ECON BC3063y (01) Senior Seminar: “Choice and Strategic Interaction: Theory and Evidence”

Instructor: Herb Gintis, Spring 2004

This course analyzes individual decision-making and strategic interaction using behavioral decision theory and evolutionary game theory, building models of human behavior based on laboratory and field experiments. The requirements will include weekly problem sets and a term paper on a topic of the student’s choice related to the course subject matter.

The course materials will not be finalized until next Fall, but they are tentatively as follows. The books for the course are Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, Choices, Values, and Frames (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000), and Herbert Gintis, Game Theory Evolving: A Problem-Centered Introduction to Modeling Strategic Interaction (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000). Other readings will be posted on my website http://www.unix.oit.umass.edu/#gintis. From time to time I will post additional course material on my web site.

Prerequisites: Permission of the Instructor and completion of all courses (except the senior requirement) required for the economics track, political economy track, or economics and mathematics majors. Exceptions to these prerequisites may be granted by the chair of the department only.