2020 Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Humanities and social science courses
Social Modeling B
- Academic unit or major
- Humanities and social science courses
- Instructor(s)
- Atsushi Iwai
- Class Format
- Lecture (Zoom)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 1-2 Mon (W611) / 1-2 Thu (W611)
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- LAH.T209
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2020
- Offered quarter
- 4Q
- Syllabus updated
- Jul 10, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This course presents basic theories that concern models of social decision-making procedures. As a major topic, important theorems of social choice theory are to be lectured. The scope of this course includes topics of democracy, decision support, welfarism, and consequentialism. Various voting methods are also to be introduced in the course, some of them seems to be especially attractive in the information age. The aim of this course is to provide the students with an opportunity for acquiring theories about social decision making and an opportunity for developing independent research interests in this field.
Course description and aims
Each student is expected to understand the proof of Arrow's impossibility theorem and some major theorems with majority rule.
Keywords
social choice theory, Arrow's Impossibility theorem, majority rule, rationality
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Many topics related social decision-making are to be learned through lectures and discussions. Students are encouraged to read related books and reference materials before attending classes. It is also advisable to spend much time to prepare for oral discussions.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Irrationality in decision making | Understand some Irrational aspects in personal and social decision makings. |
| Class 2 | Notation Method of Social Choice 1 | Understand the basic notation method of preference. |
| Class 3 | Notation Method of Social Choice 2 | Understand a set of results for quasi-orderings. |
| Class 4 | Notation Method of Social Choice 3 | Understand the notion of compatibility. |
| Class 5 | Notation Method of Social Choice 4 | Understand the notion of choice function. |
| Class 6 | Rational Choice | Understand the notion of rational choice. |
| Class 7 | Collective Choice Rules | Understand the notation method of collective choice rule. |
| Class 8 | Pareto Comparisons | Understand the notion of Pareto comparisons. |
| Class 9 | Social Welfare Function | Understand the notion of Social Welfare Function. |
| Class 10 | Arrow's Impossibility Theorem | Understand the proof of Arrow's Impossibility Theorem. |
| Class 11 | Social Decision Function and Possibility Theorems | Understand the notion of Social Decision Function and some of Sen's Possibility Theorems. |
| Class 12 | The Notion of Majority Rule | The basic notation method for majority rule is to be introduced. Students are expected to understand the method and relating some major formula. |
| Class 13 | Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Rational Choice | Understand the necessary and sufficient conditions for rational choice in using majority rule. |
| Class 14 | Welfarism and Non-Welfarism | Understand the views of Welfarism and Non-Welfarism |
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)
No textbook will be used this semester.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Amartya Sen, Collective Choice and Social Welfare, North-Holland.
Evaluation methods and criteria
During the term, various exercises are held. There will also be three hand-written reports. Assessment will be based on exercises (total 20%), and; three hand-written reports (total 80%).
Related courses
- LAH.T107 ： Social Modeling A
- LAH.T308 ： Social Modeling C
- LAH.T108 ： Decision Making A
- LAH.T208 ： Decision Making B
- LAH.T307 ： Decision Making C
Prerequisites
It is recommendable to finish the course Social Modeling A beforehand, although it is not a necessary condition.
Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).
Atsushi IWAI，iwai[at]gunma-u.ac.jp
Office hours
Contact Personnel (office): Rm. 813, 8 Fl., West Bldg. 9. Contact by e-mail in advance to schedule an appointment.
Other
This course includes the content of science.