EC331-30 Research in Applied Economics
Introductory description
This is a final year research project which applies the basic ideas of economics.
Module aims
The module provides an opportunity to deepen and consolidate previous knowledge by applying the basic ideas of economics to pursue research on a question of the student’s own choice. In answering their research question students will be expected to use a combination of economic analysis and statistical techniques. The project will often use econometric methods, but there is also an option to produce a project based on applied economic theory. Students are expected to attend lectures on research methodology, formulate an initial proposal and refine their choice into a manageable research question under the supervision of a member of academic staff who will support student research towards an independent project.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
The module will typically cover the following topics: research methods; guidance on choosing a topic, developing a research question, searching the literature, guide to economic data sources, overview of useful techniques for applied economic analysis.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Subject knowledge and understanding: (i) understand how economists approach questions, in particular, how they construct hypotheses and use data to discriminate between alternate explanations for events or patterns.
Indicative reading list
Please see Talis Aspire link for most up to date list.
View reading list on Talis Aspire
Subject specific skills
(i) Apply critical analysis to a topic,
formulate concepts and hypotheses, and show how
they are tested in relevant literature.
Transferable skills
Communicate their knowledge and understanding to others
(ii) gain skills in the use of computer software including statistical and/or mathematical modelling software;
(iii) describe data and present it in a meaningful manner.
(iv) conduct individual research and investigate topics under their own initiative;
(v) present their research to an audience;
(vi) present their research conclusions in a written form.
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 7 sessions of 1 hour (2%) |
| Seminars | 19 sessions of 1 hour (6%) |
| Project supervision | 20 sessions of 1 hour (7%) |
| Practical classes | 6 sessions of 1 hour (2%) |
| Private study | 248 hours (83%) |
| Total | 300 hours |
Private study description
Due to the nature of this module private study is required in order to prepare the Proposal and Dissertation.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Students can register for this module without taking any assessment.
Assessment group A2
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1 (Literature Review and Project Outline) | 10% | No | |
|
The word limit for this assignment is 1,500 words overall (excluding references), with a minimum of 500 words to be allocated to each of the two components. |
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| Assignment 2 (Final Project) | 80% | No | |
| Presentation 1 | 10% | No | |
|
Each student will have 12-15 minutes to present, with a maximum of 8 slides. |
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Feedback on assessment
The Department of Economics is committed to providing high quality and timely feedback to students on their assessed work, to enable them to review and continuously improve their work. We are dedicated to ensuring feedback is returned to students within 20 University working days of their assessment deadline. Feedback for assignments is returned either on a standardised assessment feedback cover sheet which gives information both by tick boxes and by free comments or via free text comments on tabula, together with the annotated assignment. For tests and problem sets, students receive solutions as an important form of feedback and their marked assignment, with a breakdown of marks and comments by question and sub-question. Students are informed how to access their feedback, either by collecting from the Undergraduate Office or via tabula. Module leaders often provide generic feedback for the cohort outlining what was done well, less well, and what was expected on the assignment and any other common themes. This feedback also includes a cumulative distribution function with summary statistics so students can review their performance in relation to the cohort. This feedback is in addition to the individual-specific feedback on assessment performance.
Pre-requisites
Any of:
EC204 and EC203
OR
EC204 and EC220 and EC221
OR
EC204 and EC226
OR
EC201 and EC202 and EC220 and EC221
OR
EC201 and EC202 and EC226
To take this module, you must have passed:
- All of
- All of
- All of
- All of
- All of
- All of
Courses
This module is Core for:
-
UECA-3 Undergraduate Economics 3 Year Variants
- Year 3 of L100 Economics
- Year 3 of L116 Economics and Industrial Organization
-
UECA-4 Undergraduate Economics 4 Year Variants
- Year 4 of L103 Economics with Study Abroad
- Year 4 of L114 Industrial Economics with Study in Europe
- Year 4 of ULNA-R1L4 Undergraduate French and Economics (4-year)
- Year 4 of ULNA-R2L4 Undergraduate German and Economics (4-year)
- Year 4 of ULNA-R4L1 Undergraduate Hispanic Studies and Economics (4-year)
- Year 4 of ULNA-R3L4 Undergraduate Italian and Economics (4-year)
- Year 3 of UMAA-GL11 Undergraduate Mathematics and Economics
- Year 4 of UECA-GL12 Undergraduate Mathematics and Economics (with Intercalated Year)
- Year 3 of ULNA-R9LA Undergraduate Modern Languages and Economics (3-year)
- Year 4 of ULNA-R9L1 Undergraduate Modern Languages and Economics (4-year)
This module is Optional for:
-
UECA-4 Undergraduate Economics 4 Year Variants
- Year 4 of LV16 Economics & Economic History with Study Abroad
- Year 4 of LM1H Economics, Politics & International Studies with Study Abroad
- Year 3 of UECA-LM1D Undergraduate Economics, Politics and International Studies
-
USTA-G300 Undergraduate Master of Mathematics,Operational Research,Statistics and Economics
- Year 3 of G300 Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics
- Year 4 of G300 Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics
-
USTA-G1G3 Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics (BSc MMathStat)
- Year 3 of G1G3 Mathematics and Statistics (BSc MMathStat)
- Year 4 of G1G3 Mathematics and Statistics (BSc MMathStat)
- Year 4 of USTA-G1G4 Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics (BSc MMathStat) (with Intercalated Year)
- Year 4 of UPHA-V7MM Undergraduate Philosophy, Politics and Economics (with Intercalated year)
This module is Option list A for:
- Year 3 of USTA-Y602 Undergraduate Mathematics,Operational Research,Statistics and Economics
- Year 4 of USTA-Y603 Undergraduate Mathematics,Operational Research,Statistics,Economics (with Intercalated Year)
This module is Option list B for:
- Year 3 of USTA-GG14 Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics (BSc)
- Year 4 of USTA-GG17 Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics (with Intercalated Year)
This module is Option list C for:
- Year 3 of USTA-G300 Undergraduate Master of Mathematics,Operational Research,Statistics and Economics
-
USTA-G301 Undergraduate Master of Mathematics,Operational Research,Statistics and Economics (with Intercalated
- Year 3 of G30F Master of Maths, Op.Res, Stats & Economics (Econometrics and Mathematical Economics Stream) Int
- Year 4 of G30F Master of Maths, Op.Res, Stats & Economics (Econometrics and Mathematical Economics Stream) Int