| Credit |
6 points |
| Availability |
not available in 2010 (see Timetable) |
| Old unit code |
100.215 |
| Outcomes |
Students develop (1) a basic understanding of some of the major formal theories in the social sciences; (2) some of the techniques of game theory; and (3) improved skills in deductive reasoning. |
| Content |
Societies, or groups of any sort, must be able to make choices between alternative ends, such as the amount of resources to devote to welfare, or whether to expend their energies on hunting or seeking shelter, or whether to go to war. This unit deals with some fundamental questions about the mechanisms used to make these choices. It also deals with some of the techniques used to understand problems such as—Why do we need a state to enforce social choice? What is the difference between choices made collectively and choices made individually? How does democracy work? Why do states go to war if peace is a good thing? Why do governments allow the environment to be destroyed? The unit builds understanding piece by piece by working through such basic questions. |
| Assessment |
Supplementary assessment is not available in this unit except in the case of a bachelor's pass degree student who has obtained a mark of 45 to 49 and is currently enrolled in this unit, and it is the only remaining unit that the student must pass in order to complete their course. |
| Unit Co-ordinator(s) |
Winthrop Professor Alex Coram |
| Location |
UWA (Crawley) |
| Mode |
on-campus |
| Unit Rules |
Prerequisites: 24 points of Level 1 units in any Arts discipline
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| Incompatibility: POLS3315 Game Theory and Politics |
Contact hours—lectures: 24 hrs; tutorials: 9 hrs
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- The availability of units in Semester 1, 2, etc. was correct at the time of going to press but may be subject to change.
- Assistance with study skills, including English language skills, is available free of charge from Student Services for all enrolled students (see http://www.studentservices.uwa.edu.au/ss/learning). Student Services location: Second Floor, South Wing, Guild Village; telephone: 6488 2423.
- Books and other materials wherever listed may be subject to change. Book lists relating to 'Preliminary Reading', 'Recommended Reading' and 'Textbooks' are, in most cases, available at the University Co-operative Bookshop (from early January) and appropriate administrative offices for students to consult. For first-year units the Bookshop will endeavour to make available photocopies of book lists for individual units. Books marked with an asterisk (*) are available in paperback.
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