Even though human behavior is extremely complex, there are aspects of it that can be understood quantitatively, via such disciplines as Game Theory, Market Mechanisms, Voting Paradoxes, Diffusion of Ideas, and Behavioral Economics. Such formalisms heighten our awareness of our relationships with those around us, of the dynamics of the society in which we live, and - ultimately - of our own internal biases. This course is targeted at students interested in pursuing humanities, social sciences or business. The course will adopt a “tone” that emphasizes mathematical intuition over needless formalism, and concepts will be with numerous real-world applications.
Mathematics of Human Behavior course will enable students to:
- Explain how Backward Induction, Nash Equilibrium and Game-Changing Strategies model interdependent decisions of a small number of individuals.
- Use Market Mechanisms, Voting Paradoxes & Diffusion of Ideas to model interdependent decisions by a large collection of individuals.
- Explain how “Predictable Irrationality” models the irrational decisions of individuals.
A variety of ongoing and frequent assessments, both formative and summative, will be used to develop each student’s ability to communicate and apply their understanding of topics studied.