Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Postgraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2007-2008 (archived)

Module ECON51215: RESEARCH METHODS

Department: Economics, Finance and Business (Economics and Finance)

ECON51215: RESEARCH METHODS

Type Tied Level 4 Credits 15 Availability Available in 2007/08 Module Cap
Tied to L1K209
Tied to L1K309
Tied to L1K709
Tied to L1K809
Tied to L1K609
Tied to L1K509
Tied to L1K109

Prerequisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • To provide students with the necessary training to undertake advanced level research in Finance/ Economics and Finance/ Accounting and Finance;
  • To provide students with an advanced understanding of the relevance and importance of alternative epistemological positions in the social sciences and the nature of both qualitative and quantitative approaches to research;
  • To develop students’ understanding at an advanced level of the nature of research in the social sciences, by examining the study skills necessary to manage and undertake a research project;
  • To provide students with opportunities to be familiar with the frontier empirical and theoretical research;
  • To provide students with a good foundation for undertaking a dissertation at an advanced level.

Content

  • Undertaking research: an overview of the nature of research in the social sciences; epistemological issues; the relationships between interests, topics, questions, problems and hypotheses; sources of information; claims and evidence; reviewing the field; qualitative and quantitative research;
  • Making use of and managing library facilities, databases and other learning resources;
  • Planning a research project;
  • Methodological issues in research: issues in designing and undertaking quantitative and qualitative research and experimental research and the relationships between these methods;
  • Ethical issues in research;
  • Reviewing the literature and finding the research questions;
  • The dissertation and the research process;
  • Applications of advanced principles, concepts and methods to select a topic in finance/economics/accounting. This part will involve presentations of empirical and theoretical research at the ‘frontiers’ of the subject as well as reviews of selected seminal papers. Topics will reflect the research interests of the School.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • To have gained an understanding and be aware of the nature and scope of advanced research in the social sciences.
  • To be aware of the significance of alternative epistemological positions when designing and undertaking research.
  • To be aware of, and familiar with, the facilities available for conducting literature searches and obtaining relevant data to facilitate empirical investigation.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • To be able to effectively organise, structure and manage a research project at an advanced level, including undertaking critical appraisal of relevant literature, and apply critical judgement and discrimination.
  • To have developed the ability to operate independently on a research topic and exercise appropriate judgement in the selection of material.
  • To have further developed the skills of inquiry, quantitative and qualitative research design, experimental research, data collection and information retrieval, bibliographic search, measurement and analysis, interpretation and presentation of results.
Key Skills:
  • Written Communication;
  • Planning and Organising;
  • Problem Solving and Analysis;
  • Using Initiative;
  • Numeracy;
  • Computer Literacy;
  • Self-discipline, time management and the ability to work autonomously.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Lectures and seminars/workshops together with guided reading will be used to convey the subject-specific knowledge and skills. Summative assessment is by a research project to test directly the achievement of the learning outcomes.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Lectures 20 2 per week 1 hour 20
Seminars/workshops 4 fortnightly 1 hour 4
Preparation & Reading 126
Total 150

Summative Assessment

Component: Research project Component Weighting: 100%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Research project 3,000 words (maximum) 100%

Formative Assessment:

Group project and presentation. Additional formative assessment, and feedback, may take a number of forms such as oral feedback on work prepared by students for seminars; answers to questions either discussed during a seminar, or posted on DUO; discussions with teaching staff during consultation hours, or via e-mail.


Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University