ECMC13S Advanced Microeconomics - Game Theory (2007Winter)
  Instructor: Travis NG
  Email: ngkaho@chass.utoronto.ca
  Class Time: Thur 5 to 7pm
  Classroom Location: MW110 (NEW)
  Office Hours Thur 7 to 9pm
  Office: MW379
  Website: http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~ngkaho

Prerequisites:

Course Description:

This course is a rigorous introductory course in game theory. Game theory is a set of widely used tools for many economic applications. In addition, fields such as sociology, mathematics and political sciences, etc, use game theory extensively as well.

Goal:

I aim to provide a rigorous survey of the major topics in the theories of non-cooperative games. You should aim to, upon completion of this course, be able to use game theory creatively to help recognize the strategic environment you are always involved in.

Course Structure:

Session: Date: Lecture description:
1 Jan 11 Introduction of Game Theory (Ch. 1)
2 Jan 18 Nash Equilibrium: Theory (Ch. 2)
3 Jan 25 Nash Equilibrium: Illustrations (Ch. 3)
4 Feb 1 Mixed Strategy Equilibrium (Ch. 4)
5 Feb 8 Extensive Games: Theory (Ch. 5)
6 Feb 15 Extensive Games: Illustrations (Ch. 6)
* Feb 22 Reading Week
7 Mar 1 Midterm
8 Mar 8 Bargaining: Rubinstein’s Model (Ch. 16)
9 Mar 15 Bargaining: Nash’s Model (Ch. 16)
10 Mar 22 Bayesian Games I (Ch. 9)
11 Mar 29 Bayesian Games II (Ch. 9) &
Extensive Games with Imperfect Information I (Ch. 10)
12 Apr 5 Extensive Games with Imperfect Information II (Ch. 10)

Readings:

As indicated from the table above.

Important Dates:

  Term Test: Mar 1 , 2007
  Drop Deadline: Mar 25 , 2007
  Final Exam: Any date between Apr 14 to May 1, 2007

Grading:

  1) 20% Problem Sets  
  2) 40% Midterm  
3) 40% Final

Main Textbook Reference:

Martin J. Osborne (2003), An Introduction to Game Theory, Oxford University Press.

Other places where I draw course materials from:

Problem sets:

There are 10 assigned problem sets, each is worth 2% of your final grade. Each problem set will have more than 2 questions, but only 2 out of all the questions will be graded. The 2 questions will be randomly chosen and will not be announced prior to the submission of the problem sets. No late hand-in of the problem set is accepted.

Appeals:

If you appeal to re-grade the midterm, please submit your complaint to me in written format. I will re-grade not only the parts that you have complained, but also the other parts that you have not. Note that this may lead to a lower overall grade.

Missing the Midterm:

If you miss the midterm due to an approved reason, you must submit official documentation either to me or to the department of management within one week of the missed test. For medical reason, you must provide a signed and detailed copy of the UofT student medical form from the following URL:

http://www.utoronto.ca/health/forms/medcert.pdf

For any other reason, such as time conflicts among tests, please come and see me before the midterm to get approval.