Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2024-2025
Module ECON2261: MICROECONOMIC APPLICATIONS AND POLICY
Department: Economics
ECON2261: MICROECONOMIC APPLICATIONS AND POLICY
| Type | Tied | Level | 2 | Credits | 20 | Availability | Available in 2024/2025 | Module Cap | None. | Location | Durham |
|---|
| Tied to | L100 |
|---|---|
| Tied to | L106 |
| Tied to | L109 |
| Tied to | L103 |
| Tied to | L104 |
| Tied to | L105 |
| Tied to | LL12 |
| Tied to | LL02 |
| Tied to | LL01 |
| Tied to | L1R1 |
| Tied to | VL52 |
| Tied to | VLL6 |
| Tied to | VLLA |
| Tied to | CFG0 |
| Tied to | CFC0 |
| Tied to | FGC0 |
| Tied to | LA01 |
| Tied to | LA02 |
| Tied to | LA03 |
| Tied to | LMVA |
| Tied to | LMV0 |
Prerequisites
- For the academic year 2024/2025: Principles of Economics (ECON1011). For the academic year 2025/2026 onwards: Principles of Economics (ECON1011) and EITHER Economic Methods (ECON1021) OR Calculus I (MATH1061) AND Linear Algebra I (MATH1071) AND Probability I (MATH1597) AND Statistics I (MATH1617)
Corequisites
- None
Excluded Combination of Modules
- None
Aims
- To develop students' awareness and understanding of the contribution which economic analysis can make to discussions of issues in microeconomics
- To provide an understanding of theories and methods used in the analysis of microeconomic problems
- To provide students with a good grounding for undertaking a dissertation in applied microeconomics
Content
- The content will be topics of contemporary interest such as:
- Education
- Health
- Sport
- Culture
- Inequality/Poverty
- Charity
- Crime/Conflict
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge:
- Knowledge and understanding of the theories and methods used in the analysis of microeconomics issues
- Knowledge and understanding of market failure and the limitations of government intervention to combat it.
Subject-specific Skills:
- The application of economic theories to microeconomic problems
- The ability to critically evaluate microeconomic policies and their consequences
Key Skills:
- Critical and analytical thinking
- Problem solving
- Written communication
- Own learning
- Library skills
- Information retrieval
- Written communication - summative assessment is a written examination
- Planning and Organisation and time management - students plan their work to meet set deadlines
- Adaptability - students perform under the pressure of written examinations
- Oral communication - presenting of papers and participating in seminars.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- Teaching is by lectures and seminars. Learning takes place through attendance at lectures, preparation for and participation in seminar classes, and private study. Seminar questions give students the opportunity to apply the theoretical analysis presented in lectures.
- Formative assessment to help prepare for the examination. Summative assessment is by means of an in-person examination to test students' knowledge and understanding of the subject-matter worth 100% of the module mark.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total/Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 20 | 1 per week | 1 hour | 20 | |
| Seminars | 8 | 4 in term 1 and 4 in term 2 | 1 hour | 8 | ■ |
| Revision Session | 2 | 1 hour | 2 | ||
| Preparation and Reading | 170 | ||||
| Total | 200 |
Summative Assessment
| Component: Examination | Component Weighting: 100% | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
| One in-person written examination | 2 hours | 100% | Same |
Formative Assessment:
One written piece of work to prepare students for the summative examination.
■ 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