University | Catalogues for 2005/06 | for UGs | for PGs

Department of Economics & International Development, Unit Catalogue 2005/06

EC10003: Core skills for economists: introduction to statistics

Credits: 6

Level: Certificate

Semester: 1

Assessment: EX80TE20

Requisites:

Aims: The aim of this Unit is to provide students with the theory necessary to understand the basic practice of statistical inference, and to equip them for EC10004 Computing and Data Analysis and second year study of econometrics.
Learning Outcomes:
The learning outcomes are that students should be able to:
* Calculate probabilities using a variety of discrete and continuous distributions
* Evaluate properties of basic estimators
* Calculate confidence intervals and hypothesis tests for basic estimators
Skills:
Statistical skills; problem-solving.
Content:
Probability theory. Discrete and continuous distributions. Sampling distributions. Point and interval estimation. Properties of estimators. Hypothesis testing.
Key text: Statistics for Business and Economics (5th Ed) Newbold, Carlson and Thorne (Prentice Hall 2003).

EC10004: Core skills for economists: computing and data analysis

Credits: 6

Level: Certificate

Semester: 2

Assessment: CW40OT60

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must take EC10003

Aims: This is a practical based unit which is taught from a problem-solving perspective. Students will learn how information technology can be used as a research resource (including the use of bibliographical software and on-line databases), develop computing skills using a range of software and learn about the practical side of statistical analysis. Students will also be introduced to basic programming and symbolic algebra software.
Learning Outcomes:
* Make effective use of the University computing and library resources for purposes of research collection and analysis (e.g. literature searches and data sources).
* Build spreadsheet models for analysing economic and financial relationships.
* Understand modelling techniques in relation to univariate, bivariate and multivariate data using standard and specialist software.
Skills:
Problem-solving, information technology (standard and technical packages), ability to work and communicate effectively in a team.
Content:
Using the Internet and the World wide web for literature searches and data retrieval. Financial analysis using a spreadsheet. Working with dynamic economic models using a spreadsheet. Statistical functions for analysing and summarising economic data. Regression analysis using specialist econometric software.

EC10006: Introductory microeconomics

Credits: 6

Level: Certificate

Semester: 1

Assessment: ES20CW20EX60

Requisites:

Aims: This course is designed to provide an introduction to the methods of microeconomic analysis, including the use of simple economic models and their application. The aims of the course are to enable students to derive conclusions from simple economic models and evaluate their realism and usefulness. Together with EC20010 Intermediate Microeconomics (to be taken in the second year), we aim to provide students with a thorough grounding in the basic principles of microeconomics and exposure to a range of applications.
Learning Outcomes:
The learning objectives are that, on completion of the module, students should be able to understand and apply basic microeconomic principles to the economic decisions of households and firms under a variety of market conditions. Students should be able to use these principles both to describe and to appraise these decisions, and should be competent in the verbal, diagrammatic and basic mathematical concepts and techniques used in introductory microeconomics. The second year unit, EC20010 further develops the theoretical toolkit, so that students will have a firmer and more formal grasp of both theoretical material and applications.
Skills:
Basic grounding in introductory microeconomics. Student will acquire skills in problem solving through work completed in class and assessment. They will undertake a piece of applied research work with respect to a current topic in microeconomics.
Content:
Introduction to Markets; Household Behaviour; Production and Costs; Perfect Competition and Monopoly; Imperfect Competition; Factor Markets - Labour; Risk and Uncertainty; Welfare Economics. Key Texts:
* Lipsey, R. G. and K. A. Chrystal (LC). Principles of Economics. Tenth Edition, Oxford University Press, 2004.
* Begg, D., R. Dornbusch and S. Fischer (BDF). Economics. Seventh Edition, McGraw Hill, 2003.
* Parkin, M., M. Powell and K. Mathews (PPM). Economics. Fifth Edition, Addsion Wesley, 2003.

EC10007: Introductory macroeconomics

Credits: 6

Level: Certificate

Semester: 2

Assessment: CW40EX60

Requisites:

Aims: The Unit is designed to provide an introduction to the methods of macroeconomic analysis, including the use of simple macroeconomic models and their application in a UK policy context. Students should gain an ability to derive conclusions from simple economic models and evaluate their realism and usefulness in policy making.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the course unit students should be able to understand and apply basic macroeconomic principles to the economic decisions of the policy-maker. They should be able to use these principles to both describe and appraise these decisions as well as to understand how macroeconomic problems arise. They should be competent in the verbal, diagrammatic and basic mathematical concepts used in introductory macroeconomics, providing a suitable platform for the more advanced study of this subject in future years.Additional provision is made for those students without A Level Economics.
Skills:
Basic grounding in macro-economics.
Content:
The circular flow of income and expenditure; national income accounting; aggregate demand and supply; the components and determinants of private and public sector aggregate expenditure in closed and open economies; output and the price level in the short- and long-run; monetary and fiscal policy; inflation and unemployment; the balance of payments and exchange rates; economic growth, economic cycles; macroeconomic modelling. Key text: Richard G. Lipsey and K. Alec Chrystal An Introduction to Positive Economics Supplementary texts: M.J. Artis (ed) The UK Economy: a Manual of Applied Economics Alan Griffiths and Stuart Wall Applied Economics: An Introductory Course Additional material: lecture notes are in the Library, including additional reading material and also on the Web. The student is also referred to the IFS web page.

EC10008: The modern world economy

Credits: 6

Level: Certificate

Semester: 1

Assessment: EX70CW30

Requisites:

Aims: The aim of this Unit is to equip students with an historical, institutional and analytical understanding of economic issues and institutions in a global context. Students will be exposed to diverse views in a variety of books and articles and will be encouraged to take a questioning approach to concepts and to the use of evidence. The Unit is appropriate for specialist students of economics and will support and provide a relevant policy context for first year units in introductory micro and macroeconomics. The Unit is also appropriate for non-specialist students, who may wish to take only one or two course units in economics, and will introduce them to some of the central principles of economics via the policy questions and institutional arrangements which confront modern economies.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the course unit, students should be able to develop an informed commentary on both academic and more popular arguments on:
1. The ideological and historical origins of economic theories.
2. The role of multilateral corporations in the global economy
3. The impacts of globalisation on the ability of the nation state to produce independent domestic policies.
4. The scope for national economic policies within the globalised economy.
Skills:
Intellectual: analytical thinking, critical reading, discussing ideas, coherent understanding of issues by reading and evaluating a wide range of literature. Key skills: Essay writing skills, communication skills and presentation skills.
Content:
Lecture 1: Methodology and an overview of the world economy
Lecture 2: A brief historical perspective
Lecture 3: Foreign Trade
Lecture 4: Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Multinational Companies (MNCs)
Lecture 5: Regional Integration
Lecture 6: Role of the World Bank, IMF and WTO
Lecture 7: Privatisation
Lecture 8: Globalisation and the state
Lecture 9: Debt crisis and aid
Lecture 10: National variations in policy stance
Lecture 11: Revision lecture.

EC10009: Development economics 1

Credits: 6

Level: Certificate

Semester: 2

Assessment: ES30EX70

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must take EC10006 and take EC10008 and while taking this unit you must take EC10007

Aims:
* To provide students with a better appreciation of the extent of diversity in economic performance across selected regions of the world in the post second world war period, with a focus on poorer and transitional countries
* To explore the reasons for this variation and the policies that can lead to sustainable development
* To introduce relevant economic techniques to address these issues
Learning Outcomes:
Greater insight into how the economies of selected regions differ, and reasons for those differences, including differences in economic strategy and policies. A better appreciation of how theory is used by economists to address specific problems and policy issues in regional and country context.
Skills:
* Ability to relate (economic) theory and concepts to contemporary debates and policy issues.
* Ability to obtain and compare statistical information (to produce a memo highlighting differences in economic performance of two countries).
Content:
The course unit will focus on the economic analysis of perennial and contemporary issues in two sets of countries: transitional economies of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, and low income and emerging countries in Latin America, sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia.

EC10077: Introduction to international development

Credits: 6

Level: Certificate

Semester: 1

Assessment: CW100

Requisites:

Only available to students in the Department of Economics and International Development.
Aims: To introduce students to the interdisciplinary study of International Development and to familiarise them with some of its key issues, concepts and methods.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit students should:
* Have a clear understanding of the range of issues raised by International Development
* Have a clear grasp of certain key concepts and methods used in the study and practice of Development
* Be able to apply these in the analysis of development contexts.
Skills:
* Critical analysis of texts
* Clear and logical expression, oral and written
* Critical reflection on own experience and connections across text and context.
Content:
* The four components of International Development: the 'international'; poverty/disadvantage; change/progress; agency/action.
* Who are the poor/Why are they poor?: Approaches to understanding poverty;
* Change/progress: grand theories and local trajectories; understanding the nature of change
* Agency/action: agencies of development; social movements; dynamics of agency; development critique.

Credits: 6

Level: Certificate

Semester: 1

Assessment: CW30OR20OT50

Requisites:

Aims: To familiarise students with University computing facilities and to explore the application of these facilities to empirical economic and political data. Students should develop the computing skills necessary to facilitate their research, analysis and presentation.
Learning Outcomes:
* Make effective use of University computing and library resources for purposes of communication, research and presentation.
* Be able to perform a rigorous literature search.
* Students will be familiar with all common usage software programs such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel.
* Students will have knowledge of more specific data analysis software packages such as SPSS, Microfit and Minitab.
* Students will be able to search, locate, analyse and present data in an effective manner in any chosen research area.
* Use IT and economic theory to build models in order to facilitate research.
Skills:
* Competence in MS Office products and other more specific econometric and data analysis packages.
* Search and find empirical data via the WWW and library subscription databases.
* Discern patterns, trends and relationships in data.
* Organise complex data and make that data meaningful by appropriate descriptive statistics.
* Apply economic theory to appropriate empirical data.
* Problem solving skills.
* Work effectively in groups.
* VBA programming skills to enable students to personalise MS Office software to enhance productivity.
* Produce effective, stylish and substantive pieces of group related research.
Content:
Students will be shown how to make full use of the IT facilities within the University to enable them to perform an effective literature search. MS Word, PowerPoint and Excel will be introduced and the students will be encouraged to make full use of these packages. In MS Word they will be introduced to more advanced features such as equation editor, comments, security and general presentation options. In PowerPoint students will be taught how to free draw and import various video and audio file for more effective presentations. Excel will be used extensively to collate, analyse and present data. Correlation, regression and financial functions will be taught within Excel and other econometric software. VBA programming within Excel will be taught up to an intermediate level.
Indicative Reading:
Judge, Guy (2000) Computing Skills for Economists.
Lind, Marchal and Wathen (2005) 12th Ed. Statistical Techniques in Business and Economics.
Walkenback (2004) Excel Bible.
Darlington, K (2004) VBA for Excel Made Simple.

EC10160: Introductory economics

Credits: 12

Level: Certificate

Academic Year

Assessment: EX50CW40TE10

Requisites:

Aims: This 12 credit unit is designed to provide an introduction to the methods of microeconomic and macroeconomic analysis, including the use of simple economic models and their application. The aims of the unit are to enable students to derive conclusions from simple economic models and evaluate their realism and usefulness.
Learning Outcomes:
The learning objectives are that, on completion of the first semester unit, students should be able to understand and apply basic microeconomic principles to the economic decisions of households and firms under a variety of market conditions. By the completion of the second semester students should be able to understand and apply basic macroeconomic principles to the economic decisions of the policy-maker. Students should be able to use micro and macroeconomic analysis both to describe and to appraise decisions, and have acquired competency in the verbal, diagrammatic and basic mathematical concepts and techniques used in introductory economics.
Skills:
Basic grounding in introductory micro and macroeconomics. Students will acquire skills in problem solving through work completed in class and assessment. They will undertake pieces of applied research work with respect to current topics in micro and macroeconomics.
Content:
Introduction to markets; household behaviour; production and costs; perfect competition and monopoly; imperfect competition; factor markets $ú labour; risk and uncertainty; welfare economics. The circular flow of income and expenditure; national income accounting; aggregate demand and supply; the components and determinants of private and public sector aggregate expenditure in closed and open economies; output and the price level in the short- and long-run; monetary and fiscal policy; inflation and unemployment; the balance of payments and exchange rates; economic growth, economic cycles; macroeconomic modelling.
Key Texts:
* Begg, D., R. Dornbusch and S. Fischer (BDF). Economics. Seventh Edition, McGraw Hill, 2003.
* Parkin, M., M. Powell and K. Mathews (PPM). Economics. Fifth Edition, Addsion Wesley, 2003.
* Lipsey, R. G. and K. A. Chrystal (LC). Principles of Economics. Tenth Edition, Oxford University Press, 2004.
Supplementary texts:
* M.J. Artis (ed) The UK Economy: a Manual of Applied Economics.
* Alan Griffiths and Stuart Wall Applied Economics: An Introductory Course.

EC20010: Intermediate microeconomics

Credits: 6

Level: Intermediate

Semester: 1

Assessment: EX80TE20

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must take EC10006 and take EC10130

Aims: This course unit covers the core concepts and method of microeconomic analysis, using some mathematics in modelling and explication.
The aim of this unit is to enable students to deepen their analytical ability in microeconomics so that they can use theory to generate predictions and explanation with respect to economic phenonema.
Learning Outcomes:
The learning objectives are that students have succeeded in building upon their knowledge from Introductory Microeconomics. On completion of this course students should be able to apply analytical methods to solve economic problems such as utility and profit maximisation when there are constraints on choice.
Skills:
* Ability to frame problems in a formal manner.
* Ability to parameterise relevant aspects of economic problems.
* Ability to interpret results.
* Ability to put forward policy prescriptions on the basis of analysis.
Content:
The theory of consumer behaviour; theory of factor markets; firm behaviour under competitive conditions.

Credits: 60

Level: Intermediate

Academic Year

Assessment: CW100

Requisites:

Aims & Learning Objectives:
The placement period enables the student to gain valuable practical experience.
Content:
Please see the Director or Studies or Placements Office for details about individual placements.

EC20046: Research & presentation skills for economists

Credits: 6

Level: Intermediate

Semester: 2

Assessment: CW60OR40

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must take EC10006 and take EC10007

Aims: The aim of this course unit is to provide students with an environment within which they can develop skills of individual and collaborative research, report preparation, and group presentation of an economic topic using Powerpoint. Topics will be selected to enable students to demonstrate analytical and empirical understanding of the relevance of economics to a contemporary issue.
Learning Outcomes:
* students will have acquired the capacity to undertake research on topics of current interest in economic policy which draw on a range of knowledge acquired in other level 2 course units;
* students will have constructed a business report/ briefing paper outlining the substance of their research which, whilst not compromising the economic analysis, should be accessible to ministers or business people who are not economists;
* students will have worked effectively as members of a small team and will have contributed their fair share;
* students will have enhanced their skills in designing and making presentations which will be transferable to the workplace.
Skills:
* apply appropriate economic theories to real world situations and events;
* write clearly and concisely and present an argument logically and succinctly;
* identify the strengths and weaknesses of working in groups;
* perform a powerful and effective oral and visual presentation;
* use a range of IT packages to aid learning and improve skills.
Content:
Topics will be assigned to students who will work in groups of 5 or 6; they will be policy focused topics, related to one or more of the other units being studied, for example, in monetary, fiscal, industrial, development or environmental economics.

EC20079: Economics of politics

Credits: 6

Level: Intermediate

Semester: 1

Assessment: EX50CW50

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must take EC10006 and take EC10007

Aims: The aim of this Unit is to apply introductory microeconomic theory to analyse political behaviour. Students will investigate the extent to which a rational choice model sheds insight on political behaviour and political institutions. Thus, the intention is to provide students with an integrative link between their understanding of economic theory and political science.
Learning Outcomes:
The learning outcome is that, by the end of the course, students will be able to apply introductory microeconomic theory to analyse political behaviour. They will be able to use microeconomics to explain and predict why governments prefer one policy option to another. They will be able to assess the costs involved in democratic decision-making processes. They will be able to identify and assess alleged 'failings' of the political processes and associated prescriptions.
Skills:
Analytical skills are facilitated (i.e. skills of value beyond the subject matter), e.g. the use and evaluation of arguments, logical reasoning. Investigative (research) skills and skill in time management are facilitated. An enhanced understanding of economic analysis and skill in presentation is assessed.
Content:
The course unit begins with a review of microeconomic welfare theory. This is applied to explain and predict the behaviour of politicians, bureaucrats, voters and pressure groups. The implications of adopting different collective decision making rules are investigated. Case studies are used to illustrate theory. Assessment is offered of the public choice school's assertion that government failure leads to an excessively large public sector.

EC20080: International politics of development

Credits: 6

Level: Intermediate

Semester: 2

Assessment: CW100

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must take EC10078

Aims: To introduce students to the international dimension of development and familiarise them with key issues in the international politics of development.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the unit students should
* have a clear understanding of how the concept of development has to be understood in the context of politics at international level
* develop analyses of connections between practices of development and that of politics at international level
* be familiar with the debates over First World, Third World and development
* have a critical understanding of key issues such as aid, conditionalities, international organisations, human security, war, and inequality.
Skills:
* Critical thinking
* Proactive $ùreading' of the written and visual texts
* Relating academic learning to everyday life
* Managing time effectively to optimise knowledge and understanding of a syllabus
* Writing clearly and concisely and presenting an argument logically and succinctly
Content:
The topics will include: conceptualising the $ùinternational' of development; development in the context of international politics; the idea of first world, third world and Developmentalism; postcolonial states and developmentalism; aid and conditionalities; security and development; women, war and development; the role of international organisations; inequality, poverty and hunger as international development as well as international political issues.
Key Texts:
* Escobar, A. (1995) Encountering development. Princeton. Princeton University Press.
* Hoogvelt, A. (2001). Globalization and the postcolonial world. London. Palgrave.
* Duffield, M. (2002) Global Governance and the New War. London. Zed.

EC20147: Intermediate microeconomics 2

Credits: 6

Level: Intermediate

Semester: 2

Assessment: EX70CW30

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must take EC20010

Aims: The aim of this unit is to enable students to extend their analytical ability in microeconomics so that they can use theory to generate predictions and explanations with respect to economic phenomena.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this module the student will be able to:
a) examine the working of some basic types of market structure;
b) understand some basic efficiency and welfare concepts and apply them to various situations;
c) understand some of the problems that can arise in a market economy.
Skills:
Problem solving: application of analysis to specific problems. Understanding: expressed in written form through coursework and examinations.
Content:
This unit, together with EC20010, covers the core concepts and method of microeconomic analysis at the intermediate level, using some mathematics in modelling and explanation. General equilibrium and welfare: competitive equilibrium and Pareto optimality; externalities and public goods; monopoly: welfare loss due to monopoly, taxes on monopolies; oligopoly: Cournot and Stackelberg models; the economics of information.
Key text: Varian, H Intermediate Microeconomics.

Credits: 6

Level: Honours

Semester: 2

Assessment: CW100

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must take EC30032

EC30034: International trade

Credits: 6

Level: Honours

Semester: 1

Assessment: EX100

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must take EC20010 and (take EC20011 or take EC20156)

Aims: The aim of the Unit is to provide an economic perspective on issues relating to international trade.
Learning Outcomes:
The learning outcome is that, at the end of the course unit, students will understand the way in which economic theory can be applied to issues such as
(i) why countries engage in international trade
(ii) how the pattern of trade flow is determined
(iii) why countries adopt trade restraints
(iv) why countries join customs unions. Although the unit can be studied as a self-contained module, it forms part of a specialist stream in International Economics, with EC30027 International Monetary Economics.
Skills:
Analytical skills are facilitated (i.e. skills of value beyond the subject matter), e.g. the use and evaluation of arguments, logical reasoning. Investigative (research) skills and skill in time management are facilitated. An enhanced understanding of economic analysis and skill in presentation is assessed.
Content:
After an introduction to basic concepts, the topics discussed will include: comparative advantage; the gains from trade; adjustment costs; the Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson model; the specific factors model; theories of intra-industry trade; the costs of protection, smuggling, trade taxes as a revenue source; the optimum tariff; export subsidies; international cartels, quotas and voluntary export restraint; international integration; multinational enterprises and the welfare effects of the international movement of factors of production.

EC30035: Public expenditure & public choice

Credits: 6

Level: Honours

Semester: 1

Assessment: EX100

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must take EC20010 and (take EC20011 or take EC20156)

Aims: The aim of the Unit is to provide an economic perspective on decisions which are made with respect to government expenditure programmes.
Learning Outcomes:
The learning outcome is that at the end of the course unit students will be able to
(i) understand the theoretical basis of techniques such as cost benefit analysis
(ii) be able to advise on 'shadow pricing'
(iii) be able to assess how well any cost benefit analysis has been carried out
(iv) understand how microeconomic theory can be applied to the process of decision making on public expenditure programmes
(v) be able to assess the importance of new literature concerning the 'public choice' approach.
Although the unit can be studied as a self-contained module, it forms part of a specialist stream in Public Finance, with EC30036 The Economics of Taxation.
Skills:
Analytical skills are facilitated (i.e. skills of value beyond the subject matter), e.g. the use and evaluation of arguments, logical reasoning. Investigative (research) skills and skill in time management are facilitated. An enhanced understanding of economic analysis and skill in presentation is assessed.
Content:
The course unit begins with a review of welfare economics (public expenditure analysis is applied welfare economics). Market failure and the rationale for government intervention is assessed. The impact of alleged 'failings' in the political process is also assessed. The behaviour of voters, political parties, bureaucrats and pressure groups is analysed using microeconomic theory. The growth of the public sector is considered in terms of both market and government failure. Techniques for public sector appraisal are discussed.

EC30036: Economics of taxation

Credits: 6

Level: Honours

Semester: 2

Assessment: EX100

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must take EC20010 and (take EC20011 or take EC20156)

Aims: The aim of the Unit is to provide an economic perspective on taxation and an understanding of the criteria which can be used to assess different taxes.
Learning Outcomes:
The learning outcome is that, by the end of the course unit, students will be able to appraise tax reform against a set of criteria (which include efficiency and equity). For example, students will understand and assess how taxes affect:
(i) resource allocation
(ii) incentives to work and save
(iii) the allocation of corporate investment and
(iv) the income distribution.
Although the unit can be studied as a self-contained module, it forms part of a specialist stream in Public Finance, with EC30035 Public Expenditure and Public Choice.
Skills:
Analytical skills are facilitated (i.e. skills of value beyond the subject matter), e.g. the use and evaluation of arguments, logical reasoning. Investigative (research) skills and skill in time management are facilitated. An enhanced understanding of economic analysis and skill in presentation is assessed.
Content:
The course unit begins with an analysis of the welfare costs of taxation. Tax incidence is discussed. The effect of tax on work effort, saving and risk taking is explored (and, in particular, the claims of 'supply-side economists' are assessed). Tax expenditures (e.g. tax relief for charitable giving) are appraised. Tax evasion and policy to deter tax evasion is discussed. International taxation is considered. The choice between taxation and government borrowing is examined.

EC30040: A history of international relations theory

Credits: 6

Level: Honours

Semester: 1

Assessment: EX50ES50

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must take EC20080

Aims: This course aims to:
1. distinguish between 'world affairs', 'contemporary history' from the academic study of International Relations or World Politics.
2. introduce and provide an overview of the main images, perspectives, paradigms, or traditions of thought scholars use to explain/examine/understand International Relations.
3. examine why human beings decided to organise themselves into geographically separate political communities (called 'states'), and to distinguish between the idea of 'international society', 'international system', 'world society', and 'global international society'.
4. examine the development of the main 'institutions' of international society, focusing particularly on the procedures of international law (regarding state sovereignty, treaties), the mechanisms of diplomacy, the working of international organisations, and the customs and conventions of war.
5. examine the origins and development of some of the different historical state systems or systems of states out of which emerged European international society and contemporary global international society or world society.
6. examine the main thinkers, concepts, and theories in international thought as they emerged in the context of different historical state systems.
7. examine what factors in different historical state systems contributed to order, stability, and international co-operation, and what factors contributed to disorder, instability, war or international conflict.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course students should be able to:
1. identify and explain the main perspectives of International Relations.
2. identify the key Western thinkers in International Relations and explain how their ideas have contributed to the main perspectives on International Relations.
3. explain how some of the key thinkers in international thought and their ideas are related to the development the main historical state systems.
4. explain what factors, particularly cultural, religious, political, and economic, contributed to international order and co-operation and international conflict in different historical state systems.
5. explain the development of international ideas relating to international law, the ethics of war, diplomacy, and international co-operation.
Skills:
critical reading, thinking, and listening.
Content:
An historical survey of the main theories of international relations and the main historical state-systems in which they arose: the Greek-state system, the middle ages, the Renaissance and the emergence of the modern state system. The course unit examines a series of important, enduring questions in international relations theory about international systems: (1) what were the origins of different international systems; (2) what factors contributed to order and stability; and (3) what factors promoted not only disorder and instability, but also system-wide change, the change to an entirely different type of international system. Key texts: Michael Doyle Ways of War and Peace: Realism, Liberalism, and Socialism; Torbjorn Knutsen A History of International Relations Theory; Joseph Nye Understanding International Conflicts: An Introduction to Theory and History.

EC30041: Global politics

Credits: 6

Level: Honours

Semester: 2

Assessment: EX80RT20

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must take EC20080

Aims: The unit introduces students to international relations (IR), broadly defined as the study of world politics. It examines some theoretical and empirical issues that have salience in the contemporary world. The intention is to foreground the close linkage between theory and practice within IR and critically interrogating some of the important conceptual issues and global problems in international politics.
Learning Outcomes:
The learning objectives and outcomes include:
* The ability to understand and analyse critically a range of issues in contemporary international relations
* The ability to engage in constructive, critical discussion about issues of international relations politics
* The ability to undertake independent research into an issue related to world politics
* The ability to write articulately, concisely and persuasively about issues in world politics
* Good grasp of and the ability to integrate lecture and reading materials
* The ability to critically 'read' scholarly as well as popular written and visuals texts of everyday international relations.
Skills:
* Critical thinking
* Proactive 'reading' of the written and visual texts
* Relating academic learning to everyday life
* Managing time effectively to optimise knowledge and understanding of a syllabus
* Writing clearly and concisely and presenting an argument logically and succinctly
* Peer group presentation
Content:
Topics covered include various theories of International Relations, some important concepts (such as Globalisation, Security and Nationalism), themes (such as Global social movements, Humanitarian interventions, Human rights), and topical issues (such as the United States' foreign policy, significance of 'September 11', the events in Iraq). The focus is on a better and critical understanding of contemporary global politics.

EC30042: The politics of ethnicity, religion, and nationalism

Credits: 6

Level: Honours

Semester: 2

Assessment: ES50EX50

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must take EC20080

Aims: This course aims to:
1. provide an understanding of the on-going saliency of ethnicity, religion, and nationalism in the politics of selected post-communist and developing countries.
2. explain the role of religion in the origin, formation (or social construction) of ethnicity, nationhood, and nationalism.
3. explain why the different perspectives of social theory neglect or ignore the role of religion in politics.
4. to explain the role of religion in the liberation struggle in South Africa.
5. to explain the role of liberation theology, the Catholic church, and Pentecostal Christianity in the political changes in Latin America.
6. examine the nature of 'fundamentalism' as a concept, and examine its application to the mixing of religion and politics in selected states.
7. examine the various ways Islam and politics have been interpreted within the Islamic tradition, and explain the way these interpretations have influence the political development of a variety of Islamic states.
8. explain the ways religion has come to challenge the secular state.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this course students should be able to do the following:
1. critically evaluate the role of ethnicity, religion, and nationalism in the main perspectives of social theory in development and international relations.
2. explain how religion has played a role in the reolutions or political changes in South Africa, Poland, and Latin America.
3. explain the way different Muslim countries have tried to form 'Islamic states' and applied Islam to their politics and society.
4. explain how religion challenges the secular state in a number of developing countries, including India, Turkey, Algeria, and Egypt.
Skills:
critical reading, thinking, and listening.
Content:
Introduction to the politics of developing countries; the concepts of ethnicity, religion and nationalism; the transition to democracy; the consolidation of democracy.Case studies of: Poland, Yugoslavia, South Africa, Turkey, India, Algeria, Egypt and Latin America. Key texts:
* J. Esposito and J. Voll Islam and Democracy.
* Jeff Haynes Religion and Politics in the Third World.
* Jeff Haynes Religion in Global Politics.
* David Westerlund (ed) Questioning the Secular State.
* Steve Bruce Politics and Religion (Polity Pr, 2003).

