syllabus
info
title Game Theory
term Fall 2006
credits 3
time TuF 1:30 - 2:50
place Sci 217
level introductory
faculty Matt Ollis
prereq none
blurb
This course introduces several aspects of game theory from a mathematical point of view. We'll begin by considering the surprisingly complex children's game dots and boxes and move on from there to consider other two-player games (such as nim, the prisoner's dilemma and chicken), Nash equilibria, voting systems and the theory of auctions. We will see applications of the math we develop in other disciplines, particularly economics and political science.
The handout from the intro class is attached to this page as a pdf file (link at bottom).
texts
- The Dots and Boxes Game, by Elwyn Berlekamp. There is one copy on reserve in the library and two on the unofficial science reserve shelf in Sci217 - these two copies CANNOT leave the science building.
- Mathematics and Politics, by Alan D. Taylor
resources
schedule
Here is a tentative schedule for the first half of the class. Don't expect that we will stick exactly to this timetable. There are several potential choices of topics for the final part of the course. The options we take will depend on the interests of the class.
Intro classes Wed 6th and Thu 7th
Week starting
1 Sep 11 Dots and Boxes
2 18 More Dots and Boxes
3 25 Escalation and Auctions
4 Oct 2 Two player games 1: The Prisoner's Dilemma
5 9 Two player games 2: Chicken
6 16 More Auctions
7 23 Voting Systems (Hendricks - no Tu class)
8 30 More Voting Systems
9 Nov 6
10 13
11 20 (Thanksgiving - no Fri class)
12 27
13 Dec 4
14 11 (Reading days - no Fri class)