Math 4390/5390 Game Theory
Summer 2013
Instructor: Burt Simon
Office: CU Building, Room 612
Office Hours: MW before class
Phone: 303 556 8444
Email: burt.simon@ucdenver.edu
Course dates/times: MW 4:00-6:30
Course location:
Course Description
Game theory is a collection of mathematical models of interactions between two or more agents. The
agents are often assumed to be perfectly rational, but not always. The theory aims to answer questions like
(i) How will rational agents behave when they have to take other rational agents into account? (ii) What is a
“fair” outcome of a game? (iii) What is likely to happen when successful strategies proliferate in a
population at the expense of less successful strategies? Applications of the theory can be found in
economics, political science, moral philosophy, and evolutionary biology. This course covers the basic
ideas in game theory that model strategies for rational play, fairness, and evolutionary change.
Prerequisites
Math 2421, 3191, and 3800 or 4810
Text
Required: Edward C. Rosenthal, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Game Theory
Suggested: Moron D. Davis, Game Theory, A Nontechnical Inroduction
Course Objectives
 Present basic models of conflict and cooperation.
 Present solution techniques for simple games based on models of rational play.
 Present models of the evolution of game strategies in non-rational agents.
 Present applications of the theory in economics, political science, and biology.
Class Website
Click on the link to our class from www.math.ucdenver.edu/~bsimon
Assignments, Exams, and Grading
 Homework will be assigned (approximately) weekly. The assignments will be posted on the class
website. Usually assignments will be due at the beginning of class on Monday. We will discuss
homework problems during class when they are due, so sets turned in late cannot receive full
credit.
 There will be a midterm exam and a final exam. Both will be traditional in-class tests.
 Your grade will be based on Homework (25%), Exams (50%), and intangibles like class
participation and work in addition to what is assigned (25%).
Tentative Course Schedule
Class dates
Material Covered
June 10, 12
Introductory examples, Utility theory
Text: Chapters 1, 2, 18
June 17, 19
Two-person zero-sum games
Minimax Theorem, examples
Text: Chapters 3, and lots of supplementary material
June 24, 26
Non-zero-sum games, Nash equilibrium (pure, mixed)
Nash bargaining, “classic” games: prisoner’s dilemma, etc.
Text: Chapters 4, 5, and lots of supplementary material
July 1, 3
Catch-up, Review, and Midterm Exam
July 8, 10
N-person games, Models of “fairness”
Cooperative games, Shapley value, Voting games
Text: Chapters 9,10,11,12, 13
July 15, 17
Rationality vs. Reality, Psychological experiments
Text: Chapters 14, 17, 20, 21
July 22, 24
Evolutionary Game Theory
July 29, 31
Catch-up, Review, and Final Exam
Summer 2013 CLAS Academic Policies
The following policies pertain to all degree students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS).

Schedule verification: It is each student’s responsibility to verify online that his/her official
registration is correct: verify before classes begin and prior to the drop/add deadline. Failure to
verify schedule accuracy is not sufficient reason to justify a late add or drop.

E-mail: Students must activate and regularly check their official student e-mail account for CU
Denver business: http://www.ucdenver.edu/student-services/Pages/WebMail.aspx. Those who
forward email must check CU Denver e-mail regularly for messages not automatically forwarded.
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Waitlists:
 Students are not automatically notified if they are added to a class from a waitlist.
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Students are not automatically dropped from a class if they never attended, stopped attending,
or do not make tuition payments.

Waitlists are purged after the 1st week of classes, after which a paper Schedule Adjustment
Form (drop/add form) is required. It is the student's responsibility to get the form (online or
at the Advising Office, NC 4002), have it signed, deliver it to the Registrar (Annex 100) or the
Student Services Center (NC 1003), and verify her/his schedule online.

Late adds (after June 17, 2013) will be approved only when circumstances surrounding the late
add are beyond the student’s control. This will require a written petition and verifiable
documentation. Petition forms are available in NC 4002. The signature of a faculty member on a
Schedule Adjustment Form does not guarantee that a late add petition will be approved.

Late drops (after July 12, 2013) will be approved only when circumstances surrounding the late
drop have arisen after the published drop deadline and are beyond the student’s control. This will
require a written petition and verifiable documentation. The signature of a faculty member does
not guarantee that a late drop petition will be approved.

Tuition: Students are responsible for completing arrangements with financial aid, family,
scholarships, etc. (depending on tuition plan selected) to pay their tuition prior to Census Date,
June 18, 2013. Students who drop after that date are (1) financially responsible for tuition and
fees, (2) academically responsible and will receive a "W" grade, and (3) are ineligible for a refund
of COF hours or tuition.

Graduation:
 Undergraduate students wishing to graduate in summer 2013 must (1) first meet with their
CLAS advisor; (2) then meet with their major and minor advisor(s), who will complete the
electronic form required to verify eligibility to graduate; and (3), only then, apply for
graduation online through UCDAccess. These steps must be completed by the Summer Session
Census Date, which is an absolute deadline without exception.

Graduate students wishing to graduate in summer 2013 must complete the online Intent to
Graduate form and have a Request for Admissions to Candidacy on file with the CU Denver
Graduate School (LSC 1251) no later than 5 PM, June 18, 2013.
Important Dates and Deadlines
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June 10, 2013: First day of classes.
June 14, 2013: Last day to drop a class without a $100 drop charge--this includes section changes.
June 16, 2013: Last day to add or waitlist a class using the UCDAccess student portal.
June 10-16, 2013: All students are responsible for verifying an accurate summer 2013 course
schedule via UCDAccess. Students are not notified of their registration or waitlist status by the
University.

June 18, 2013: Census date.

6/18/13, 5 PM: Last day to add structured courses without a written petition for a late add.
This is an absolute deadline and is treated as such. This deadline does not apply to
independent studies, internships, project hours, thesis hours, dissertation hours, and latestarting modular courses.

6/18/13, 5 PM: Last day to drop a summer 2013 course or completely withdraw from all
courses using a Schedule Adjustment Form and still receive a tuition refund, minus the drop
fee. After this date, tuition is forfeited and a "W" will appear on the transcript. This includes
section changes. This is an absolute deadline and is treated as such.

6/18/13, 5 PM: Last day to apply for summer 2013 graduation. Undergraduates must make
an appointment and see their academic advisor before this date to apply for graduation.
Graduate students must complete the Intent to Graduate and Candidate for Degree forms.
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6/18/13, 5 PM: Last day to request pass/fail or non-credit option for a course.
6/18/13, 5 PM: Last day to petition for a reduction in Ph.D. dissertation hours.
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July 4, 2013: Independence Day--no classes, campus closed.
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July 12, 2013: Last day for CLAS students to drop or withdraw with signatures from the faculty
and the dean; after this date, all schedule changes also require a full petition to the dean. Petition
forms are available in NC 4002 for undergraduates and LSC 1251 for graduates.

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August 3, 2013: End of term.
July 8, 2013: Last day for non-CLAS students to drop or withdraw without a petition and dean's
approval. After this date, a dean’s signature is required on a Schedule Adjustment Form.
August 12, 2013: Final grades available on UCDAccess and transcripts (tentative).