Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook
This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.

Postgraduate Handbook 2023-2024 (archived)

Module ACCT40115: Auditing and Accountability

Department: Accounting

ACCT40115: Auditing and Accountability

TypeLevelCreditsAvailabilityModule CapLocation
Tied 4 15 Available in 2023/2024 None. Durham

Tied To

Pre-requisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • ACCT40315 Financial Accounting and Reporting

Excluded Combinations

  • None.

Aims

  • To examine the practice of auditing and the underlying concepts including:
  • the development of the role of the audit function in modern business society;
  • the governance roles/responsibilities of external audit functions;
  • the concepts of audit quality and assurance;
  • the contribution of audit research in understanding practice and informing policy/regulatory debates.

Content

  • An Introduction to audit and other assurance services
  • Legal and professional duties of auditors
  • Professional ethics and auditor independence
  • The audit process issues such as audit planning and accessing audit risk
  • Other process issues such as sampling, materiality and audit evidence
  • Audit reports
  • Other auditing topics/issues for example alternate assurance and attestation services, applications of audit techniques

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge
  • By the end of the module students should have a specialist knowledge and critical understanding of:
  • the role of external audit function
  • the enduring issues surrounding the quality of external audit
  • the contribution of audit research in informing policy debate
Subject-specific Skills
  • By the end of this module students should be able to:
  • critically appreciate the role of external audit function in the modern business society.
Key Skills
  • written communication
  • planning, organising and time management
  • problem-solving and analytical skills

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

  • A combination of lectures, seminars, small group work and guided reading will contribute to achieving the aims and learning outcomes of this module.
  • The summative written assignment will test students' specialist knowledge and critical understanding of the material covered in the module, and their communication, problem-solving and analytical skills.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotal HoursAttendance Monitored
Lectures 10 1 per week 2 hours 20
Seminars 4 1 per fortnight 1 hour 4 Yes
Preparation, Reading and Independent Study 126
Total 150

Summative Assessment

ComponentComponent WeightingElementLength/DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Written Assignment 100% Written assignment 2,500 words max 100% Same

Formative Assessment

Small group presentations during seminar sessions. 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 discussion boards.


Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.