This course is an introduction to game theory, concentrating on applications in politics. Game theory is the formal method of examining interdependent decisions. An interdependent decision is one where what you do will depend on what someone else does. For example, a politician running for office may consider how voters will react to an issue stance. The leader of a country may consider how other countries will react to an invasion of another country. A citizen may consider how a government will react if the citizen protests (peacefully or not).
Game theory provides tools for evaluating these situations. By the end of the course, you should be able to:
The BYU Department of Political Science has developed a set of expected student learning outcomes. These will help you understand the objectives of the curriculum in the program, including this class. In the parlance of the Political Science department's learning outcomes, this course helps you:
I regularly make announcements, clarifications, further instructions, etc., in class and by email and Learning Suite. You are responsible for all of these, even if you do not attend class. You are also responsible for keeping your email up to date at my.byu.edu. (You should let me know if your email changes during the semester.) I suggest that you exchange phone numbers and/or e-mail addresses with other students in the class.
I will use Learning Suite to post assignments and grades.
I will hold office hours TBA. I am also available at other times if you make arrangements with me. My office hours will be held in my office on campus, 722 KMBL. There is also an option to meet via Zoom if you would prefer. I encourage you to come by to talk about assignments in the class, suggestions for improving the class, politics and current events, the perils of student life, or for any other reason.
Gavin and Ryder, your TAs for this class, are a great resource. They will also hold office hours to help with assignments and other course concepts. Here are some guidelines to make working with the TAs more productive:I expect that students will have a working knowledge of politics and basic political science, and know how to organize and write. This can easily be fulfilled by taking core courses in the department (Political Science 110, 150, 170, 200). Some models require high-school algebra to solve.
This is a problem-based course. Students learn principles by reading the text. Thus, you should read the material to be discussed prior to the class. Students learn how to apply the principles by solving problems with the instructor using those principles in class. Then students test their understanding by solving problems on their own. Students will all have the opportunity/obligation to present their answers to various problems to the rest of class. You should anticipate that I will call on you to contribute your opinion.
I actively encourage questions, interruptions, cries for help, protests of disbelief, etc. I urge--indeed, I expect--you to take advantage of the chance to talk with me during office hours.
A Chinese proverb (supposedly) says, "I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand." This philosophy drives the requirements of the class.
| Problem Sets | 30% |
| Application Poster | 15% |
| Midterm Exam | 20% |
| Final Exam | 35% |
To understand game theory, you must use game theory. We will have weekly problem sets to practice using game theory.
All problem sets are due on Learning Suite one hour before class on the day designated in the course schedule. If there is some problem with Learning Suite, email it to me. If the internet crashes, bring a paper copy at the beginning of class. I will not accept late problem sets. The primary reason for no late problem sets is so that we can discuss the problem set in class immediately after it is turned in. If you anticipate a problem with submitting an problem set when it is due, speak to me before the problem set is due so that we can try to work out an alternative arrangement. A doctor's note is required for any extensions for illness.
On the days that problem sets are due, we will spend the first part of class going over the problem set. I will choose students to go to the board and present their solutions to problems. (If you have a problem with this, or need an accommodation, please let me know in the first week of class.) To facilitate this, I suggest that you bring a paper copy of your problem set.
You may work together on these problem sets in groups of two or at most three, but you must write up your answers separately. I give more detailed instructions on how to report your work together in the Academic Honesty section below. Generally, if you use other persons' work, or make changes to your own work without inquiring or understanding what you did incorrectly, then you are trying to get a grade using someone else's knowledge. Giving or receiving answers in this manner is not permitted in this course. If you do not learn how to analyze or solve problems on your own, you will have difficulty on the exams. As a regular practice, on each problem, state with whom you worked. If you worked alone, state that you worked alone.
The problem sets will be posted on Learning Suite. You may type up your answers or write them neatly by hand. Most students find it easiest to write problem sets by hand, then scan and upload them to Learning Suite. I strongly suggest that you start working early on the problem sets.
(I have taken this idea from Harrington and modified it.) For the project, you are to use game theory to model and make predictive statements about the behavior of people for a real-world, current or historical political situation. A real-world political situation is one that routinely occurs in politics. (If you wish to model a fictional political situation, please see me. A fictional political situation may be drawn from a story, poem, play, television show, movie, or computer software program but it is not to be a product of your imagination. It must still occur routinely.) Your imagination may be used to model a situation but not in creating the situation. Most critically, the situation cannot be one that we have gone over in class. The project is meant to be original work and will be graded on (in order of importance): i) how accurate is your model (payoffs, connection to world, insightful, compelling); ii) how correct is your analysis (the model solved correctly); iii) how sophisticated (or advanced) is your model; and iv) how clear and creative are your poster graphics and presentation.
