Game Theory - Overview
Lecturers: Prof. Dr. Bernhard Nebel and Dr. Robert Mattmüller.
Exercises: David Speck and Dr. Tim Schulte.
Time
Lecture: Monday, 16:15-18:00 and Friday, 16:15-17:00
Exercises: Friday, 17:15-18:00
Exam: Monday, September 14. Bachelor's students
(from Freiburg university, not Basel!): oral, precise times will be determined by
examination office. Everyone else (including Bachelor's students from Basel): written,
14:00-15:30h.
Exam review: Thursday, October 22, 2015, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Place
Lecture: changed to:
building 082, HS 00-006 (Kinohörsaal).
Exceptions: Monday, June 1, and Friday, July 17:
building 101, SR 00-010/14.
Exercises: changed to:
one group in building 082, HS 00-006 (Kinohörsaal),
another group in building 101, SR 00-010/14.
Exception: Friday, July 17: only in building 101,
SR 00-010/14, and
Friday, July 24: building 078, SR 00-014, instead of
building 101, SR 00-010/14.
Exam: Bachelor's students (from Freiburg
university, not Basel!): oral, office Prof. Nebel (052-00-029).
Everyone else (including Bachelor's students from Basel): written, HS 101-00-036.
Exam review: seminar room 052-02-017
Content
Game Theory is concerned with rational decision making to reach ones own goals. In particular, it is about interplay and conflicts between goals of different players, i.e., about the question in which way the knowledge of other players' goals influences ones own behavior. In this course, the following types of games are studied:
- Strategic games
- Extensive games
We will introduce formalizations as well as solution concepts and algorithms for finding solutions.
Furthermore, the course is concerned with the mechanism design problem, i.e., with the question how a social system should be designed such that all participants have an incentive to promote social welfare.
Requirements
For this course, no particular prerequisites are required. It is aimed both at Master's students and at third year Bachelor's students. Students with computer science as their minor subject are also welcome.
Exam
Bachelor's and Master's students in computer science can get credit points for this lecture as a specialization course in the area of cognitive technical systems. For Bachelor's students, passing an oral exam is required, and for Master's students, depending on the number of examinees, either passing an oral or passing a written exam. The exams will take place during the semester break after the lecture period.
For students with computer science as their minor subject the exam details depend on the particular degree program and will need to be discussed individually.
This course is worth 6 ECTS credits.
Exercises and Exam Admission Prerequisites
During the semester there will be weekly theoretical exercise sheets and sporadic practical exercises and didactic web-based experiments in game theory. In order to be admitted to the final exam, a student has to gain at least 50% of the marks from all exercises (theoretical, practical, web-based experiments). One practical exercise counts like two theoretical exercises, and one web-based experiment counts like half a theoretical exercise.
All exercises except for the web-based experiments can and should be worked on in groups of two students. Larger groups and copied solutions or other types of plagiarism will not be accepted and will, on repetition, lead to disqualification from the final exam.