The following table lists readings assigned for each class session.
Course textbook: [Watts] = 
Watts, Duncan. Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Co., 2004. ISBN: 0393325423.
This downloadable book doubles as a user guide to UCINET software: Hanneman, R. A., and M. Riddle. Introduction to social network methods.
| LEC # | GOALS | TOPICS | READINGS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction and Objectives - what we want to understand better and why it matters | Syllabus Review - Assignment etc. Timing Vision(s) of Architecture Theory Instructors Background and Biases Relative to System Architecture etc. | ESD Symposium Committee. "ESD Terms and Definitions (Version 17)." March 29, 2002. (PDF) ESD Architecture Committee, D. L. Whitney - chair. "The Influence of Architecture in Engineering Systems." MIT Engineering Systems Monograph, March 31, 2004. (PDF) Oltvai, Z. N., and A. Barabasi. "Life's Complexity Pyramid." Science 298 (October 25, 2002): 763-764. A brief view of biology at several levels of aggregation. Strogatz, S. H. "Exploring complex networks." Nature 410 (March 8, 2001): 268-276. (PDF) A survey of important static and dynamic networks in several fields. |
| 2 | Basic foundations for course emphasizing ways of thinking and biases | System Typologies and Systems of Interest in the Course Terms and Definitions - Emphasis on Architecture, Complexity, Function, Performance, Uilities, Models, Constraints Expansion on Key Concepts Beyond Definitions |
 Simon, H. A. "The Architecture of Complexity: Hierarchic Systems." Chapter 8 In The Architecture of Complexity. 3rd ed. Cambridge MA: MIT Press, 1996. ISBN: 0262691914. |
| 3 | Have students begin to uncover their own biases and assumptions important in systems architecture |
Student Presentations and Discussion Brief Discussion of SDM Architecture Course Brief Discussion of Assignment 2 | |
| 4 | Introduction to Graphs, Networks, Hierarchies and DSM's | Models and Model Improvement Graph Theory Introduction Network "Science" History Including DSM's Relationship of Architecture/Structure and Metrics (Importance of Data) | [Watts] Chapters 1-4 Hayes, Brian. "Graph Theory in Practice: Part I." American Scientist 88, no. 1 (2000): 9-13. ----. "Graph Theory in Practice: Part II." American Scientist 88, no. 2 (2000): 104-118. Background Committee on Network Science for Future Army Applications, National Research Council. Network Science. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2006. ISBN: 0309653886.Leading researchers assess the importance of "network science." |
| 5 | Discussion and identification of focus systems whose architectures we will study all semester Project Definition | Student Presentations on Systems for Deeper Study (Data Sources and Objectives) Project Discussion and Choice Process Choices/Assignments Finished on Weekend After Class | |
| 6 | Network Observational Methods and Quantitative Metrics I: Simple Concepts | Network Analysis Terminology Social Networks Concepts: Centrality, Clustering, Prestige and Acquaintance Degree Distribution, Assessment and Meaning of Power Laws | Newman, M. E. J. "Power laws, Pareto distributions and Zipf's law." Contemporary Physics 46 (2005): 323-351. |
| 7 | Constraints I | Deeper Discussion of Concept of Constraints Power and Information as Clear Example of Constraints on System Structure Implications to Structural Characteristics/Metrics Effects on Modularity | Whitney, D. L. "Physical Limits to Modularity." (PDF) Background Skilling, H. H. "Impedence Matching." In Electrical Engineering Circuits. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons, 1967, pp. 128-9. ISBN: 0471794007. |
| 8 | Canonical structures and their organizational implications | Linking Human and Technical Systems at the Structural Level Cooperation and Competition Teams/Families/Clans and the Emergence of Hierarchy Hierarchy: Layers, Trees, Mixtures and Hybrids-routers and Interpreters Cultural Links, Tradeoffs | |
| 9 | Complexity and Flexibility | Complexity and Flexibility for Canonical Structures Abstractions in Algebra | [Watts] Chapter 9 |
| 10 | Network Observational Methods | Degree Correlation-introduction Community Structure Approaches | Milo, R., et al. " Network Motifs: Simple Building Blocks of Complex Networks." Science 298 (25 October 2002): 824-827. Newman, M. E. J. "Detecting community structure in networks." Eur Phys J B 38 (2004): 321-330. (PDF) ----. "The structure and function of complex networks." SIAM Review 45 (2003): 167-256. This paper contains references needed to complete Assignment 3. |
| 11 | Network Observational Methods | Motifs Hierarchy of Function Coarse-graining and Technical Systems Revisit Modularity | Itzkovitz, S., et al. "Coarse-Graining and Self-Dissimilarity of Complex Networks." Physical Review E71 016127 (January 21, 2005) (PDF) |
