• Class Number 7040
  • Term Code 3360
  • Class Info
  • Unit Value 6 units
  • Mode of Delivery In Person
  • COURSE CONVENER
    • Prof Simon Grant
  • LECTURER
    • Prof Simon Grant
  • Class Dates
  • Class Start Date 24/07/2023
  • Class End Date 27/10/2023
  • Census Date 31/08/2023
  • Last Date to Enrol 31/07/2023
SELT Survey Results

In many - perhaps most – economic, political, legal and social interactions, there is potential for strategic behaviour, a term, “intended to focus on the interdependence of the adversaries' decisions and on their expectations about each other's behaviour.” (Schelling, 1960, The Strategy of Conflict).   Recognising and understanding such behaviour is an essential part of any analyst’s toolkit and this course is designed to enable just such recognition and understanding. Game theory has successfully been applied in a diverse range of fields, such as economics, political science, military analysis, law, biology and computer science.

The aim of this course is to provide an introduction to strategic thinking and analysis through the basic techniques of game theory and to illustrate the range of its applications in almost all fields of social interaction.  While the level of the course will be introductory, and mathematical prerequisites are minimal, the presentation of the material will rely on precise logical arguments.  This course should be of interest to students from any part of the University.
 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of how game theorists approach a strategic problem.
  2. Demonstrate an understanding of the tools taught in class and be able to recognise their application to the analysis of real world situations.
  3. Recognise the strategic issues in a problem and demonstrate an understanding of how a game theorist might decide on the appropriate tools to analyse it.

Research-Led Teaching

The lecturer is a user and developer of game theory in his own research. Consequently, students will be exposed to the use of game theory and strategic thinking in current economics research, time permitting.

Required Resources

You will need access to a calculator to complete exercises required for this course.

No textbook is formally required but students should find the following useful (in this order).

Watson, J. (2013), Strategy: an introduction to game theory 3e. Norton. ISBN 978-0-393-91838-0.

Dixit, A., S. Skeath & D. Reiley (2015), Games of strategy. 4e. Norton. ISBN 978-0-393-91968.

Osborne, M. (2009), An introduction to game theory Intn’l Ed. Oxford UP. ISBN 978-0-19-532248-4.

Texts will be available in the library on short term reserve. Any older editions of these books will do.

Availability of on line versions of the texts are currently being investigated and information will be advertised when known.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

It is hoped that the lectures will involve a lot of discussion, questions and answers. We will provide a verbal review of each tutorial exercise and review of the quizzes (in tutorial time) and thus feedback to the class as a whole. All in-class questions will be discussed directly in class.


The Wattle site contains a forum for ongoing (anonymised) discussion and feedback and there will also be a small, optional survey mid-way through the course. I will be appointing a couple of student class representatives and they will be an important source of (anonymised) feedback too – more details in class.

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Other Information

Tutorials

This is an on-campus course with live lectures. Lectures will be supported by weekly tutorials commencing in week 2. Students can enroll in a tutorial via MyTimetable (https://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/timetabling )

I will upload to Wattle tutorial questions based on the previous week’s lecture material. During the week I will upload on Echo360 a tutorial video in which I will work through the problems. Students are strongly encouraged to attempt to answer the tutorial questions before viewing the tutorial video. In addition to lectures and tutorials I will hold a weekly consultation session (Thursdays 1-3pm) for discussion of the material, tutorial questions and other questions students may have about the course.The final exam questions will include tutorial style problems as well as those on the assignments. You will only learn problem solving skills (necessary to pass the final exam) through practice, NOT by simply writing down answers from my tutorial videos or from the answer keys for the assignments. You learn by doing and practicing.


Workload

Students taking this course are expected to commit at least 10 hours a week – on average – to completing the work, comprising:

·       3 hours a week of lectures

·        1 hour a week of tutorial

·       6+ hours a week: reading, writing and tutorial preparation Some weeks will demand less time than this; some more.


Scaling

Your final mark for the course will be based on the raw marks allocated for each assignment or examination. However, your final mark may not be the same number as produced by that formula, as marks may be scaled. Any scaling applied will preserve the rank order of raw marks (i.e. if your raw mark exceeds that of another student, then your scaled mark will exceed the scaled mark of that student), and may be either up or down.


Technology, Software, Equipment

I plan to use Wattle extensively and as my main means of getting material to you: https://wattlecourses.anu.edu.au/. Please ensure that you have access and that you check it regularly.

Prior to a number of lectures you will be asked to participate in some “on-line experiments” which will help you to focus on games and decision problems which we will discuss later in class. Taking part in this is optional, but recommended. Once you complete a set, it will be recorded. I will have access to the information about which sets you have completed. There are no “right” and “wrong” answers to the posted problems and each set will take only a few minutes to complete. Please respond to the problems as naturally as possible. I will have the aggregated statistics of the class’ responses and we will use these in class discussion. To get the 5% assessment allocated for this component of the course you must do all of the assigned question sets from week two onwards (4 weeks all up.) You will get somewhere between 0% and 5% in this element, depending on what share of the total number of assigned question sets you answer.

·        Please log in here. (You’ll need cookies enabled on your browser to log in.)

·        Our Course Number is 2916.

·        The initial class password is 5749 but you will have to select a new password after login.


