EC9C4-12 Topics in International Economics
Introductory description
The main objective of this module is to introduce students to some relevant research topics in international trade and international macroeconomics, providing them with some of the necessary tools to understand some key questions and ultimately contribute to frontier research in these areas.
Module aims
The module aims to develop the skills and knowledge of international economics, necessary for a career as an academic economist and in all areas where advanced research skills in economics are required. Specifically, it aims to teach the students to understand, appreciate, and ultimately contribute to, frontier research. It is intended to be comparable to modules taught in the best research universities in the USA and elsewhere in Europe.
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.
"llustrative topics include:
- International capital flows
- Sovereign debt
- Exchange rate pass-through and the globalization of prices
- Global imbalances and international financial crises
- Comparative advantage
- International trade with scale economies and imperfect competition
- Heterogeneous firms and the global organisation of production
- The political economy of trade policy formation"
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- " Have a clear overview and understanding of the field of international economics. The teaching and learning methods that enable students to achieve this learning outcome are: Seminars and background reading The summative assessment methods that measure the achievement of this learning outcome are: Submitted assignments"
- " Develop a critical knowledge of recent research in some key developments in international economics. The teaching and learning methods that enable students to achieve this learning outcome are: Seminars and background reading The summative assessment methods that measure the achievement of this learning outcome are: Submitted assignments"
- "Be able to autonomously pursue an original research agenda at the forefront of the field of international economics. The teaching and learning methods that enable students to achieve this learning outcome are: Seminars and background reading The summative assessment methods that measure the achievement of this learning outcome are: Submitted assignments"
Subject specific skills
Students will have the opportunity to develop skills in:
Analytical thinking and communication
Analytical Reasoning
Critical thinking
Creative Thinking
Problem solving
Abstraction
Policy Evaluation
Analysis of Institutions
Understanding of Uncertainty and Incomplete Information
Transferable skills
Students will have the opportunity to develop:
Research skills
Numeracy and Quantitative skills
Written communication
Mathematical, Statistical, data-based research skills
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Seminars | 30 sessions of 1 hour (25%) |
| Private study | 90 hours (75%) |
| Total | 120 hours |
Private study description
Private study will be required in order to prepare for seminars/classes, to review lecture notes, to prepare for forthcoming assessments, tests, and exams, and to undertake wider reading around the subject.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A1
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment component |
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| Assessment 1 | 50% | Yes (extension) | |
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In class discussions and take home test |
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Reassessment component is the same |
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Assessment component |
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| Assessment 2 | 50% | Yes (extension) | |
Reassessment component is the same |
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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 Department of Economics Postgraduate 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.
Courses
This module is Core optional for:
- Year 2 of TECA-L1PL in Economics (Master of Research plus PhD)