SySc 511 Systems Theory

Surveys fundamental systems concepts and central aspects of systems theory. The course begins with an overview of the systems paradigm and the systems field as a whole. Topics then include introductions to set and information-theoretic multivariate relations and structures, discrete dynamic systems; model representation and simulation; decision analysis, optimization, game theory; artificial intelligence, complex adaptive systems. Readings drawn from mathematics, the natural and social sciences, and the professional disciplines (e.g., engineering, business). Course content derives both from "classical" general systems theory, cybernetics, and operations research as well as from contemporary systems research, which is organized around the themes of nonlinear dynamics, complexity, and adaptation.