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.

Undergraduate Handbook 2025-2026 (archived)

Module ECON3462: Research project in Behavioural Economics

Department: Economics

ECON3462: Research project in Behavioural Economics

TypeLevelCreditsAvailabilityModule CapLocation
Tied 3 40 Not available in 2025/2026 None. Durham

Tied To

Pre-requisites

  • • Behavioural and Experimental Economics (ECON2141)

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combinations

  • 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

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotal HoursAttendance Monitored
Lectures 13 Weekly first term, and then three meetings in the second term 1 hour 13 Yes
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 Yes
Practicals 3 All in the first term 2 hours 6 Yes
Preparation and Reading 379
Total 400

Summative Assessment

ComponentComponent WeightingElementLength/DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Coursework 100% Final Research Project 8,000 words 60%
Group Research Design Document 2,000 words 15%
Final Project Presentation 20 minutes 25%

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.

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.