Skip to menu Skip to content Skip to footer
Course profile

Introduction to Strategic Thinking (ECON2070)

Study period
Sem 1 2025
Location
St Lucia
Attendance mode
In Person

Course overview

Study period
Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
Study level
Undergraduate
Location
St Lucia
Attendance mode
In Person
Units
2
Administrative campus
St Lucia
Coordinating unit
Economics School

The way that economists think about strategic situations is through the application of game theory. One aim of the course is to teach you some strategic considerations to take into account when making your own choices. A second aim is to predict how other people or organizations behave when they are in strategic settings. We will see that these aims are closely related. We will learn new concepts, methods and terminology. A third aim is to apply these tools to settings from economics and other disciplines. The course will emphasize examples.

Non-cooperative game theory is the principal method that economists use to think about and analyseᅠstrategic situations.ᅠThis course willᅠintroduce you to many of the main concepts, methods and terminology of game theory and show how these tools may be applied to settings from economics and other disciplines. The course will use examples and applications to motivate concepts.

Course requirements

Assumed background

Knowledge of microeconomics up to the level of ECON1010, as well as simple univariate calculus is assumed.

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

ECON1010 or 1011

Course contact

Course coordinator

Professor Lionel Page

School enquiries

School Enquiries, School of Economics

All enquiries regarding student and academic administration (i.e. non-course content information, e.g., class allocation, timetables, extension to assessment due date, etc.) should be directed toᅠenquiries@economics.uq.edu.au.ᅠ

Enquiries relating specifically to course content should be directed to the Course Coordinator/Lecturer.

Course staff

Lecturer

Tutor

Mr Joshua Harikaran Pooranakaran
Miss Anne-Claire Bouton
Miss Wenqing Liu
Mr Mosharop Hossian
Mr Josiah Ruthenberg

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Lectures commence in Week 1.

Tutorials commence in Week 2.

Please see the Learning Activities section of this Course Profile for the timetabling implications of public holidays.

Important Dates:

·        Public Holidays: Fri 18 April (Good Friday), Mon 5ᅠMay (Labour Day).

·        Mid-Semester Break: 21ᅠApril - 25ᅠApril. Semester 1 classes recommence on Mon 28ᅠApril.

Students should refer to the timetable prior to the commencement of classes to ensure that they have the most up to date information, as from time to time late room changes may occur.

Aims and outcomes

The way that economists think about strategic situations is through the application of game theory.

The aims of the course are:

1. To teach you some strategic considerations to take into account when making your own choices.

2. To predict how other people or organizations behave when they are in strategic settings.ᅠ

3. To apply these tools to settings from economics and other disciplines.ᅠ

We will see that these aims are closely related. We will learn new concepts, methods and terminology.ᅠThe course will use examples and applications to motivate concepts.ᅠ

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

LO1.

Identify strategic considerations facing decision makers.

LO2.

Recognise tools and concepts of game theory.

LO3.

Predict how people or organizations in strategic settings will behave.

LO4.

Apply game theoretic tools and concepts to a variety of settings in economics and other disciplines.

Assessment

Assessment summary

Category Assessment task Weight Due date
Tutorial/ Problem Set In-tutorial exercise
  • In-person
10% 4 out of best 5 in-tutorial exercises count

Tutorial week 5

Tutorial/ Problem Set In-tutorial exercise
  • In-person
10% 4 out of best 5 in-tutorial exercises count

Tutorial week 6

Tutorial/ Problem Set In-tutorial exercise
  • In-person
10% 4 out of best 5 in-tutorial exercises count

Tutorial week 7

Tutorial/ Problem Set In-tutorial exercise
  • In-person
10% 4 out of best 5 in-tutorial exercises count

Tutorial week 9

Tutorial/ Problem Set In-tutorial exercise
  • In-person
10% 4 out of best 5 in-tutorial exercises count

Tutorial week 11

Examination Final exam
  • In-person
60%

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Assessment details

In-tutorial exercise

  • In-person
Mode
Written
Category
Tutorial/ Problem Set
Weight
10% 4 out of best 5 in-tutorial exercises count
Due date

Tutorial week 5

Learning outcomes
L01, L02

Task description

In-tutorial exercises will take place in the first 30min of the tutorial. The best 4 scores out of 5 tutorials will count for your grade. You need to do the exercise in your tutorial group for it to count towards your grade.

