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:

1. solve basic and intermediate games, including simultaneous-move and extensive-form games, as well as basic games of asymmetric information;
2. discuss political phenomena using logical concepts from game theory;
3. 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
4. create and solve an original model designed to understand a social or political problem of interest.

Research-Led Teaching

The course provides the tools to understand basic game theoretic models that provide the basis of many aspects of social science research. Some of the problems covered in lecture and solved by students are simplified versions of actual publications. More complicated models will be summarized (without formalization). Students will have their own opportunity to formulate a research question in their paper.

Examination Material or equipment

The final exam will consist of primarily game theory problems, with the possibility of short answer and short essay questions. This will be in the form of a three hour in-person exam (with exceptions only for students internationally who were unable to return to Australia). The time period will be scheduled by Timetabling.

Note, if circumstances change, and in-person exams are unable to be held due to public health orders, or by other directives from the University, the exam would then be in the form of a 24 hour take-home exam (time period scheduled by Timetabling). In the case of a take-home exam, no late submissions are accepted. If the final exam is submitted late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Required Resources

There is one required text for the course. 

            Harrington, Jr., Joseph E. 2014.  Games, Strategies, and Decision Making. 2nded. 

This is the primary text for the course. Has a nice coverage of topics, copious examples, and relegates the more technical material to appendices. 

Recommended Resources

Tadelis, Steven. 2013. Game Theory: An Introduction.  This was the primary text for the course in 2014 and 2015, especially for the second half. Many lectures remain connected to the material in this text. Relatively inexpensive electronic copies are available via Amazon Kindle. A copy will also be on reserve at the library. 2 chapters will be posted on Wattle, on topics not covered in Harrington. 

Binmore, Kenneth G. 2007. Game Theory: A Very Short Introduction. This is a very math free description of game theory with simple explanations of the key concepts. A cheap version is available on Kindle, and is also available as an electronic resource from ANU Library. 

Staff Feedback

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

• Written comments
• Verbal comments
• Feedback to the whole class, to groups, to individuals, focus groups

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). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction and Normal Form Games I
2	Normal Form Games II
3	Mixed Strategies I (2x2)	Assignment 1
4	Mixd Strategies II (3x3)
5	Extensive Form I (Perfect Information)	Assignment 2
6	Extensive Form II (Imperfect Information)
7	Uncertainty	Assignment 3
8	Signalling Models I
9	Signalling Models II	Assignment 4
10	Bargaining
11	Repeated Games I
12	Repeated Games II	Paper

Tutorial Registration

Registration for tutorial via My Timetable

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Assignment 1	5 %	08/03/2023	22/03/2023	1
Assignment 2	5 %	24/03/2023	18/04/2023	1
Assignment 3	5 %	21/04/2023	05/05/2023	1
Assignment 4	5 %	05/05/2023	19/05/2023	1
Paper	30 %	26/05/2023	19/06/2023	1, 4
Exam	40 %	*	*	1, 2, 3
Tutorial Participation	6 %	*	*	1, 2, 3
Lecture Participation/Online Quizzes	4 %	*	*	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 Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

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 ANU Online website Students may choose not to submit assessment items through Turnitin. In this instance you will be required to submit, alongside the assessment item itself, hard copies of all references included in the assessment item.

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

Participation is based on your involvement in group discussions during lecture and tutorial, as well as the completion of individual online quizzes, and typically involve game theory problems to solve, either in their entirety, or components of a problem (beginning, middle, or end). Note: ONLY students present in lecture and tutorial can be involved in the participation assignments as group members. Also, no submissions from individual students will be accepted. In tutorial, some review of the week’s material may be presented, and then the tutorial will be separated into groups (through Zoom or in person). The group leader must create a group on Wattle, and every member of the group must join the group. The reporter will take notes and prepare the document for submission. Members of the group can then join (more details on Wattle and in first tutorial).  Discuss the problems and work through them; some tutorials, you will be handed extensions to the problems in session.  The recorder then must submit the final answers for the group.  Everyone in the group will receive the same score.  This will constitute 6% of your total grade for the course, with the worst two scores dropped. 

During the interactive lectures, students will also be separated into small groups to discuss reading or to work together in solving game theory problems. Exercises completed by the groups will be submitted during the period, through the same process as tutorial, with every member of the group receiving the same mark. Students will also complete individually short quizzes on Wattle each week. The combined scores from the group lecture exercises and individual quizzes will constitute 4% of your total grade for the course, with the worst 6 scores dropped.

Examination(s)

The final exam will consist of primarily game theory problems, short answer and short essay questions. This will be in the form of a three hour in-person exam (with exceptions only for students internationally who were unable to return to Australia). The time period will be scheduled by Timetabling.

Note, if circumstances change, and in-person exams are unable to be held due to public health orders, or by other directives from the University, the exam would then be in the form of a 24 hour take-home exam (time period scheduled by Timetabling). In the case of a take-home exam, no late submissions are accepted. If the final exam is submitted late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Assessment Task 1

Assignment 1

The material for this class is best learned through practice, so there will be regular assignments, where students will be required to solve game theory problems.  Assignment 1 will be due Wednesday 8 March at 4pm.  Late submission without an extension is penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof.  Late submission of this assessment task is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.

