Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2010-2011 (archived)

Module ECON3012: DISSERTATION IN ECONOMICS

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

ECON3012: DISSERTATION IN ECONOMICS

Type	Open	Level	3	Credits	40	Availability	Available in 2010/11	Module Cap	None.	Location	Durham

Prerequisites

Economic Principles I: Microeconomics (ECON2011) AND Economic Principles II: Macroeconomics (ECON2021).

Corequisites

One other level 3 Economics module.

Excluded Combination of Modules

None.

Aims

To encourage students to acquire the skills of independent research by pursuing a substantial project requiring research reading and/or data collection.

Content

There is a highly structured plan of work involving lectures and consultations between individual students and their dissertation supervisors.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

Enhance student's knowledge of a specific topic in economics

Subject-specific Skills:

By completing a dissertation, students will learn to plan and design a substantial piece of written work on an area of economics of their choice which requires literary searches, library work, and the collection/analysis of relevant data.

Key Skills:

Written communication - by completing the summative assessment
Planning Organisation and time management - by observing strict deadlines
Initiative - by searching relevant literature and other information
Computer literacy - by word-processing the dissertation

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

Teaching is by lectures and tutorials. Learning takes place through attendance at lectures, preparation for and participation in tutorial classes and private study. Formative assessment is by means of preparation of a dissertation outline, draft chapter for discussion at tutorials and keeping of a dissertation diary. Summative assessment is by means of a written piece of 12000 words.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total/Hours
Lectures	4	2 in year 2, 2 in year 3.	1 hour	4
Consultations	7		20 mins	2.3
Student Preparation and Reading				393.7
Total				400

Summative Assessment

Component: Coursework		Component Weighting: 100%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
Dissertation	12,000 words	100%

Formative Assessment:

Preparation of dissertation outline, draft chapter for discussion at tutorials and keeping of a dissertation diary.

■ 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