Through discussion, group work, lectures, and working on exercise problems, this course deals with decision making problems which are essential in decision making theories, solutions of the problems, advantages and disadvantages of the solutions, and insights drawn from them.
This course aims to cultivate the students’ interests in decision making theories as well as to acquaint the students with essential decision making problems, solutions of the problems, advantages and disadvantages of the solutions, and fundamental concepts and basic knowledge in decision making theories.
Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1) State essential decision making problems and solutions of them;
2) Explain advantages and disadvantages of the solutions, and insights drawn from them; and
3) Explain fundamental concepts and basic knowledge in decision making theories.
value criterion, elections; allocations, mechanism design, games in normal form, games in extensive form, social networks
Specialist skills | ✔ Intercultural skills | ✔ Communication skills | Critical thinking skills | ✔ Practical and/or problem-solving skills |
One class deals with one or two decision making problem(s).
The students examine one or two decision making problem(s), first individually, second in pairs, then in groups of four, and finally with the class as a whole. Then a lecture on the decision making problem(s) is presented, and the students work on exercise problems. At the end of the class, each student writes and submits a “summary report” on what he/she learned through individual observation, other students’ ideas, the lecture, and exercise problems.
Course schedule | Required learning | |
---|---|---|
Class 1 | “Waiting for a cart” and “The slowest is the winner” | Explain the problems of “Waiting for a cart” and “The slowest is the winner” and solutions of them |
Class 2 | “Election of the chief of the village” | Explain the problem of “Election of the chief of the village” and solutions of them |
Class 3 | “Sharing the water” | Explain the problem of “Sharing the water” and solutions of them |
Class 4 | “Allocation of the expense for a cart” | Explain the problem of “Allocation of the expense for a cart” and solutions of them |
Class 5 | “Location of a garbage dump” | Explain the problem of “Location of a garbage dump” and solutions of them |
Class 6 | “Prisoners’ dilemma” and “Chicken game” | Explain the problems of “Prisoners’ dilemma” and “Chicken game” and solutions of them |
Class 7 | “A centipede game” | Explain the problem of “A centipede game” and solutions of them |
Class 8 | “The gift of the Magi” | Explain the problem of “The gift of the Magi” and solutions of them |
None requires
Course materials are posted on OCW-i and/or provided during the classes.
Assessment will be based on “summary reports” written during each class (50% in total) and the final examination (50%).
Prospective students should have interests in decision making problems.
Takehiro Inohara, inohara.t.aa[at]m.titech.ac.jp
Instructor’s office: Rm. 813, 8 Fl., West Bldg. 9. Contact by e-mail in advance to schedule an appointment.
This course includes the content of science.