Introduction to Formal Theory

Course Description

This course is designed to introduce students to the use of formal models to approach social science problems. Formal theory establishes a set of tools with which generalizations become facilitated and predictions can be made to uncover the complexities of interdependent decision making and the strategies involved. As a tool for understanding politics in the real world, the abstractions from reality that make good modeling possible also must lead to testable hypotheses or insights about mechanisms and relationships that provide a framework for interpreting and understanding what we observe.