In many - perhaps most – economic, political, legal and social interactions, there is potential for strategic behavior, a term, “intended to focus on the interdependence of the adversaries' decisions and on their expectations about each other's behavior.” (Schelling, 1960, The Strategy of Conflict). Recognising and understanding such behavior 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 disciplines, 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.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of how game theorists approach a strategic problem.
- Apply foundational game theory and strategic analysis tools to real-world problems, integrating insights from economics, politics, law, and social systems to support informed and ethical decision-making.
- Engage with diverse perspectives and worldviews, demonstrating an ability to navigate pluralistic understandings of strategic interaction and to accommodate cultural, historical, and disciplinary differences in problem framing and resolution.
- Collaborate in interactive, scenario-based environments to explore strategic dilemmas, simulate conflict and cooperation, and co-create solutions that reflect shared values and negotiated trade-offs.
- Synthesise strategic insights across disciplines, developing integrative approaches to problem-solving that acknowledge complexity, uncertainty, and the potential for unintended consequences.
- Construct, solve, and critically interpret game-theoretic models of strategic environments, assessing the relevance and limitations of modeling assumptions and equilibrium concepts for real-world problems in economics, policy, law, and related fields.
Indicative Assessment
- Assessment will involve a combination of quizzes, online and in-class questions, and a final examination where not all of these components may be used in any given semester. The exams may also include a range of question types: short answers, definitional questions, analytical problems and essays. (100) [LO 1,2,3,4,5,6]
- Group work, team-based activities during in-class exercises. Group work assessment will be compulsory. The weighting percentage will be published in the class summary. (0) [LO 2,4]
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Workload
130 hours in total over the semester consisting of lectures, tutorials and private study time.
Inherent Requirements
This course requires active participation in group work. Working in teams is an inherent requirement, as it develops essential collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills relevant to your studies as an economist.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
See Class Summary
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:
- 34
- 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 |
|---|---|
| 2027 | $5640 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2027 | $7200 |
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.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10412 | 26 Jul 2027 | 02 Aug 2027 | 31 Aug 2027 | 29 Oct 2027 | In Person | N/A |