Course Objectives:

This course aims to equip students with the essential concepts and ideas in game theory. Game theory models conflict and cooperation between rational decision-making agents. It has applications in a wide variety of areas, including statistical decision theory, artificial intelligence (online learning, multi-agent systems), economics and business (auctions, pricing, bargaining), biology (evolution, signaling behavior, fighting behavior), political science (stability of government, military strategy), and philosophy (ethics, morality and social norms).

We will cover most of the following topics.

I. Analyzing games:

1. Combinatorial games
2, Different games settings

3. Zero-sum games
4. General-sum games, Nash equilibria
7. Correlated equilibria
8. Price of anarchy

II. Designing games:

12. Cooperative games
13. Voting
14. Auctions
15. Elicitation
16. Scoring rules
18. Adaptive decision making

Course Requirements:

Attendance             10%

In-class participation     10%

Assignments            20%

Final Exam             60%

Course Contents:

Module 1: Why do we need game theory, and what does it tell us?

Module 2: Understanding Nash equilibrium

Module 3: Rationality, knowledge, and evolution in repeated games

Module 4: Sustaining cooperation

Module 5: Incomplete information games

Credit: 2