Course ID: | POLS 4071. 3 hours. |
Course Title: | Social Choice and Elections |
Course Description: | Introduces students to the mathematics of social choice theory and its application to elections. Topics include problems with preference aggregation, Arrow's impossibility theorem, Sen's liberal paradox, and the paradox of apportionment. The course helps students understand the pragmatic and philosophical issues related to democratic decision making and elections. |
Oasis Title: | Social Choice and Elections |
Duplicate Credit: | Not open to students with credit in POLS 4071E |
Prerequisite: | POLS 1101 or POLS 1101E or POLS 1101H or POLS 1101S |
Semester Course Offered: | Not offered on a regular basis. |
Grading System: | A-F (Traditional) |
|
Course Objectives: | Students will learn analytical theories of political science
that are applied to social choice and elections. This includes
mathematical and deductive models that enhance logic skills.
Students who develop these skills should more clearly draw
conclusions from stated premises, and have a better
understanding of the role of theory in research. The skills
taught in this course will also show students how to think more
analytically and constructively about politics. Students will
be exposed to deductive proofs and learn the consequences of
various electoral and institutional designs. |
Topical Outline: | The paradox of apportionment
Electoral systems in a variety of contexts
Individual rationality
Elections with two alternatives
The Downsian model of mass elections
Elections with three or more alternatives
The problem of preference aggregation
Condorcet’s paradox
Arrow’s impossibility theorem
Probabilistic social choice
Gibbard-Satterthwaite theorem
Formal conceptions of liberty
Sen’s liberal paradox |
Honor Code Reference: | UGA Student Honor Code: "I will be academically honest in all
of my academic work
and will not tolerate academic dishonesty of others." A Culture
of Honesty, the
University's policy and procedures for handling cases of
suspected dishonesty, can
be found at www.uga.edu/ovpi. Every course syllabus should
include the
instructor's expectations related to academic integrity.
All academic work must meet the standards contained in "A
Culture of Honesty."
Students are responsible for informing themselves about these
standards
before performing academic work. The penalties for academic
dishonesty are severe
and ignorance is not an acceptable defense. Also note that the
course syllabus
is a general plan for the course and that deviations announced
to the class by the
instructor may be necessary.
(www.uga.edu/ovpi/academic_honesty/academic_honesty.htm) |