Course Description
Formal analysis of strategic behavior in various political settings. Factors leading to competition and cooperation. Course content includes social choice theory, game theory, and other forms of rational choice analysis.
Athena Title
INTRO RAT CHOICE TH
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
This class introduces students to analytical models of political strategy, otherwise known as rational choice theory. Emphasis will be on how rational choice theories apply to domestic and international politics, but the material should be of interest to graduate students in economics, public affairs, sociology, law, and other social sciences. Course content includes social choice theory, game theory, spatial voting models, and other forms of formal theoretic analysis. Students may be evaluated based on examinations, homework assignments, extensive research projects, quizzes, or other means.
Topical Outline
POSSIBLE TOPICS: Social choice theory Collective action problems Game theory Models of voter turnout Single dimensional spatial voting models Multi-dimensional spatial voting models Strategic Voting Downsian model of popular elections Vote Cycles Paradox of Apportionment Ideal Point Estimation Experiments Computational Modeling
Syllabus