Game Theory: Math Models of Individual Political Behavior (471-0-20)
Instructors
Sirus Bouchat
Office Hours: https://www.polisci.northwestern.edu/people/core-faculty/sarah-bouchat.html
Meeting Info
Scott Hall 212: Tues 2:00PM - 4:50PM
Overview of class
This course is an introduction to game theory: the formal, mathematical analysis of strategic decision-making. Focused on applications in political science, this course will present theories of individual and social choice through abstractions on strategic environments ("games"). Students in this course will be able to use a variety of solution concepts to solve game theoretic problems, and will develop intuitions about how formal theory can model political interactions.
Learning Objectives
This course is an introduction to game theory: the mathematical analysis of strategic decision- making. The course is divided into sections that correspond to classes of "games"—abstract representations of strategic environments and interactions. For each class of game, you will learn solution concepts that allow you to derive predictions about behavior and outcomes. These will be linked to applications in political science.
Class Materials (Required)
McCarty, Nolan and Adam Meirowitz. Political Game Theory: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2007. ISBN 978-0521841078.
Osborne, Martin J. An Introduction to Game Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2004. ISBN 978-0198086109.
Enrollment Requirements
Enrollment Requirements: Reserved for Graduate Students.