
Moser,andothers
Fee(externalparticipants):€300,‐
Maximumparticipants:
20
Sign‐up/inquiries: SaskiaJans([email protected])
Schedule:
Date
Time
Location 1Monday,June23
9.30–17.00
tba
2Tuesday,June24
9.30–17.00
tba 3Wednesday,June25
9.30–17.00
tba Courseobjectives
Capturingandinterpretingnetworkdynamicscontinuestoappealtoawiderangeofscientific
fields.Inthisworkshopboththetheoryandmethodsofsocialnetworkanalysisareintroduced.The
mainconceptsofsocialnetworktheoryarediscussedandtheuseofUCINETsoftwareis
introduced.Theseconceptsfocusondetectingandanalyzinggroupprocessesandroles,centrality
innetworks,andsocialcapital.
Coursecontent
Inthreefulldaysthisworkshopprovidesanintroductionandoverviewofsocialnetworkresearch
andsocialnetworkmeasures.ThepossibilitiesofUCINETforscientificresearchareintroducedand
practiced.Furthermore,sometimeisdevotedtodatacollectionmethodsandhypothesistesting.
PhDsareencouragedtoconsidertousetheirowndataset.Importantissomepreparationby
advancereadinganddescribingbeforehandwhatsocialnetworkquestionsarepartof,orcanbe
collectedin,yourPhDproject.Thefinalassignmentconsistsofashortpaperaboutasocialnetwork
approachinrelationtoone’sownresearch,includingtheoreticallyarguedhypotheses,a
descriptionofempiricaldata,andadescriptionandinterpretationofsomeresultsobtainedby
meansofasimplenetworkanalysis.
Courseaudience
ThiscourseisopentobothinternalandexternalPh.D.candidates(‘buitenpromovendi’)whoare
linkedtothevariousdepartmentsoftheVUFacultyofSocialSciences.PhDcandidatesfrom
relevantotherVUfaculties(i.e.,psychology,economicsandmanagementscience)andother
universitiesarewelcomeprovidingspace.Theseexternalparticipantsarechargedafee(see
above).
VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
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Registration
PleaseregisterforthiscoursenolaterthanJune20,2014viaemailtoSaskiaJans([email protected]).
ShewilladdyournametotheBlackboardpageofthiscoursesoyougetaccesstoallnecessary
documentsandupdates.ParticipantsmustalsosubmitanabstractoftheirPhDprojectatthe
beginningofthecourse.PleasesendyourabstracttothecourselecturerPeterGroenewegenno
laterthanoneweekbeforethefirstmeeting.
Assessment
ToobtainECTScreditsforthecourseparticipantsarerequiredto(1)bepresentactively
participateinallsessions,and(2)completeandsubmitasufficientthefinalassignment.Thegrade
forthiscourseisbasedonthefinalpaper.Thefinalpaperdescribesasocialnetworkapproachin
relationtoone’sownresearch,andincludestheoreticallyarguedhypotheses,adescriptionof
empiricaldata,andadescriptionandinterpretationofsomeresultsobtainedbymeansofasimple
networkanalysis.
Readings:
ThereadingforthecourseisSocialNetworkAnalysis:AHandbook,editedbyJohnScott(Sage,
2009),andyouwillstudytheUCINETuser’sguidehttp://www.analytictech.com/ucinet/help.htm
FurtherreadingswillbeannouncedviaBlackboard.
Detailedschedule
 Day1:
9.30‐12.00IntroductiontosocialnetworkanalysisandUCINET
(GvdB)
12.30‐14.30Specificcharacterofsocialnetworkanalysis
(PG)
15.00‐17.00InstructionandintroductionUCINET
(GvdBMJ)
 Day2:
9.30–12.00Socialcohesions:groupsandroles (GvdB)
12.30‐14.30Centrality (PG)
15.00‐17.00ApplyingUCINETondatasetswithcohesionandcentrality(PG,MJ)
 Day3:
9.30‐12.00Socialcapitalorsocialnetworksonelectronicplatforms
(CM)
12.30–14.00Collectingandtestingsocialnetworkdatasurveyorelectronicdata(CM)
14.30‐17.00UCINETanddataprovidedbyparticipants VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
19
Bio’s
Thecombinedexpertiseofthelecturersofthisworkshopensurethatparticipantsarefamiliarized
withthecuttingedgeofcurrentsocialnetworkanalysisresearch.
PeterGroenewegenisasociologistandProfessorofOrganizationSciencesattheVUUniversity
Amsterdam.HeisafoundingmemberoftheNetworkInstituteattheVUUniversityAmsterdam.
Currentresearchtopicsincludescientificandonlinecommunities,healthcareandemergency
managementorganizations.Hisfirstfocusisonthenetworkedcharacteroforganizingwithan
interestintheconnectionbetweensemanticnetworksandsocialnetworksaswellasonthe
dynamicsofsocialnetworks.Asecondareaofinterestconcernstheuseofnetworktoolsin
institutionaltheory.Thirdlyheisinterestedinthemethodologicalchallengesfornetworkresearch
throughtheapplicationofnewweb‐basedandmobileinformationandcommunicationtools.Inthe
departmentoforganizationscienceshealsoisleadingprojectsthatinvolveresearchinclose
operationbetweencompaniesandpublicorganizationsmainlyontensionsinorganizing.
GerhardvandeBuntisanassociateprofessorattheDepartmentofSociologyattheVUUniversity
Amsterdam.Hismaininterestsareintra‐andinter‐organizationalandstudent/pupilsnetwork
dynamics.HehastaughtSocialNetworkAnalysisonalllevels,andcontributedtothedevelopment
andresearchapplicationofSIENAforlongitudinalanalysisofnetworks.
ChristineMoserisaPostdoctoralResearcherattheVUUniversityAmsterdam.SheholdsaPhD
fromVUUniversityAmsterdam,aswellasaMSc(VUUniversityAmsterdam)andaBAMusic
(ConservatoryofAmsterdam).HerresearchinterestsareintheareaofInformationSystemsand
SocialSciences,inparticularOrganizationSciences.Sheisinterestedinknowledgecollaboration
andsocialsystemsthatemergeinonlineprofessionalcommunities.
VUGraduateSchoolofSocialSciences
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