Levent Kockesen

Whoever says that Levent is a bad lecturer does not have any idea about how hard it is to teach a conceptually difficult subject such as Game Theory. Despite this conceptual complexity, Levent did a pretty good job of explaining fundementals and their applications through different kinds of problems. It is true that you will not remember most of this stuff after one year. However, this is not the purpose of any econ class and especially of Game Theory. It just provides you with a strategic way of thinking on interesting problems. You only need to listen to Levent carefully during lectures and take good notes and you'll be fine in this class. Problem Sets may be challenging from time to time but the recitations are pretty helpful if you have the time. The mean on the midterm was something around 70s and thus there was a good curve. The final was slightly harder than the midterm. Levent posts practice exams before the final and the midterm and most of the actual problems are very similar to the practice problems. So, if you understand the practice problems you should be fine in the final and midterm.

The class was fairly straight-forward. Kockesen has been criticized for using too much math, but I think that he only used it as an additional way to explain something and did not rely on it unless it was necessary. He is from Turkey, as is belied by his accent, but it never became hard to understand him. Overall, if you go to class and take sufficient notes, you should not have too much trouble with this class. Some benefits that may only have happened my semester: he didn't make us buy the book (the homework was online), and the final was only an hour and a half, and was on the last day of class.

Solid lecturer. Much more approachable than he seems (I think the accent makes him come across tougher than he is). Hard problem sets that you need to have been in class to do. Midterm and final based on previous midterms and finals. Very generous curve at the end of the term. If you want to take miroecon, take it with him.

This was a great course. The professor is very clear, though he does move fairly quickly. I would not characterize any of the work as easy, but it is not excessive. There was no required textbook, as he posts his own pdf notes. He's very responsive to questions, and is definitely into the topic. Didn't give off for Yom Kippur - I didn't even think about it until after I missed the lecture. Oh well.

This guy sure loves his game theory. Expect a ton of that following a mad rush through the actual main part of Microeconomics. Overall, it's not a bad class--he's pretty clear about most stuff andclearly answers all student ?s, but he goes fast and zips through some hella complex algebra. It can be a rush to keep up. His exams are hard as hell, but there is a nice curve at the end for your final grades.

Not a particularly bad class; not a particularly good class. Certainly, it will not be anything you remember after your graduate--if you can even remember it next semester. In any case, don't be fooled by the name, Game Theory is not fun. The problem sets and lectures are often quite tedious. Although, Prof. Kockesen did a fairly good job teaching the class and maintained a sense of humor, don't be surprised if you often find yourself drifting. The class is not particularly math intensive; however, all of the alphas, betas, and deltas may intimidate the math-phobic. A very basic understand of calculus is all that is needed at most. I am not going to give a scathing or a raving review. It is what it is: pretty mediocre.

I really enjoyed this class, and thought that Kockesen was one of the better professors I've had at Columbia. He is not a particularly engaging guy, but keeps his lectures interesting,,, while also clear and concise. I learned a lot at the lectures, but he doesn't use the book at all in his teaching, or on the tests or problem sets, so it is pretty difficult if you don't go to class. He has a pretty mathematical approach to economics, so if you aren't a math person the class may pretty difficult. You need a solid handle on calculus. The only thing that disappointed me was that he didn't include as much game theory as I thought he would, especially considering that the other class he teaches is game theory. However, I think that my semester had less than most, because we didn't have any game theory on our final, but it showed up on a few of practice finals that he posted.

weekly p-sets (20%), midterm (30%), final (50%) (A lot of pressure on the final).

The people who lambasted Levent are completely wrong. The material is generally interesting, but like any class there are some slow days. Levent is clear, and the most difficult part of the class is the complex algebra used in many of the problems. The math skills required are not advanced, but problems get very involved. The textbook is worthless, and Levent's lecture notes are minimally helpful. But if you go to class and take careful notes and pay attention to the examples he presents, the class is NOT hard. I think the whiners probably got seduced by the "Beautiful Mind" version of game theory--easy analogies that are not representative of a very rigorous discipline. The problem sets are involved, but not difficult at all because they are all variations on examples he does in class. The midterms and finals don't really vary from year to year. If you study the tests from previous years (and he makes available tests from 1999 forward), you will be adequately prepared. The tests are graded VERY harshly, but if you know the material, all you have to worry about is not making a mathematical error. Most people that I've talked to lost most of their points through algebraic errors, misplaced negatives, etc. Recitation is useless.

Levent is a solid professor. His lectures are straight forward, comprehensive and easy to follow. Certainly not the most interesting of classes, but given that its an entry level econ class, you can't really complain. There was no textbook for the course, which was occasionally frustrating - but it forced one to pay attention in class. Overall, a good class/professor. Recommended.