Over the last couple of decades, I have taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses, led workshops, conducted training sessions, and generally tried to explain many things to lots of people. Over time, I have gotten better at it or (equally plausible) everyone else has gotten smarter.
My goal in any class is to promote critical thinking, participation, and collaborative problem solving. My courses ask you to examine and question the material rather than mechanically reproduce textbook knowledge, and I am committed to presenting diverse viewpoints, both academic and social.
Courses at Rutgers
If you are a student at the School of Communication and Information, you might consider one of the courses below. Course names link to a recent syllabus where one is posted. You are welcome to email me with questions, and all students, especially graduate students, should plan on coming by during office hours at least once during the semester.
Undergraduate
- Communication and Technology 04:192:354
- Social Network Analysis 04:192:373
- Data in Context 04:189:220, co-taught with Caitlin Petre
- Introduction to Social Media 04:192:305
- Byrne Seminar: Social and Organizational Networks 01:090:101, co-taught with Sophia Fu
Graduate
- Computational Social Science 16:194:630, PhD. Syllabus and R code for every lecture are on the course page.
- Mediated Communication 16:194:633, PhD
- Pandemic Policy and Public Opinion 16:194:672, PhD
- Mediated Communication 17:194:512, MA
- Organizational Communication Networks 17:194:534, MA
Methods workshops
Every year, I lead workshops on R, data analysis, network analysis, and visualization, some at Rutgers and others at conferences like POLNET, Sunbelt, and NetSci. I also give invited workshops and talks at other universities and run training for agencies and research teams. Materials from recent workshops are on the tutorials page and on GitHub.
If you would like to invite me to give a talk or a workshop at your institution, write to workshop@ognyanova.net.
Recommendation letters
This section is for students who want me to write a recommendation letter for a job or a graduate program. To be a good advocate for you, I need to know you well enough to write a strong, detailed, persuasive letter. If you were a student in a large undergraduate course who stayed quiet in class and did not come to office hours, chances are I did not get to know you that well. If we have met and talked about your interests and your work, I might be able to help.
Along with your request, please send:
- The deadline for the letter and how and where it needs to be submitted.
- The name of the job or academic program you are applying to and the institution that offers it.
- A recent résumé or CV, so I can refresh my memory about your accomplishments and skills.
- The candidate requirements: what letter readers will want to know about, such as your writing, analytical, or technical skills, or your work in a particular research area.
- A short bulleted list of the key facts about you that you think are most important to highlight for this position or program.