In a multi-candidate election, should you vote for you preferred
candidate or is it better to vote against an undesirable candidate?
In reallocating seats in the House of Representatives after the 2000
census, how can we insure that all citizens have equal representation?
In deciding the fate of a National Forest, how can environmentalists,
hikers, hunters, loggers, and miners form coalitions to obtain common
goals? We will begin this semester by further developing the
mathematics introduced in the first semester to create a mathematical
model which will allow us to analyze encounters in which there are
more than two positions on every issue. In contrast to our work in
the first semester, this will require us to think about the give and
take that is necessary to move beyond conflict between self and other
to cooperation . Is it necessary for all parties to agree, or even
for a majority to agree in order to achieve a particular outcome? Can
we use the model to decide which groups have the power to determine
the outcome? Under what conditions will the ``rational solutions''
suggested by our mathematical model be effective strategies for
achieving resolution of the more complex realities which we are
modeling? In what ways do they suggest a response to the question,
``How then shall we live?''
Course Structure
This semester we'll proceed much as we did last semester, considering the common readings, game theory and applications of game theory. In class, we will continue to combine lecture and discussion, but there will be a new feature this semester. Working in teams of two or three, you will get to lead one of the class discussions either on a common reading or in the portion of the course dedicated to ``Social Choice in Context''. The student-led discussions will begin after the March break.
The entire program will be traveling to Washington, D.C., leaving
Friday, April 7 and returning Sunday, April 9. The primary purpose of
the trip is to attend the Holocaust Memorial Museum. The cost of the
trip will be shared between the program and you, the participants.
Shortly after the beginning of the semester, we'll discuss the
details. When the time comes, please let me know if it will impose a
financial hardship on you.
FYP Journals
We will continue with journals following the same format as last semester. As a reminder, the following is repeated from the fall syllabus:
As part of the course requirements, you will have to keep an academic
journal. This is not a personal diary or log of classroom activities,
but rather a place for you to reflect on discussions and activities
related to the program or current events on and off campus in light of
the program. You might use it to continue a discussion we began in
class, to react to a lecture or film you saw, in connection with the
program or in another context, or to make connections between the
class material and material from other classes. You should think of
this as a public document, which I will be reading and which you
should be willing to show to members of the class. I will often
suggest topics for journal entries. In addition, you will be required
to write entries on a number of the common events, which will be
determined as the semester progresses. As a general rule, you must
make at least two journal entries each week. I will collect the
journals once a week, usually on Fridays, and will make written
comments and pose questions for further thought. I will be reading
your journals for content and not style. Nonetheless, you should take
care with your writing as others will be reading it on occasion. An
overall evaluation of your journal will be part of your final grade,
but I will not grade individual entries.
Assignments and Grading
The assignments this semester will consist of the FYP journals (described above), an 8-10 page research paper due Wednesday, April 19, a 5 page reflection paper due Wednesday, May 3, individual and collaborative game theory assignments, and the leading of a class discussion.
Note that the Class Participation component includes attendance at
co-curricular events. There will be an average of one event per week.
It is strongly recommended that you attend as many of the events as
possible. Attendance is mandatory at the events that are central to
the program or to this class. The co-curricular events will be
discussed in class. A list of events that have been scheduled is
given at the end of the syllabus.
Grading Scheme:Texts:
Class Participation and Journal 15 % Leading Class Discussion 5 % Individual and Group 20 % Game Theory Assignments Take Home Midterm Exam 20 % March 17-21 Research Paper 25 % Reflection Paper 15 % Total 100 %
Common Readings:Texts for Common Goals: Cooperative Strategies:
- The Tempest, William Shakespeare, Signet Classic Edition, 1998.
- The Pleasures of Exile, George Lamming, University of Michigan Press, 1960.
- We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families, Philip Gourevitch, Farrar Strauss and Giroux, 1998.
- Between Vengeance and Forgiveness: Facing History After Genocide and Mass Violence, Martha Minow, Beacon Press, 1999.
- Game Theory and Strategy. Philip D. Straffin. The Mathematical Association of America, 1993.
- Rwanda and Genocide in the Twentieth Century by Alain Destexhe, New York University Press, 1996.
- Course Pack, available in the College Bookstore after February 15.
Schedule of Readings
The common texts should be read by the first day they are discussed in class. Particular readings in Straffin will be assigned weekly.
Schedule of Events and Activities as of January 19: