GAME THEORY

This is an optional course that provides the basics of formal strategic reasoning. The ability to represent and reason about strategic interaction is fundamental in supporting decision-making in any environment that involves elements of competition or cooperation.

This course provides an introduction to game theory, viewed as the scientific language to deal with strategic interaction. It is geared to ambitious students who are not afraid of analytical thinking. Due to the cuts in teaching enacted by the Academic Senate (1 ECTS=3.75 actual hours of frontal instruction), this 6-ECTS course may cover less than what is customarily expected in similar courses taught across the European Union.

a) Knowledge and understanding:
a.1) Ability to discern strategic interactions.
a.2) Ability to recognise dominant and dominated strategies.
a.3) Ability to conceptualize randomisation in strategic play.

b) Applying knowledge and understanding:
b.1) Ability to compute different kinds of equilibria.
b.2) Ability to build formal models for reasoning about simple strategic interactions.
b.3) Ability to handle basic notions of randomisation in strategic play.

c) Making judgements
c.1) Ability to detect and discuss trade-offs in strategic choices.
c.2) Ability to rank the plausibility of different predictions about strategic interactions.

This course emphasizes applications over theory. The formal prerequisite is successful completion of the first-year course in Mathematics. Successful completion of the second-year course in Risk and Uncertainty is highly recommended.

1. Strategic interactions as games
2. Basic solution concepts for strategic form games
3. Prominent classes of strategic form games
4. Uncertainty and mixed strategies
5. Dynamic games
6. Repeated games

J. Watson (2013), Strategy: An Introduction to Game Theory, third edition, Norton.
M. LiCalzi (2018), "Teaching notes for the course", available on the course webpage.

Grading is based on a final written exam. This consists of at least four (possibly, more) questions, each with its own score. At least 21 points (out of a minimum of 30) are amenable to (possibly, variations on the) questions taken from the textbook and listed in a Study Guide made available during the course..

The exam is closed-notes and closed-book, but you are allowed to use a pocket calculator and two sides of an A4-sheet prepared by you at home. Failing to register for the exam is sufficient cause for denying admission.

Lectures and practice sessions.

English

For more information and updates, trust only the class webpage: http://mizar.unive.it/licalzi/game.html

Ca’ Foscari abides by Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding support services and accommodation available to students with disabilities. This includes students with mobility, visual, hearing and other disabilities (Law 17/1999), and specific learning impairments (Law 170/2010). If you have a disability or impairment that requires accommodations (i.e., alternate testing, readers, note takers or interpreters) please contact the Disability and Accessibility Offices in Student Services: disabilita@unive.it.

written