This course will teach the basic elements of game theory with applications to political science and other social sciences. It will cover simultaneous games, extensive-form games, repeated games, and spatial models of elections. The course will also focus on using the logic of games to make inferences and arguments about political and social behavior, with readings on collective action, voting, bargaining, repeated interaction, war, and other examples.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- solve basic and intermediate games, including simultaneous-move and extensive-form games, as well as basic games of asymmetric information;
- discuss political phenomena using logical concepts from game theory;
- illustrate how political scientists have used the ideas of game theory to make arguments about political phenomena, such as elections, political bargaining, and war; and
- create and solve an original model designed to understand a social or political problem of interest.
Indicative Assessment
- Problem Sets (4 total) (20) [LO 1]
- Paper on an Original Model (1200-2000 words) (30) [LO 1,4]
- Final Exam, in final examination period, 3 hours (40) [LO 1,2,3]
- Tutorial Participation (6) [LO 1,2,3]
- Lecture Participation and Online Quizzes (4) [LO 1,2,3]
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Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures, and 12 hours of tutorials; and
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Not applicable
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $4320 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2023 | $5820 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4210 | 20 Feb 2023 | 27 Feb 2023 | 31 Mar 2023 | 26 May 2023 | In Person | View |