Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2012-2013 (archived)
Module ECON3171: DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
Department: Business School (Economics and Finance)
ECON3171: DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
| Type | Open | Level | 3 | Credits | 20 | Availability | Available in 2012/13 | Module Cap | None. | Location | Durham |
|---|
Prerequisites
- Any Level 2 Economics module.
Corequisites
- None.
Excluded Combination of Modules
- None.
Aims
- To provide students with insights into some of the key issues affecting the economic development of countries
- To stimulate students to study, present and debate their own ideas and analyses of these issues.
- To widen students' perceptions of the world and of the applicability of economic science and to motivate them to retain that perception.
- To provide the opportunity for students to build on knowledge and key skills acquired in their second year studies
Content
- In the first term the module begins with a consideration of the meaning and measurement of development. Different theories of growth and convergence are analysed, as are two-sector growth models, the role of human capital and theories of labour migration.
- The development of agriculture, causes of famine, problems of poverty and inequality and are also studied and the term finishes with a consideration of contribution of the New Institutional Economics.
- In the second term the role of trade, international labour migration, domestic finance, foreign aid, macroeconomic stability, and the resource curse are studied along with an assessment of the role of government in promoting economic development.
- Throughout the module examples are taken from the development experiences of Latin America, Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the MENA economies.
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge:
- Theories, controversies, policies and case studies of how countries attempt to grow and develop over time.
Subject-specific Skills:
- Application of economic analysis to low income countries
Key Skills:
- critical and analytical thinking
- problem solving
- written communication
- own learning
- working with numbers
- working with others
- bibliographic search and information retrieval.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- Teaching is by lectures, tutorials and support for e-mail exchanges with students in universities abroad. Learning takes place through attendance at lectures; preparation and participation in tutorial classes; private study, and contributing to international e-mail discussions on student-selected topics of development economics. Formative assessment is by means of seminar assignments, presentations and discussion in the Michaelmas Term plus feedback on international e-debates in the Ephiphany Term. Summative assessment is by means of a written examination and an essay.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total/Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 22 | 1 per week | 1 hour | 22 | |
| Tutorials | 8 | Fortnightly | 1 hour | 8 | ■ |
| Preparation and Reading | 170 | ||||
| Total | 200 |
Summative Assessment
| Component: Examination | Component Weighting: 60% | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
| Written examination | 1 hour 30 mins | 100% | |
| Component: Assignment | Component Weighting: 40% | ||
| Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
| One essay | 2500 words max | 100% | |
Formative Assessment:
Seminar assignments, presentation and discussion in the Michaelmas Term.
■ 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