Every piece of graded work in the course, what it is worth, and when it is due.
Two assignments, a midterm, and a capstone — 15/30/15/40, summing to 100. Everything here runs on fictional personas and hypothetical cases; nothing in this course is marked on your actual romantic history.
Assignment 1: Design a Signal
Build a fictional dating persona and defend which of its claims are costly signals versus cheap talk
Due 20 March 2028 · Weight: 15%
Midterm: Opening Moves
A twenty-item quiz on what you'd actually say, sat in tutorial the week initiation theory is covered
Due 10 April 2028 · Weight: 30%
Assignment 2: Redesign the Rulebook
Propose an incentive-compatible redesign of a matching or bargaining mechanism, and show it survives being gamed
Due 12 May 2028 · Weight: 15%
Capstone: The Market Audit
A market audit and redesign proposal for a case of your own choosing — and the semester's required act of doubting its own model
Due 26 May 2028 · Weight: 40%