Model Thinking
School: University of Michigan
Platform: Coursera
Registration Link: REGISTER HERE
Start Date: September 4, 2017 (10 Weeks)
Workload: 4-8 Hours Per Week
Instructor: Scott Page
Credentials: Scott Page oversees the Center for the Study of Complex Systems at the University of Michigan. Page, who holds a Ph.D. in managerial economics and decision sciences from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, has published three textbooks on the impact of diversity on thinking models and complex systems. He has won numerous teaching awards over his academic career, including the University of Michigan’s Distinguished Diversity Scholarship and Engagement Award in 2009.
Graded: Students will earn a signed certificate from the instructor for successfully completing the quizzes, assignments, and final exam.
Description: Model Thinking provides an overview of key social sciences models. During this course, students will learn models relating to tipping points, probabilities, network structures, randomness, replication, complexity, and diversity. In doing so, students will understand the designs and dynamics that can enhance their abilities to predict outcomes, make decisions, and formulate processes. The course is broken into 20 sections (two sections per week), with each section featuring an hour-long video, readings, assignment questions, and quizzes.
Review: “Coming at the course with a background in engineering and mathematics but no game theory, I found the course an excellent overview of the concepts. Watching the lessons with additional reading was pleasurable and allowed to me to get what I wanted from the course. Scott’s presentation style was engaging and straightforward…I am looking forward to the Scott doing a deeper dive into aspects of this area.” For additional reviews, click here.
Additional Note: Students should be comfortable with basic algebra before taking this course. Subtitles are also available in Ukrainian and Chinese.
