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Display All HSS Courses for 2023-24

Filtered HSS Courses (2023-24)

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SS 200
Selected Topics in Social Science
Units to be determined by arrangement with instructors  | offered by announcement
Instructors: Staff, visiting lecturers
SS 201 abc
Analytical Foundations of Social Science
9 units (3-0-6)  | first, second, third terms
This course covers the fundamentals of utility theory, game theory, and social choice theory, as well as some topics in experimental and behavioral economics. These basic theories are developed and illustrated with applications to electoral politics, market trading, bargaining, auctions, mechanism design and implementation, legislative and parliamentary voting and organization, public economics, industrial organization, and other topics in economics and political science. Open to Social Science graduate students only
Instructors: Pomatto, Saito, Sprenger/Camerer
SS 202 abc
Political Theory
9 units (3-0-6)  | first, second, third terms

Course will introduce the student to the central problems of political theory and analysis, beginning with the essential components of the democratic state and proceeding through a variety of empirical topics. These topics will include the analysis of electoral and legislative institutions, legislative agenda processes, voting behavior, comparative political economy, and cooperation and conflict in international politics. The student will be sensitized to the primary empirical problems of the discipline and trained in the most general applications of game theoretic reasoning to political science. Open to Social Science graduate students only.

Instructors: Katz, Hirsch, Lopez-Moctezuma
SS 205 abc
Foundations of Economics
9 units (3-0-6)  | first, second, third terms

This is a graduate course in the fundamentals of economics. Topics include comparative statics and maximization techniques, the neo-classical theory of consumption and production, general equilibrium theory and welfare economics, public goods and externalities, the economic consequences of asymmetric information and incomplete markets, and recursive methods with applications to labor eco-nomics and financial economics. Open to Social Science graduate students only.

Instructors: Caradonna, Pomatto, Pourbabaee
SS 209
Behavioral Economics
9 units (3-0-6)  | first term
Prerequisites: SS 201 abc or instructor's permission.

This course explores how psychological facts and constructs can be used to inform models of limits on rationality, willpower and greed, to expand the scope of economic analysis. Topics include overconfidence, heuristics for statistical judgment, loss-aversion, hyperbolic discounting, optimal firm behavior when consumers are limited in rationality, behavioral game theory, behavioral finance, neuroeconomic dual-self models, and legal and welfare implications of rationality limits. Not offered 2023-24.

SS 210 abc
Foundations of Political Economy
9 units (3-0-6)  | second, third terms
Prerequisites: SS 202 c, SS 205 b.

Mathematical theories of individual and social choice applied to problems of welfare economics and political decision making as well as to the construction of political economic processes consistent with stipulated ethical postulates, political platform formulation, the theory of political coalitions, and decision making in political organizations.

Instructors: Gibilisco, Hirsch
SS 211 abc
Advanced Economic Theory
9 units (3-0-6)  | first, second, third terms

May be repeated for credit. Advanced work in a specialized area of economic theory, with topics varying from year to year according to the interests of students.

Instructors: Saito, Niemeyer, Caradonna
SS 212 abc
Experimental Economics
9 units (3-0-6)  | first, second, third terms
Prerequisites: SS 201 abc, SS 202 abc, SS 205 abc, SS 222 abc or with permission of the instructor.

This three-quarter sequence is designed for advanced Social Science Ph.D. students with the aim of introducing students to the methodology of modern experimental economics and to provide an in-depth overview of the contributions of experimental methods to a wide variety of fields. The specific topics covered, which will vary from year to year, include but are not limited to individual decision making, preference and belief elicitation, game theory, social learning, bargaining, labor economics, public finance, auctions, voting and elections, competitive markets, networks, matching, mechanism design, coordination/communication, and information aggregation. The focus will be on theory-based experiments and how the dialog between theoretical analysis and laboratory data feeds each other, thereby leading to new avenues of theoretical and experimental research.

Instructors: Sprenger, Nielsen, Agranov
SS 213 abc
Financial Economics
9 units (3-2-4)  | first term

Mathematical finance: Pricing financial derivatives, risk management, and optimal portfolio selection. Methods of stochastic, Ito calculus for models driven by Brownian motion. Asset pricing theory: Mean-variance theory, information economics, continuous-time finance and differential equations, intertemporal consumption-based asset pricing theories, recent developments in intermediary-based and behavioral asset pricing theories. Behavioral finance: Empirical facts about asset prices, investor trading behavior, and firm behavior. Psychology about investor preferences and beliefs. Behavioral finance models that explain empirical facts. Trading strategies implemented by hedge funds. Prescriptive behavioral finance that aims at helping individuals and institutions to make better financial decisions. Not offered 2023-24.