In-tutorial exercises can cover any topic from the previous lectures. For instance, if the tutorial exercise is taking place on week 5, the exercises can be about lecture 3 and 4.

If you miss an in-tutorial exercise, the best 4 grades out of all the in-tutorial exercises you attempt will count.

Students must attend their allocated tutorial.

This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

In-tutorial exercise

  • In-person
Mode
Written
Category
Tutorial/ Problem Set
Weight
10% 4 out of best 5 in-tutorial exercises count
Due date

Tutorial week 6

Learning outcomes
L01, L02

Task description

In-tutorial exercises will take place in the first 30min of the tutorial. The best 4 scores out of 5 tutorials will count for your grade. You need to do the exercise in your tutorial group for it to count towards your grade.

In-tutorial exercises can cover any topic from the previous lectures. For instance, if the tutorial exercise is taking place on week 5, the exercises can be about lecture 3 and 4.

If you miss an in-tutorial exercise, the best 4 grades out of all the in-tutorial exercises you attempt will count.

Students must attend their allocated tutorial.

This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

In-tutorial exercise

  • In-person
Mode
Written
Category
Tutorial/ Problem Set
Weight
10% 4 out of best 5 in-tutorial exercises count
Due date

Tutorial week 7

Task description

In-tutorial exercises will take place in the first 30min of the tutorial. The best 4 scores out of 5 tutorials will count for your grade. You need to do the exercise in your tutorial group for it to count towards your grade.

In-tutorial exercises can cover any topic from the previous lectures. For instance, if the tutorial exercise is taking place on week 5, the exercises can be about lecture 3 and 4.

If you miss an in-tutorial exercise, the best 4 grades out of all the in-tutorial exercises you attempt will count.

Students must attend their allocated tutorial.

This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

In-tutorial exercise

  • In-person
Mode
Written
Category
Tutorial/ Problem Set
Weight
10% 4 out of best 5 in-tutorial exercises count
Due date

Tutorial week 9

Learning outcomes
L01, L02

Task description

In-tutorial exercises will take place in the first 30min of the tutorial. The best 4 scores out of 5 tutorials will count for your grade. You need to do the exercise in your tutorial group for it to count towards your grade.

In-tutorial exercises can cover any topic from the previous lectures. For instance, if the tutorial exercise is taking place on week 5, the exercises can be about lecture 3 and 4.

If you miss an in-tutorial exercise, the best 4 grades out of all the in-tutorial exercises you attempt will count.

Students must attend their allocated tutorial.

This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

In-tutorial exercise

  • In-person
Mode
Written
Category
Tutorial/ Problem Set
Weight
10% 4 out of best 5 in-tutorial exercises count
Due date

Tutorial week 11

Learning outcomes
L01, L02

Task description

In-tutorial exercises will take place in the first 30min of the tutorial. The best 4 scores out of 5 tutorials will count for your grade. You need to do the exercise in your tutorial group for it to count towards your grade.

In-tutorial exercises can cover any topic from the previous lectures. For instance, if the tutorial exercise is taking place on week 5, the exercises can be about lecture 3 and 4.

If you miss an in-tutorial exercise, the best 4 grades out of all the in-tutorial exercises you attempt will count.

Students must attend their allocated tutorial.

This assessment task is to be completed in-person. The use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT) tools will not be permitted. Any attempted use of AI or MT may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You cannot defer or apply for an extension for this assessment.

Final exam

  • In-person
Mode
Written
Category
Examination
Weight
60%
Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Learning outcomes
L01, L02, L03, L04

Task description

Final exam in person. Composed of exercises on all the course content.

Exam details

Planning time 10 minutes
Duration 60 minutes
Calculator options

(In person) Casio FX82 series only or UQ approved and labelled calculator

Open/closed book Closed Book examination - no written materials permitted
Exam platform Paper based
Invigilation

Invigilated in person

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Grade Cut off Percent Description
1 (Low Fail) 0% - 29%

Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

2 (Fail) 30% - 46%

Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

3 (Marginal Fail) 47% - 49%

Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes

4 (Pass) 50% - 64%

Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes.

5 (Credit) 65% - 74%

Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes.

6 (Distinction) 75% - 84%

Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes.

7 (High Distinction) 85% - 100%

Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes.