| 12 | Network Models | Typology of Network Models - Predicting Structure/Metrics or Predicting "Properties" from Structure/Metrics and Level of Network Simplicity Random Networks, Small-world and Preferentially Attached Networks Cascades, Failures and Epidemics as an Example | [Watts] Chapters 6-8 Watts, D. J. "A simple model of global cascades on random networks." PNAS 99, no. 9 (April 30, 2002): 5766-5771. Meyers, L. A., M. E. J. Newman, M. Martin and S. Schrag. "Applying network theory to epidemics: control measures for Mycoplasma pneumoniae outbreaks." Emerg Infect Dis (2003 February). |
| 13 | Student Presentations on Project Status | Short Presentation by each Student Team and Discussion | |
| 14 | Affiliation Networks, Navigation and Search on Networks | Milgram Experiments Early "Explanations" by Small World (and Random Network Models Kleinberg I and II, Watts, Dodds and Newman Search on the www | [Watts] Chapter 5 Watts, D. J., P. S. Dodds, and M. E. J. Newman. "Identity and Search in Social Networks." Science 296 (May 17, 2002): 1302-1305. This paper (and Kleinberg 2001) introduced the idea of hierarchies in social identity and use it to model milgram's experiment relatively successfully. Kleinberg, J. M. "Navigation in a small world." Nature 406 (August 24, 2000): 845. (PDF) This paper was the first to note (and model) the diffcult part of Milgram's experiment. ----. "Small-World Phenomena and the Dynamics of Information." 2001. (PDF) Kleinberg's second paper introducing hierarchy into social identity and thus succesfully modeling Milgram's experiment. |
| 15 | Constraints II and Scaling and Allometry | Revisit System Typology Revisit Constraints Explore Possible Implications on Structural Metrics Scaling Laws in Different Contexts | West, G. B., J. H. Brown, and B. J. Enquist. "The 4th Dimension of Life: Fractal Geometry and Allometric Scaling of Organisms." Science 284 (June 4, 1999): 1677-1679. A fractal derivation of 3/4 power law. Banavar, J. R., A. Maritan, and A. Rinaldo. "Size and form in efficient transportation networks." Nature 399 (May 13, 1999): 130-132. An efficient transport derivation of the ¾ power law. |
| 16 | Enterprise Architectures | Germany, Japan and US Cultural Influences on Organizational Structure Sloan, Oichi and Piore and Sable |
|
| 17 | Modeling Enterprise architectures Constraints - Social, Physical, Political, Time-based - and their effect on structure and behavior | Research on Organizational Theory Simple, Quantitative Models and their use in Model/Theory Improvement Sah and Stiglitz Dodds, Watts and Sable | Dodds, P. S., D. J. Watts, and C. F. Sabel. "Information exchange and the robustness of organizational networks." PNAS 100, no. 21 (Oct. 14, 2003): 12516-12521. This paper uses network analysis techniques to model communication in a variety of organizational structures. |
| 18 | Technical and some sociological networks compared in greater depth | Continuation of Constraints and Scaling in Engineering Systems Degree Correlation Patterns in Different Technical Systems | Gastner, M. T., and M. E. J. Newman. "Shape and efficiency in spatial distribution networks." J Stat Mech (2006): P01015. |
| 19 | Student reports on their focus architectures | Quantitative Analyses and Model Building Status | |
| 20 | Second generation models of technological systems | Internet Models Including Business and Technical Tradeoffs Air Transport Modeling Including the Role of Nodes Complexity Metrics | Guimera, R., et al. "The Worldwide Air Transportation Network." PNAS 102, no. 22 (2005): 7794-7799. This paper is the latest (more are coming) concerning the air transport system by a group centered at Northwestern Univ. Doyle, J. C., et al. "The 'Robust yet fragile' nature of the Internet." PNAS 102, no. 41 (2005): 14497-14502. This paper is the best summary of the important work done by a group at Cal Tech that brings engineering considerations into the network models of the Internet. |
| 21 | Systematics in other fields | Taxonomy in Early Biology Taxonomy in Biology Today - Cladograms and the Cladists Taxonomy in Economics - Econophysics and Dendrograms Hierarchy Definition by Distance Hierarchy by Betweenness |
Gould, S. J. "What, If Anything, Is a Zebra." Chapter 28 in Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Co., 1994. ISBN: 0393311031. A book chapter dealing with the issues and the history of "systematic" in Biology by one of the late 20th century's great bioligist writers and thinkers. Mategna and Stanley. "Taxonomy of a Stock Portfolio." Chapter 13 in An Introduction to Econophysics. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 1999. ISBN: 0521620082. |
| 22 | Standards and the practice of complex system architecture, design and standards | Engineering System Evolution and the Role of Standards Standards in Different Systems Standards as an Interdependent Set of Artifacts | David, P. A., and S. Greenstein. "The Economics of Compatibility Standards: An Introduction to Recent Research." Econ Innov New Techn 1 (1990): 3-41. A fairly thorough (if a little old) review of standards as seen by economists. |
| 23-24 | Final Presentations | Long Team Presentations | |
| 25 | Overall discussion of presentation and further elaboration of theory and architecture | ||
| 26 | Final day of class-course wrap-up and discussion of quality of emerging models and theoretical needs |