The module aims to develop your ability to apply economic analysis to a range of contemporary economic problems and policies.
a) There will be a weekly workshop, which will discuss the key issues which student can then follow up with more detailed reading in their own time. The workshops will involve discussions of some important issues as well as case studies and various question/answer sessions.
b) Students are expected to read the recommended text and the Financial Times daily.
c) Students are expected to commit 6 hours per week outside the class room to reading and supplementing their notes, preparing the classes, writing the assignment and preparing for the examination.
| Definitive UNISTATS Category | Indicative Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | Workshops | 60 |
| Guided independent study | 240 | |
| Total (number of credits x 10) | 300 | |
One 1,500-word essay plus one unseen two-hour final examination.
The assignment will require students to find, manipulate and display data within the context of the economic models they are studying and using.
The examination will test their knowledge across the entire range of the module's content.
Seminar discussions will formatively assess knowledge of current events, policy institutions and legislation, and relevant theoretical models. The essay requires students to show evidence of using appropriate source material in constructing their arguments. In the examination students answer questions using relevant economic theory, combines with knowledge of the underlying institutions and policy context.
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Strategy |
|---|---|
| Demonstrate a quantitative and qualitative understanding of current policy issues | Coursework (formative and summative) |
| Use the skills needed to critically analyse current and possible economic policy developments | Coursework (formative and summative) and exam (summative) |
| Demonstrate knowledge of current events including trends and developments in economic data, policy institutions and legislation, and theoretical models of policy and policy outcomes | Seminars (formative), coursework (formative and summative), examination (summative) |
| Description of Assessment | Definitive UNISTATS Categories | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | 1500 word essay | 50 |
| Written Exam | 2 hour exam | 50 |
| Total (to equal 100%) | 100% | |
It IS NOT a requirement that any element of assessment is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.
Layard, R., (2011) Happiness: Lessons from a New Science Penguin
Boakes, K.,(2008) Reading and Understanding Economics Financial Times/ Prentice Hall
Krugman, P., (2008) The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008 Allen Lane
Sandel, M. J. (2012) What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets Allen Lane