Additional course grading information

A student's final overall end of semester percentage mark will be rounded to determine their final grade. For example, 64.5% rounds to 65%, while 64.4% rounds to 64%.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Additional assessment information

Plagiarism

The School of Economics is committed to reducing the incidence of plagiarism. Further information on plagiarism and how to avoid an allegation of plagiarism is available in this course profile under Policies & Procedures. Please refer to the Academic Integrity Module (AIM). It is strongly recommended that you complete the AIMᅠif you have not already done so.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

Course Material including the course outline and tutorial answers will be posted on Blackboard.

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Filter activity type by

Please select
Clear filters
Learning period Activity type Topic
Week 1

(24 Feb - 02 Mar)

Lecture

Lecture 1: Decisions Under Uncertainty

Expected Utility Theorem

Learning outcomes: L01, L02

Week 2

(03 Mar - 09 Mar)

Tutorial

Tutorial 1: Decisions Under Uncertainty

Expected Utility Theorem

Learning outcomes: L01, L02

Lecture

Lecture 2: Normal Form Games and Dominance

Presentation of normal form games, dominance

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Week 3

(10 Mar - 16 Mar)

Tutorial

Tutorial 2: Normal Form Games and Dominance

Presentation of normal form games, dominance

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Lecture

Lecture 3: Nash Equilibrium I

Pure Strategy Nash Equilibrium, Mixed Strategies

Learning outcomes: L02, L03

Week 4

(17 Mar - 23 Mar)

Tutorial

Tutorial 3: Nash Equilibrium I

Pure Strategy Nash Equilibrium, Mixed Strategies

Learning outcomes: L02, L03

Lecture

Lecture 4: Nash Equilibrium II

Mixed Strategy Nash Equilibrium

Learning outcomes: L02, L03

Week 5

(24 Mar - 30 Mar)

Tutorial

Tutorial 4: Nash Equilibrium II

Mixed Strategy Nash Equilibrium

Learning outcomes: L02, L03

Lecture

Lecture 5: Application of Nash Equilibrium

Applying Nash Equilibrium to a range of economic situations.

Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04

Week 6

(31 Mar - 06 Apr)

Tutorial

Tutorial 5: Application of Nash Equilibrium

Applying Nash Equilibrium to a range of economic situations.

Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04

Lecture

Lecture 6: Extensive Form Games

Extensive form game with perfect information, Game trees and backward induction

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Week 7

(07 Apr - 13 Apr)

Tutorial

Tutorial 6: Extensive Form Games

Extensive form game with perfect information, Game trees and backward induction.

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Lecture

Lecture 7: Subgame Perfect Equilibrium

Applications and Limitations of Subgame Perfect Equilibrium
Learning Objectives: 1, 3, 4
Readings/Ref: Heifetz (Chapter 20); Rubinstein

Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04

Week 8

(14 Apr - 20 Apr)

Tutorial

Tutorial 7: Subgame Perfect Equilibrium

Applications and limitations of Subgame Perfect Equilibrium

Learning outcomes: L01, L03, L04

No student involvement (Breaks, information)

No lecture (Good Friday)

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Mid-sem break

(21 Apr - 27 Apr)

No student involvement (Breaks, information)

Mid-Semester Break

No lecture or tutorial will be held during Mid-Semester Break

Week 9

(28 Apr - 04 May)

Lecture

Lecture 8: Long-term Relationship

Introduction to Repeated Games

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04

Tutorial

Tutorial 8: Review Tutorial

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Week 10

(05 May - 11 May)

Lecture

Lecture 9: Bayesian Games

Introduction to Bayesian Games

Sub-activity:

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04

Tutorial

Tutorial 9: Long-term Relationship

Introduction to Repeated Games

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04

No student involvement (Breaks, information)

Public Holiday (May 5, Monday)

(No Tutorial or Consultation on Monday, May 5).

Week 11

(12 May - 18 May)

Lecture

Lecture 10: Applications of Bayesian Games

Auctions and other applications of Bayesian games

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Tutorial

Tutorial 10: Bayesian Games

Introduction to Bayesian Games

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04

Week 12

(19 May - 25 May)

Lecture

Lecture 11: Extensive Games Imperfect Information

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04

Tutorial

Tutorial 11: Applications of Bayesian Games

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03

Week 13

(26 May - 01 Jun)

Tutorial

Tutorial 12: Extensive Games Imperfect Information

A Review

Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.