Welcome

     Welcome to Game Theory (BA 592), Spring 2010

Contact Information

Class Hours

Class Location

Office Hours

Office Location

Email

Personal Webpage

Tuesday, Thursday 4-5:30.

Center for Communication and Business, CCB 309.

M 10:50 – 11:50, Tu 1:50-3:50, Th 10:50 – 11:50, and by appointment.  (Starting the first week of class, and ending the last week.)

Center for Communication and Business, CCB 345

jon.burke@pepperdine.edu

http://faculty.pepperdine.edu/jburke2

Description

This course introduces game theory to undergraduate students in various disciplines. It focuses on formulating and solving games, and applications to multi-person decision making in business, economics, and political science.

Prerequisites

Successful completion of the following courses:

· BA 210 or Econ 210. Introduction to Microeconomics.

· BA 216 or Econ 310. Statistical Analysis. 

· MATH 210.  Calculus I.

or their equivalents.  In particular, students should be familiar with mathematical notation and formal reasoning.

Tip: Your mastery of BA 592 depends on your mastery of those prerequisite courses, so review as needed.

Overview and Pepperdine’s Mission

Game theory, also known as multi-person decision theory, analyzes situations in which payoffs to players depend on the decisions of other players as well as the player himself. Game theory applied to business, economics, political science, and other disciplines. The purpose of this course is to introduce the basics of game theory to undergraduate students in various disciplines.  Although textbook business applications focus on minimizing cost to help maximize profit (revenue minus cost), we develop other applications of minimizing cost to help non-profit businesses (like charities) minimize cost to be more effective.   Making charities more effective is one service included in Pepperdine’s mission to “strengthen lives for purpose, service, and leadership”.

Tips for Better Learning and Grades

· Take advantage of my expertise in game theory by asking questions beyond those covered in the textbook.

· Take advantage of the expertise of the textbook authors by reading the many practical applications of managerial economics in the text. 

· Work through the textbook, rather than just read it like a novel. That means making outlines, defining key terms and formulas in words that you will remember, working through the examples presented in the book, and completing the homework assignments.

· Attend all class meetings on time, and bring your laptop, textbook, and a calculator.

· Download any needed files before class.  The first download is in Lesson 1.5 (see the PowerPoint slides).

· See me during my office hours if you need help, or before or after class.

Study Hours

and

Grade Expectations

The course is 3 credit hours, meaning a student with typical quantitative ability and background should expect to spend 3 hours every week studying outside of class to earn a C; 6 hours to earn a B; and 9 hours to earn an A.

Course plan and typical  results  studying 3 hours every week

· Preview class notes before class and review after class.

· Do your homework.

Results: You should be well prepared for half the exam questions, and be familiar enough to earn partial credit on the other half of the questions and earn a C.

Course plan and typical results  studying 6 hours every week

Add to the course plan above:

· Review the problems above to master the principles.  — Do not be only familiar with the answers I provide, but be sure to understand why those answers are true. 

· Solve most the other problems in the back of the chapters in the textbook.

Results: You should be well prepared for almost all of the exam questions, and be familiar enough to earn partial credit on the rest and earn a B.

Course plan and typical results  studying 9 hours every week

Add to the course plans above:

· Master the principles in all the problems on previous exams, on homeworks, and in the back of the chapters of the textbook. 

· Review the concepts in the PowerPoint slides, and solve any problems.

Results:  You should be well prepared for all of the exam questions, even those whose form varies from the problems you solved, and so should earn an A.

If you are not achieving expected results, ...

See me if you are not earning the appropriate grade given your study hours. 

Hint:  Cramming 9 hours before an exam may produce worse results than studying 3 hours in each of the 3 weeks before the exam.  Cramming may make you familiar with problems, but you are likely to forget some important details in your answers.

Course Contract

You may only take the course if you agree to the following three items:

· I agree to abide by the requirements and policies stated in the syllabus.

· I agree to abide by the ethical standards of Seaver College.

· I agree to allow the instructor to show my work to other students and faculty, as long as my name has been removed.