Preliminary work for your poster will be assigned as parts of problems sets.
You will present it the poster at the Fulton Conference, details of which can be found here and here. (Other suggestions for posters are here.) You submit your poster here. The submission deadline is Tuesday, March 31, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. (After you upload your poster to conference site, upload it to Learning Suite.) The poster session takes place Thursday, April 9, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. in Ballroom of the Wilkinson Student Center.
There will be one midterm exam on Tuesday on February 24, 2026, taken in the Testing Center, that covers about 7 weeks' material. There will be a comprehensive final examination that will be administered on Friday, April 17, 2026, in our classroom from 2:30-5:30 p.m. Do not ask to take the final examination early. It is against university policy to give final examinations outside of the scheduled time. You should not make any plans that interfere with the final exam schedule. Please do not ask for exceptions. I am not authorized to grant them.
You may use calculators (but not other electronic devices) for the exams. You may not use notes (yours or others'), texts, or other students' exams. The exams will consist of questions similar to those of the problem sets.
The final exams may be picked up in the Political Science office (745 KMBL) after they are graded.
The course is graded on a modified curve, using principles that will be explained in more detail in the course. The basic idea is that I will look for natural breaks between students and assign grades accordingly. Thus, I do not assign a set number or percentage of As, Bs, and Cs.
Unlike many other classes at BYU, the points you receive do not correspond to percentage of the material learned, or to particular letter grades. In other words, a 75 (out of 100) does not mean that you understand 75% of the material, nor does it mean you have a C. It means you scored higher than anyone that received a 74 or lower, and scored lower than anyone that received a 76 or higher.
I include the following information from the BYU University Policies, which guides how I grade and determine workload:
As in many other subjects, learning to solve game-theoretic models requires that you are exposed to it multiple times. Do not expect to understand everything in the book the first time you read it. Do not expect to master the material after coming to a single class. It takes reading, hearing, and applying the material to grasp the concepts.
Students who succeed in this course have the following characteristics. They
In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all of their academic work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you present as your own must in fact be your own work and not that of another. Violations of this principle may result in a failing grade in the course and additional disciplinary action by the university. Students are also expected to adhere to the Dress and Grooming Standards. Adherence demonstrates respect for yourself and others and ensures an effective learning and working environment. It is the university's expectation, and every instructor's expectation in class, that each student will abide by all Honor Code standards. Please call the Honor Code Office at 422-2847 if you have questions about those standards.
From the Academic Honesty section of the BYU Honor Code:
"The first injunction of the BYU Honor Code is the call to `be honest.' Students come to the
university not only to improve their minds, gain knowledge, and develop skills that will assist
them in their life's work, but also to build character. `President David O. McKay taught that
character is the highest aim of education' (The Aims of a BYU Education, p. 6). It is the
purpose of the BYU Academic Honesty Policy to assist in fulfilling that aim.
"BYU students should seek to be totally honest in their dealings with others. They should complete their own work and be evaluated based upon that work. They should avoid academic dishonesty and misconduct in all its forms, including but not limited to plagiarism, fabrication or falsification, cheating, and other academic misconduct" (cite). Read the full version here.
A colleague (Mitch Sanders, former professor at Notre Dame) has already explicated these issues specifically for political science. Please read here.
If you write a paper for another course (past or present) that uses the same topic as the project for this course, you need to approve it with me first, and then you must turn in to me a copy of the paper from your other course.
In this class, you need to acknowledge the contributions of others toward your assignments. I have taken the following guidelines from MIT's Unified Engineering class. I have changed and added various words where appropriate:
"The fundamental principle of academic integrity is that you must fairly represent the source of the intellectual content of the work you submit for credit. In the context of [Poli 304], this means that if you consult other sources (such as fellow students, TA's, faculty, literature) in the process of completing homework, you must acknowledge the sources in any way that reflects true ownership of the ideas and methods you used."
"Doing homework helps to engage with the concepts and material taught in class on a deeper level. To enhance the learning process we strongly suggest that you first try to solve the problems by yourself and then discuss challenges in groups or in office hours if necessary. Discussion among students and in office hours to digest the material and the homework problems or to prepare for [exams] is considered useful in the educational process. COLLABORATION ON HOMEWORK IS ALLOWED UNLESS OTHERWISE DIRECTED AS LONG AS ALL REFERENCES (BOTH LITERATURE AND PEOPLE) USED ARE NAMED CLEARLY AT THE END OF THE ASSIGNMENT. Word-by-word copies of someone else's solution or parts of a solution handed in for credit will be considered cheating unless there is a reference to the source for any part of the work which was copied verbatim. FAILURE TO CITE OTHER STUDENT'S CONTRIBUTION TO YOUR HOMEWORK SOLUTION WILL BE CONSIDERED CHEATING."
