Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2024-2025

Module ECON3462: RESEARCH PROJECT IN BEHAVIOURAL ECONOMICS

Department: Economics

ECON3462: RESEARCH PROJECT IN BEHAVIOURAL ECONOMICS

Type	Tied	Level	3	Credits	40	Availability	Available in 2024/2025	Module Cap	8	Location	Durham

Tied to	L100
Tied to	L106
Tied to	L109
Tied to	L103
Tied to	L104
Tied to	L105
Tied to	L1R1

Prerequisites

• Behavioural and Experimental Economics (ECON2141)

Corequisites

None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

None.

Aims

The research project should be a substantial piece of work that provides a detailed and critical examination of a particular topic.
The research project should include original data collected using experimental economics standards.
The research project aims to encourage students to acquire the skills of independent research by pursuing a substantial project requiring research reading, study design, data collection and analysis.

Content

There is a highly structured plan of work involving lectures, practicals and consultations between students and their research project supervisors.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

Enhance student's knowledge of a specific topic in behavioural and experimental economics

Subject-specific Skills:

By completing a research project, students will learn to plan and design a substantial piece of written work on an area of behavioural and experimental economics of their choice which requires literature searches, and the collection and 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
The design of instruments for collecting behavioural or choice data.
Development of statistically rigorous experimental design
Development of data analytical skill
Technical writing using word processing software

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

Teaching is by lectures, practicals and consultations. Learning takes place through attendance at lectures, practicals, preparation for and participation in consultations and private study. Formative assessment is by means of preparation of two assignments linked to the practical sessions to enable students to learn how to conduct data collection and analysis. Summative assessment is by methods outlined below.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total/Hours
Lectures	13	Weekly first term, and then three meetings in the second term	1 hour	13	■
Consultations (4 group plus 2 individual sessions)	6	One in the first term, and then once a week in weeks 2-9 of the second term	20 mins	2	■
Practicals	3	All in the first term	2 hours	6	■
Student Preparation and Reading				379
Total				400

Summative Assessment

Component: Coursework		Component Weighting: 100%
Element	Length / duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
Final Research Project	8,000 words	60%%	Same
Group Research Design Document	2,000 words	15%%	Same
Final Project Presentation	20 minutes	25%%	Same

Formative Assessment:

There are two formative assessments through practicals. One is a practical on pre-study power analysis with accompanying assignment, and the other is on developing data-collecting instruments with accompanying assignment.

■ 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