I had very mixed feelings about this class throughout the quarter. In the beginning I loved it, the professor was super passionate about what he was teaching, the slides were well organized, lectures were thorough. But then the class took a turn with some very simple but unexpected math and the use of a software program that made me hate it for a bit. At the end however, I am back to really enjoying the class, I mastered the use of the software and found out some information that I think is relevant beyond the class. Midterm exam was very easy if you study, all multiple choice and True/False. There are quizzes every Monday, the lowest one is dropped, but that means attendance is pretty necessary. The professor was willing to clear up any questions and really elaborate if the class was confused. There are no TA sections but the TA was readily available to help if need be. This class is about real social networks in life, not about social networking sites, just FYI.

Heavy on stats

As a graduating senior at UCLA, this is hands down one of my favorite -- if not-- my favorite class I've ever taken. Professor Lamberson is a very adept professor who teaches at a great pace, ensuring everyone is following the materials, and seems to really care. The concepts of this class are super applicable in the real world, especially for people trying to go into marketing and social media, and I find myself leaving the class more interested in this area of study than I would have expected going in. I actually enjoyed going to class lol

None of the workload was too much or out of left field. The quizzes are definitely hard... and I think some of them are worded somewhat ambiguously but the tests are more moderate.

If anyone is looking to take a class that is super interesting, and taught by a really nice and caring professor I would recommend it!

Class can be difficult. Quizzes and exams are intentionally hard. Professor had a student who had an anxiety attack during the midterm and asked us to "not do that."
Material is interesting but very theoretical at times. The TA saved this class for me.
Homework assignments take a long time, start them early.
Overall not terrible but I recommend another comm for this required core.

*If you hate math skip this professor at all costs.* I would have rather taken this class with Peterson or Kernell. Lamberson is super unorganized and unclear. And for the love of god, please do not save 150 for your last quarter at UCLA. Not a fun note to leave off on...

I really wish that I never took this class with Lamberson and took it with Peterson instead. The second half of the class was strictly math without a proper incorporation of relevant class concepts from the first half so it felt completely pointless. OH AND WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE CALCULATORS ON THE FINAL so that was such an enjoyable experience! He also just expected us to know the area of a triangle without even mentioning that a homework problem would require such prior knowledge. The lectures and homework did not overlap as much as they should have. The homework was completely different from the exams, which was quite frankly a waste of time and annoying since they were due every single Sunday so my weekends were always stressful. He also should have had powerpoint slides for the formulas instead of writing on an old school chalk board that was hard to read at times. I basically had to teach myself the entire second half of the class via YouTube videos or videos on Khan Academy, so I was basically paying over $1,000 to teach myself for a mandatory class, let that sink in.

As for the GROUP PROJECT: Since the T.A. assigns the groups based on discussion, I was stuck with lazy fellow classmates who lacked a strong work ethic and creativity for the research proposal group project so I basically did the whole project with one other member while a third group member (a smart ass, sexist guy in my group) tried to take credit for everything during the presentation and would barely let me get a word in. Although, my group did well on the project, I did not have enough time to prepare for the final so I ended up getting screwed in the end and my grade dropped from an A.

Overall, Lamberson seems like a nice man. However, unfortunately as a professor, he was disengaged this whole quarter, he lacked passion for teaching this class. However, in fairness, he might have been going through some difficult personal issues so hopefully the next time, he teaches this course, things will change.

This class is incredibly straightforward. Simply going to lecture, taking notes, and reviewing them is enough to do well.The homework assignments will probably take about 5-6 hours per assignment, but you will have plenty of time to do them. The professor is really mindful of people's workloads and he will often move deadlines around to accommodate people.

The midterm was simply a repeat of many of the quiz questions. If a concept is too complicated, feel free to stop him and he will happily spend a whole lecture clarifying it. He doesn't let anyone leave his class confused and he welcomes questions. He uses slides, but the slides are not very helpful unless you go to class so lecture attendance is important. He also has weekly quizzes, but they are pretty easy if you review the lectures about 10 minutes before class (and they also help you minimize study time for the midterm/final).

All in all, I recommend this class.

The title of this class is very misleading as it is about literal social network graphs of people and connections. I personally thought this class was going to be about social media but I honestly feel like I learned some cool stuff about how things go viral etc. Lamberson is a nice professor but the weekly quizzes were not my favorite. They did serve well as a midterm and final study guide, though. When Lamberson explains concepts it’s not always super clear at first as he is very analytical and smart so I feel like I was able to fully grasp concepts working with other classmates and studying in groups. I’m glad I didn’t drop this class after seeing what it was all about on the first day because I feel like it was genuinely interesting but don’t take it if you’re not ready to study hard for the tests. Also the graph assignments take awhile to do, the final project took me 3 whole days alone but I actually enjoyed doing it and seeing the graph come together at the end was weirdly exciting. Overall: good but challenging class that isn’t that difficult to get an A or B in if you study!

8 in class quizzes, during the first minutes of class. they're pretty easy to nail, although wording can be a bit confusing. midterm is harder than final. try to memorise or write down quizzes as he tends to reuse questions for the tests. 3 assignments in total, using a program called gephi. overall, this is one of the easiest classes i've ever taken. just be sure to take good notes!

This is probably one of the most interesting classes I've taken so far at UCLA. Lamberson is an amazing professor and takes time at the beginning of each class to answer questions and engage with students. He says he teaches the course as a modified MBA class so there's a heavy focus on marketing and how social network structures can inform marketing strategies, which was really cool. There's a midterm, final, and three homework assignments (no required readings). The software you have to use for the homeworks can be buggy and difficult, but is overall interesting to use. Would definitely recommend taking this class as the technology and digital systems core requirement!