"Study groups are considered an educationally beneficial activity. However, at the end of each problem on which you collaborated with other students you must cite the students and the interaction. The purpose of this is to acknowledge their contribution to your work. Some examples follow:
Unfortunately, some students still profess ignorance of or attempt to find loopholes in the previous guidelines. As a result of sad experience, I repeat the following guidelines and add clarifications:
The health and well-being of students is of paramount importance at Brigham Young University. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual harassment (including sexual violence), there are many resources available for assistance.
In accordance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, BYU prohibits unlawful sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, against any participant in its education programs or activities. The university also prohibits sexual harassment by its personnel and students. Sexual harassment occurs when
University policy requires all faculty members to promptly report incidents of sexual harassment that come to their attention in any way, including through face-to-face conversations, a written class assignment or paper, class discussion, email, text, or social media post. Incidents of sexual harassment should be reported to the Title IX Coordinator at t9coordinator@byu.edu or (801) 422-8692 or 1085 WSC. Reports may also be submitted online at https://titleix.byu.edu/report or 1-888-238-1062 (24-hours a day).
BYU offers confidential resources for those affected by sexual harassment, including the university's Sexual Assault Survivor Advocate, as well as a number of non-confidential resources and services that may be helpful. Additional information about Title IX, the university's Sexual Harassment Policy, reporting requirements, and resources can be found at http://titleix.byu.edu or by contacting the university's Title IX Coordinator.
Brigham Young University is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. A disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Whether an impairment is substantially limiting depends on its nature and severity, its duration or expected duration, and its permanent or expected permanent or long-term impact. Examples include vision or hearing impairments, physical disabilities, chronic illnesses, emotional disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety), learning disorders, and attention disorders (e.g., ADHD). If you have a disability which impairs your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the University Accessibility Center (UAC), 2170 WSC or 801-422-2767 to request a reasonable accommodation. The UAC can also assess students for learning, attention, and emotional concerns. If you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, please contact the Equal Opportunity Office at 801-422-5895, eo_manager@byu.edu, or visit https://hrs.byu.edu/equal-opportunity for help.
Mental health concerns and stressful life events can affect students' academic performance and quality of life. BYU Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS, 1500 WSC, 801-422-3035, caps.byu.edu) provides individual, couples, and group counseling, as well as stress management services. These services are confidential and are provided by the university at no cost for full-time students. For general information please visit https://caps.byu.edu; for more immediate concerns please visit http://help.byu.edu.
All course materials (e.g., outlines, handouts, syllabi, exams, quizzes, PowerPoint presentations, lectures, audio and video recordings, etc.) are proprietary. Students are prohibited from posting or selling any such course materials without the express written permission of the professor teaching this course. To do so is a violation of the Brigham Young University Honor Code. It is also unethical to post your own work (study sheets, papers) from the course on file sharing websites as you are encouraging others to engage in plagiarism. These policies continue indefinitely (not limited to the duration of the semester or term you take this course).
"Sadly, from time to time, we do hear reports of those who are at best insensitive and at worst insulting in their comments to and about others... We hear derogatory and sometimes even defamatory comments about those with different political, athletic, or ethnic views or experiences. Such behavior is completely out of place at BYU, and I enlist the aid of all to monitor carefully and, if necessary, correct any such that might occur here, however inadvertent or unintentional. "I worry particularly about demeaning comments made about the career or major choices of women or men either directly or about members of the BYU community generally. We must remember that personal agency is a fundamental principle and that none of us has the right or option to criticize the lawful choices of another." President Cecil O. Samuelson, Annual University Conference, August 24, 2010 "Occasionally, we ... hear reports that our female faculty feel disrespected, especially by students, for choosing to work at BYU, even though each one has been approved by the BYU Board of Trustees. Brothers and sisters, these things ought not to be. Not here. Not at a university that shares a constitution with the School of the Prophets." Vice President John S. Tanner, Annual University Conference, August 24, 2010