SS/Ma 214
Mathematical Finance
9 units (3-0-6)  | first term
A course on pricing financial derivatives, risk management, optimal portfolio selection, financial markets equilibria, and optimal compensation of managers using mathematical models. Students will be introduced to methods of Stochastic, Ito Calculus for models driven by Brownian motion.
Instructor: Cvitanic
SS 218
Neuroscience Applications to Economics and Politics
9 units (3-0-6)  | first term

Topics in behavioral, affective, and social neuroscience that inform how individuals make economic decisions. Applications of neuroscience ideas and methods to understanding choice under risk and uncertainty, temporal discounting and self-control, advertisement and preference formation, habit, addiction, and judgment bias. Not offered 2023-24.

SS 222 abc
Econometrics
9 units (3-0-6)  | first, second, third terms

Introduction to the use of multivariate and nonlinear methods in the social sciences. Open to Social Science graduate students only.

Instructors: Shum, Xin, Sherman
SS 223 abc
Topics in Theoretical and Applied Econometrics
9 units (3-0-6)  | first, second, third terms
Prerequisites: SS 222 abc; may be repeated for credit.

The courses in this sequence cover advanced methods and tools in econometrics, as well as their applications to a variety of topics in economics, including industrial organization, dynamic choice, information economics, political economy, market design, and behavioral economics. Offered first, second, third terms.

Instructors: Sherman, Shum, Xin
SS 224
Social Science Data
9 units (3-3-3)  | first term

This course provides broad coverage of empirical methods in the social sciences. This includes both methods of data collection and practical aspects of data analysis, as well as related issues of survey design, experimental design, techniques for handling large datasets, and issues specific to the collection and analysis of field and historical data. This course also provides students with hands-on experience with data. Open to Social Science graduate students only.

Instructor: Alvarez
SS 225
Experimetrics
9 units (3-0-6)  | third term

This course explores the interaction of experimental design and econometric inference in the laboratory approach to economic questions. The course critically evaluates existing experimental studies to highlight this interaction and motivate consideration of inferential strategies early in an experiments design. Methodological topics may include testing theories in two-by-two designs, power and optimal design, classifying subjects into canonical types, testing based on elicited preferences and beliefs, and challenges introduced by communication and dynamics in economic experiments. Not offered 2023-24.

SS 228 abc
Applied Empirical Methods in the Social Sciences
9 units (3-0-6)  | third term

Course covers methods used in contemporary applied empirical work in a variety of social sciences. Topics covered include (a) maximum likelihood, Bayesian estimation, management and computation of large datasets, (b) reduced form methods like instrumental variables (IV), difference-in-differences (DID), natural experiments, event study and panel data methods, and (c) structural estimation. Emphasis is on the application of tools to substantive social science problems rather than statistical theory, in areas including political science, political economy, corporate finance, and accounting. Application focus will vary with instructor interests. Part a and b not offered 2023-24.

Instructor: Lopez-Moctezuma
SS 229 abc
Theoretical and Quantitative Dimensions of Historical Development
9 units (3-0-6)  | second, third terms

May be repeated for credit. Introduction to modern quantitative history. The tools of economic and political theory applied to problems of economic, social, and political development in a historical context. Second and third terms will be graded together. A pass/fail will be assigned in the second term and then changed to the appropriate letter grade at the end of the third term.

Instructors: Rosenthal, Janas
SS 231 abc
American and Comparative Politics
9 units (3-0-6)  | second term
Prerequisites: SS 202 abc, or permission of the instructor.

An advanced graduate Social Science sequence in American and comparative politics. The sequence will focus on political institutions and behavior, introducing students to the important theories of American and comparative politics. Students will learn how historical, observational, and experimental data are used in American and comparative political analysis. Section a offered by Katz; section b offered by Alvarez

Instructors: Katz, Alvarez
SS 260
Experimental Methods of Political Economy
9 units (3-3-3)  | first, second, third terms

Survey of laboratory experimental research related to the broad field of political economy. Topics: the behavior of markets, organizations, committee processes, and election processes. Emphasis on experimental methods and techniques. Students will design and conduct experiments. May be repeated for credit with instructor's permission. Not offered 2023-24.

SS 281
Graduate Social Science Writing Seminar
9 units (3-0-6)  | first term

Only open to advanced graduate students in social science. How can social scientists write in a style that makes someone actually want to read their papers? This seminar combines writing exercises with help in planning a professional social science paper and with extensive comments on drafts.

Instructor: Gibilisco
SS 282 abc
Graduate Proseminar in Social Science
3 units (1.5-0-1.5)  | first, second, third terms

Course for graduate students in social sciences. Students present their research and lead discussion of material relevant to their research program. Open to Social Science Graduate Students only.

Instructors: Nielsen, Xin, Xin
SS/Psy/CNS 285
Topics in Social, Cognitive, and Decision Sciences
3 units (1.5-0-1.5)  | second term

The goal of this course is to introduce graduate students to current research questions in cognitive sciences, political science, and economics. Select faculty will present their research background, methods, and a sampling of current studies. Background readings and pdf of presentation will be provided.

Instructor: Pomatto
SS 299
Writing
9 units (3-0-6)  | second term
This course is designed for students to improve their ability for written expression in the English language. This course is only open to graduate students in the Social Decision Neuroscience and Social Science Ph.D. programs.
Instructor: Sherazi