Game Theory

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

This course is an introduction to Game Theory in international affairs and security studies. International affairs are about strategies and strategic decision-making. State actors and leaders act in ways to maximize their outcomes and prevail in international crises. Actors aim to deter adversaries and simultaneously avoid war, and they act to influence the actions of other actors. Game Theory allows one to study these social situations by explaining how decisions are interrelated and shape outcomes. Game Theory provides the capability to formally address international crises, nuclear deterrence, the creation of international institutions, and much more. In this class, we will introduce basic strategic games, apply them to historical case studies, and develop game theory frameworks to help explain current events in international affairs. The course is divided into four blocks, all of which build upon the other. In the first block, we focus on your understanding of basic Game Theory, representation, assumptions, and the various games used to understand certain social situations. In the second part, we start to examine static games, followed by the third part, in which we will examine dynamic games. The final part is dedicated to examining case studies of international affairs, which include crises, wars, and nuclear deterrence.