To facilitate productive and open discussions about sensitive topics about which there are differing opinions, members of the BYU community should: (1) Remember that we are each responsible for enabling a productive, respectful dialogue. (2)To enable time for everyone to speak, strive to be concise with your thoughts. (3) Respect all speakers by listening actively. (4) Treat others with the respect that you would like them to treat you with, regardless of your differences. (5) Do not interrupt others. (6) Always try to understand what is being said before you respond. (7) Ask for clarification instead of making assumptions. (8) When countering an idea, or making one initially, demonstrate that you are listening to what is being said by others. Try to validate other positions as you assert your own, which aids in dialogue, versus attack. (9) Under no circumstances should an argument continue out of the classroom when someone does not want it to. Extending these conversations beyond class can be productive, but we must agree to do so respectfully, ethically, and with attention to individuals' requests for confidentiality and discretion. (10) Remember that exposing yourself to different perspectives helps you to evaluate your own beliefs more clearly and learn new information. (11) Remember that just because you do not agree with a person's statements, it does not mean that you cannot get along with that person. (12) Speak with your professor privately if you feel that the classroom environment has become hostile, biased, or intimidating. Adapted from the Deliberation Guidelines published by The Center for Democratic Deliberation. (http://cdd.la.psu.edu/education/The%20CDD%20Deliberation%20Guidelines.pdf/view?searchterm=deliberation%20guidelines)
In the College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences, our classroom participation and behavior are guided by our mission statement, the BYU honor code, and principles of Christian discipleship. It is imperative that we value and respect every person as a child of Heavenly Parents who has divine worth. Consequently, we need to take steps to listen to, learn from, and love one another by striving to consider thoughtfully the opinions of others and use language that is polite, considerate, and courteous even when we strongly disagree. It is essential to create an educational environment that ensures "the gift of personal dignity for every child of God" (Holland). This includes embracing one another compassionately and "eliminating] any prejudice, including racism, sexism, and nationalism" (Ballard) "regardless of age, personal circumstances, gender, sexual orientation, or other unique challenges" (Nelson). It is vital to delight in individuality and welcome diverse perspectives and experiences as we "work tirelessly to build bridges of understanding rather than creating walls of segregation" (Nelson). To accomplish these goals we seek unity in higher principles of equity, charity, collaboration, and inclusiveness in order to build an environment in which all students, faculty, and staff can participate in, contribute to, and benefit equally from the academic community.
All readings should be read before class for full understanding of the subject material.
The text for the course is:
We will cover about one chapter per week of Harrington.
| Date | Topic | Chapter | Assignments |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 8 | Models | 1-2 | Problem Set 0 |
| 13 | Dominance | 3 | |
| 15 | Nash Equilibria | 4 | Problem Set 1 |
| 20 | n-player Games | 5 Schelling | |
| 22 | Asymmetric Games | 5 | Problem Set 2 |
| 27 | Continuous Games | 6 | |
| 29 | Mixed Strategies | 7 | Problem Set 3 |
| February 3 | Mixed Strategies | 7 | |
| 5 | Mixed Strategies | 7 | Problem Set 4 | >
| 10 | Extensive Form | 8 | |
| 12 | Backwards Induction | 8 | Problem Set 5 |
| 17 | No class: Monday Instruction | ||
| 19 | Review | Problem Set 6 | |
| 24 | No class: Testing Center | Midterm Exam | |
| 26 | Imperfect Information | 9 | |
| March 3 | Incomplete Information | 10 | |
| 5 | Bayesian Games | 10 | Problem Set 7 |
| 10 | Signaling | 11 | |
| 12 | Costly Signaling | 11 | Problem Set 8 |
| 17 | Signaling Equilibria | 11 | |
| 19 | Cheap Talk | 12 | Problem Set 9 |
| 24 | Costless Signaling | 12 | |
| 26 | Repeated Games | 13 | Problem Set 10 |
| 31 | Repeated Games | 13 | Poster Due |
| April 2 | Repeated Games Applications | 14 | |
| 7 | Large Populations | 15 | |
| 9 | Overlapping Generations | 15 | Poster Conference |
| 14 | Review | Problem Set 11 | |
| 16 | Exam Preparation Day | ||
| 17 | Final Exam |
I often use video clips from popular culture (television programs, movies) to illustrate and emphasize the readings. In this class, I especially use clips from movies. If you consider this to be inappropriate, then do not take this class.
I consulted numerous game theory syllabi and materials in designing this course, including syllabi and materials by Scott Ainsworth, Jeff Banks, Paulo Barelli, Kathleen Bawn, Steven Beard, Ted Bergstrom, Ethan Bueno de Mesquita, Giacomo Bonanno, Randy Calvert, Vincent Crawford, Eric Dickson, James Fowler, Sean Gailmard, Scott Gelbach, Catherine Hafer, Joseph Harrington, Macartan Humphreys, Tasos Kalandrakis, Kristin Kanthak, Val Lambson, David McAdams, Joseph McMurray, Felix Muñoz-Garcia, Barry O'Neill, Martin Osborne, Ben Polak, Eric Rasmusen, Keith Schnakenberg, Orie Shelef, Tayfun Sönmez, Ahmer Tarar, Steven Tadelis, Georg Vanberg, Daniel Verdier, and Joel Watson.
Jay Goodliffe's home page
This page is http://goodliffe.byu.edu/304/syllabus.htm