Please remember the login name and the personal password you select. (You will be able to retrieve the password if you lost it). After registration you will be automatically directed to the first problem set, an exercise set that I have posted for you to practice but which does not count for assessment purposes. Please respond to all problems. Only after you have completed the set will you receive confirmation (with a red tick) and the fact that you have done it will be recorded. In case you are interrupted before you finish the set you will be able to login again and resume the set from the point at which you stopped.


Finally, we will be using some in-class surveys run through PollEverywhere. To participate in these you will need, ideally, some form of internet access while in class: a smartphone, tablet or laptop. More instructions will be provided in class.

Class Schedule

Week/Session Summary of Activities Assessment
1 Introduction. Prisoner’s dilemmas; coordination. Ingredients of strategic form games. Dominance and iterative deletion. Domination & iterative deletion: applications.Reading W:1,6,7.
2 Best response and rationalizability: Applications Introduction to Nash equilibrium. Application: Imperfect competition. Reading W: 7, 8, 9 & 10
3 Nash equilibrium applications continued. Voter-candidate model, Schelling location game. Reading W:10 Assignment 1 due.
4 Mixed strategies: applications. Tests of MSE play. Reading W: 11, 12.
5 Evolution and Game theory. Reading: Osborne Chapter 13 (especially 13.1 & 13.2) Assignment 2 due.
6 Introduction to sequential games: backward induction, commitment. Reading W:21.
7 Games of perfect information: credibility, reputation. Reading W:21. Assignment 3 due.
8 Bargaining, introduction to imperfect information, information sets, subgame perfection. Reading W:19, 14, 15
9 Applications of SPE: strategic investment game, wars of attrition. Reading W:16 and Ghemawat (1997) Games businesses play (ch 7). Assignment 4 due.
10 Repeated games: cooperation in prisoner’s dilemma, infinitely repeated games. Reading W:22, 23
11 Games of incomplete information. Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium.Signaling. Reading W: 24-29 Assignment 5 due.
12 Other applications: monopoly screening, auctions.

Tutorial Registration


All tutorials this semester will be delivered on-campus.

You are expected to attend one tutorial each week from Week 2 onwards. 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. https://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/timetabling].

Assessment Summary

Assessment task Value Learning Outcomes
Assignments 40 % 1,2,3
Final Exam 60 % 1,2,3

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Participation

This is an on-campus delivery course.

Lectures will be supported by weekly tutorials commencing in week 2. I will upload to Wattle tutorial questions based on the previous week’s lecture material. Students are strongly encouraged to attempt to answer the tutorial questions before viewing attending the tutorial. In addition to lectures and tutorials I will hold a weekly consultation session via Zoom (Thursdays 2-3pm) for discussion of the material, tutorial questions and other questions students may have about the course.

Examination(s)

Regardless of the weights given above, the final exam is a hurdle assessment and students must achieve at least 40% in the final exam to pass the course.

Assessment Task 1

Value: 40 %
Learning Outcomes: 1,2,3

Assignments

There will be four assignments that contribute 40% of the final mark. The 40% will be based on the best four marks received for the five assignments. Sometimes, problems will be based on material that extends the lecture material; it's all right if you make mistakes, you will learn a lot from them. Each student must hand in an individually written answer to each assignment, but group discussion is encouraged.

Given the fast turnaround for grading and returning the assignments (that is, within 1 week), it will not be possible to give extensions for any reasons. Please note that since only the best four marks count, if for any reason a student is unable to submit their answers for one of the five assignments, that need not have any effect on their overall mark.

Assignments will be due Friday 5pm, Weeks 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. Your answers should be submitted via Turnitin. Please keep a copy of your submission for your own records and for your own protection should there be any query regarding the on-time submission of your answers. Assignment questions will be made available on Wattle two weeks prior to due date.

Assessment Task 2

Value: 60 %
Learning Outcomes: 1,2,3

Final Exam

The final exam will contribute 60% of the overall mark. Please note this is an hurdle assessment in line with the student assessment coursework policy (see https://policies.anu.edu.au/ppl/document/ANUP_004603). You must achieve at least 40% in the final exam to pass the course. The exam will be held ON CAMPUS during the examination period. It will be comprehensive and comprise two sections. Section A will have 5 short answer questions (true/false plus short explanation). Section B will have 2 or 3 longer more in depth questions. More details will be provided in lectures and on Wattle in week 10. Past exam papers are a good guide to the type of questions that will be asked.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.


The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.


The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

Via Turnitin

Hardcopy Submission

N/A

Late Submission

If an assessment task is not submitted by the due date, a mark of 0 will be awarded. Given the fast turnaround for grading and returning the assignments (that is, within 1 week), it will not be possible to give extensions for any reasons. Please note that since only the best four marks count, if for any reason a student is unable to submit their answers for one of the five assignments, that will have no effect on their overall mark.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Returning Assignments

We will endeavor to mark and return the assignments around one week after the submission and before the due date of the next assignment.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Resubmission of Assignments

N/A

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

Prof Simon Grant
58688
simon.grant@anu.edu.au

Research Interests


Decision theory, game theory

Prof Simon Grant

Thursday 14:00 15:00
Thursday 14:00 15:00
By Appointment
Prof Simon Grant
simon.grant@anu.edu.au

Research Interests


Prof Simon Grant

Thursday 14:00 15:00
Thursday 14:00 15:00
By Appointment

Responsible Officer: Registrar, Student Administration / Page Contact: Website Administrator / Frequently Asked Questions