2020 Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Humanities and social science courses

Decision Making A

Academic unit or major: Humanities and social science courses
Instructor(s): Takehiro Inohara
Class Format: Lecture (Zoom)
Media-enhanced courses: -
Day of week/Period (Classrooms): 5-6 Mon (W241)
Class: -
Course Code: LAH.T108
Number of credits: 100
Course offered: 2020
Offered quarter: 2Q
Syllabus updated: Jul 10, 2025
Language: Japanese

Syllabus

Course overview and goals

[IMPORTANT]
The content of this syllabus in 2020, especially how classes are conducted, how course materials are provided, and the method of evaluation, may be changed as a result of measures against Novel Coronavirus.
Students who wish to attend should read the information on this course at the following URL.
http://www.shs.ens.titech.ac.jp/~inohara/lab/courses.html

- - - - - - -
This course aims to cultivate the students’ interests in decision making theories as well as to acquaint the students with essential decision making problems, solutions of the problems, advantages and disadvantages of the solutions, and fundamental concepts and basic knowledge in decision making theories.

Course description and aims

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1) State essential decision making problems and solutions of them;
2) Explain criteria for the comparison of the solutions, and insights drawn from the results of the comparison; and
3) Explain fundamental concepts and basic knowledge in decision making theories.

Keywords

value criterion, elections; allocations, mechanism design, committees; games in normal form, games in extensive form, social networks

Competencies

Specialist skills
Intercultural skills
Communication skills
Critical thinking skills
Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

One class deals with one or two decision making problem(s).

The students examine one or two decision making problem(s), first individually, second in pairs, then in groups of four, and finally with the class as a whole. Then a lecture on the decision making problem(s) is presented, and the students work on exercise problems. At the end of the class, each student writes and submits a “summary report” on what he/she learned through individual observation, other students’ ideas, the lecture, and exercise problems.

Course schedule/Objectives

	Course schedule	Objectives
Class 1	Guidance, Self introduction, “Waiting for a cart” and “The slowest is the winner”	State at least three topics this course treats. Make at least three new friends in the class. Explain the problems of “Waiting for a cart” and “The slowest is the winner” and their solutions.
Class 2	“Sharing the water” and “Election of the chief of the village”	Explain the problems of "Sharing the water" and "Election of the chief of the village" and their solutions.
Class 3	“Allocation of the expense for a cart”	Explain the problem of "Allocation of the expense for a cart" and its solutions.
Class 4	“Location of a garbage dump”	Explain the problem of "Location of a garbage dump" and its solutions.
Class 5	“Prisoners’ dilemma” and “Chicken game”	Explain the problems of "Prisoners' dilemma" and "Chicken game" and their solutions.
Class 6	“A centipede game”	Explain the problem of "A centipede game" and its solutions.
Class 7	“The gift of the Magi”	Explain the problem of "The gift of the Magi" and its solutions.

Study advice (preparation and review)

To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.

Textbook(s)

None required.

Reference books, course materials, etc.

Course materials are posted on OCW-i and/or provided during the classes.

Evaluation methods and criteria

Assessment will be based on “summary reports” written during each class (50% in total) and the final examination (50%).

If you are absent from a class, regardless of the reason, points are subtracted from the assessment portion of the "attendance and contribution to classes."
There are no make-up assignments.
Read the course materials posted on OCW-i to find out the content of the class you missed.

Related courses

LAH.T208 ： Decision Making B
LAH.T307 ： Decision Making C
LAH.T107 ： Social Modeling A
LAH.T209 ： Social Modeling B
LAH.T308 ： Social Modeling C

Prerequisites

Prospective students should have interests in decision making problems.

Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).

Prof. Takehiro Inohara, inostaff[at]shs.ens.titech.ac.jp

Other

This course includes the content of science.