Assessment Task 2

Assignment 2

The material for this class is best learned through practice, so there will be regular assignments, where students will be required to solve game theory problems.  Assignments will be due at Friday 24 March at 4pm on the date due.  Late submission without an extension is penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof.  Late submission of this assessment task is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.

Assessment Task 3

Assignment 3

The material for this class is best learned through practice, so there will be regular assignments, where students will be required to solve game theory problems.  Assignments will be due Friday 21 April at 4pm.  Late submission without an extension is penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof.  Late submission of this assessment task is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.

Assessment Task 4

Assignment 4

The material for this class is best learned through practice, so there will be regular assignments, where students will be required to solve game theory problems.  Assignments will be due Friday 5 May at 4pm.  Late submission without an extension is penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof.  Late submission of this assessment task is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item.

Assessment Task 5

Paper

The paper will be a short (1200-2000 word) description of a social interaction (potentially, but not necessarily political) for which the student formulates an original model and solves for the equilibrium and provides an interpretation of the results. Paper topic will be due 9 May. Final paper is due Friday, 26 May at 4pm. Don’t leave until the last second; once it ticks over to 16:01, it is one day late. Paper topics must apply methods and equilibrium concepts from week 5 or later. Weeks 1 through 4 are foundational, and will certainly be applied to your paper, but a paper that only finds the Nash equilibria for static complete information simultaneous games with a finite, countable number of strategies is unacceptable, and will receive ZERO marks.

Assessment Task 6

Exam

The final exam will consist of primarily game theory problems, with the possibility of short answer and short essay questions. This will be in the form of a three hour in-person exam (with exceptions only for students internationally who were unable to return to Australia). The time period will be scheduled by Timetabling.

Note, if circumstances change, and in-person exams are unable to be held due to public health orders, or by other directives from the University, the exam would then be in the form of a 24 hour take-home exam (time period scheduled by Timetabling). In the case of a take-home exam, no late submissions are accepted. If the final exam is submitted late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Assessment Task 7

Tutorial Participation

Participation is based on your involvement in class discussions, and typically involve game theory problems to solve, either in their entirety, or components of a problem (beginning, middle, or end). Problems are typically more extensive than those in lecture. Tutorial participation will be conducted in the following manner. In tutorial, some review of the week’s material may be presented, and then the tutorial will be separated into groups (break-out rooms through Zoom for online tutorials, and self-created during in-person tutorials) to complete exercises. 

 

Exercises completed by the groups must be submitted during the period, with every member of the group receiving the same mark. The group leader must create a group on Wattle, and every member of the group must join the group. The reporter will take notes and prepare the document for submission. The names of every group member that participated must be included on the submitted document (no names will result in a points deduction). Roles should be indicated, with a group leader, reporter, and task manager identified. The recorder then must submit the final answers for the group. This will constitute 6% of your total grade for the course. The lowest two scores (out of 10) will be dropped. For participation exercises, no late submissions are accepted. If a participation exercise is not submitted within the specified time frame, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Note: ONLY students present in tutorial can be involved in the participation assignments as group members. Also, no submissions from individual students will be accepted.

Assessment Task 8

Lecture Participation/Online Quizzes

Lecture Participation: During the interactive lectures, students will be separated into small groups to discuss points from the lecture or to work together in solving game theory problems (or parts thereof). Exercises completed by the groups will be submitted during the period, through the same process as tutorial, with every member of the group receiving the same mark. No late submissions are accepted. If a participation exercise is not submitted within the specified time frame, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Note: ONLY students present in lecture can be involved in the participation assignments as group members. Also, no submissions from individual students will be accepted.

 

Wattle Quizzes: During each week, there will also be online quizzes. These will be short (typically multiple choice) questions that gauge comprehension of the theme of week. Students must complete these exercises individually each week by the date specified. No late submissions are accepted. If a quiz is not submitted within the specified time frame, a mark of zero will be awarded.

 

The 4% will be determined by a combination of both lecture participation and online quizzes, with the lowest 6 daily scores (out of 22 – 11 lectures and 11 quizzes) dropped, including zeros from absences (lecture) or failure to complete (quizzes). 

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

The ANU uses 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. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission of the paper and assignments without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of these assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. NOTE, all four problem-based assignments are returned within two weeks. For assignments 1 and 3, this is a period of nine (9) working days instead of ten (10), due to a public holiday.

Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations. If the final exam is a take-home exam and not submitted on time, a mark of zero will be awarded.

For participation exercises, no late submissions are accepted. If a participation exercise is not submitted within the specified time frame, a mark of zero will be awarded. This includes lecture and tutorial participation, as well as Wattle quizzes.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Returning Assignments

Assignments will be reported, with comments, on Wattle (online submission).

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure The Course Convener may grant extensions 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

Assignments may not be resubmitted. 

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).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students