EC30142: Economics of sport

Credits: 6

Level: Honours

Semester: 2

Assessment: EX100

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must (take EC20010 or take EC30017) and take EC10004

Aims: This unit applies economic theory - demand and supply, theory of the firm and labour markets - to the analysis of the sport industry. The material covered in the unit will deal with both theoretical and empirical issues in equal measure and will be applied to both US and European team and individual sports (although the primary focus is on team sports).
Learning Outcomes:
*To develop an appreciation of how microeconomics may be used to explain the motivation of economic agents in the sports industry;
*To understand the operation of sporting leagues and critically evaluate policy proposals with respect to the product market and the labour market;
*To develop a knowledge and understanding of the relevant theoretical and empirical literature relating to the economics of sport.
Skills:
Problem-solving exercises, critical and analytical skills, self-directed learning.
Content:
Economic and commercial importance of the industry, current issues; nature of the product and objectives, demand for team sports and the uncertainty of outcome hypothesis; the impact of broadcasting on demand and revenue; economic models of sporting leagues and behaviour, competitive balance, eliciting effort; estimation of team production functions, establishing the contribution of the manager/coach; labour market controls, salary determination, termination and hiring decisions; the impact of sport on the wider community.

EC30145: Economics of incentives

Credits: 6

Level: Honours

Semester: 2

Assessment: CW40EX60

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must take EC20010

Aims: The aim of this course is to provide an understanding of the effects of asymmetric information on the incentives of agents involved in various situations of economic interaction.
Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this course the student should be able to demonstrate an understanding of and be able to formally model moral hazard and adverse selection, and solve problems involving these concepts.
Skills:
Ability to critically analyse problems characterised by asymmetric information and develop solutions.
Content:
This course is concerned with formal analysis of various situations of trade between agents who have different information. The specific topics that will be covered are:
(a) Auction Theory: Private value auction; the optimal design of auctions; common value auctions; the winner's curse;
(b) Non-linear pricing;
(c) Moral Hazard Theory: Principal-agent moral hazard problems; incentive problems in employment contracts; multiple agent problems;
(d) Adverse Selection Theory: The revelation principle; examples including the control of externalities, revelation of preferences for public goods, price discrimination and the regulation of a monopolist with private information.

EC30163: Development economics 3

Credits: 6

Level: Honours

Semester: 1

Assessment: EX100

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must take EC20010 and take EC20155 and (take EC20011 or take EC20156)

Aims:
* To illustrate the application of modern analytic tools in macro and microeconomics (learnt in previous units) to key development issues and problems
* To introduce new techniques and methods for the analysis of contemporary development issues and questions
* To encourage a questioning approach in the application of techniques.
Learning Outcomes:
Students should develop their appreciation of the power of economic analysis in addressing applied questions, here specifically in relation to development questions. They should also develop a critical ability in linking economic analysis to real issues, and also recognise its limitations.
Skills:
* Skills in explaining often complex ideas intuitively in writing or verbally
* The ability to read research articles in development economics critically and understand key arguments or messages
* An understanding of how to apply analytic skills to new questions.
Content:
Topics will include: conceptions of well being and Sen's capabilities framework; insights from growth theory, including new growth theory; measurement and determinants of inequality and poverty and their change over time; population growth and fertility; the nature of rural markets: land, labour and credit, and their interactions; risk and insurance in agriculture; trade; and trade policy; external debt and stabilisation.
Key text: Ray, D. Development Economics (Princeton 1998)

EC40148: South Asia regional specialism

Credits: 6

Level: Masters

Semester: 2

Assessment: ES100

Requisites:

In taking this unit you cannot take SP40141 or take EC40149 or take EC40150 or take EC40151

Aims: To allow students to develop a more in-depth and contextual understanding of key development issues in South Asia. To give the student an opportunity to plan and implement a piece of research (based on secondary sources) on a topic of their own choosing.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the unit students will have a deeper, more coherent and up-to-date multi-disciplinary understanding of development issues in South Asia. They will have improved their skills in locating and critically reviewing published research findings about the region and in discussing their views with others. They will have identified and examined in-depth a contemporary development issue in the region.
Skills:
* Cross-cultural and interpersonal sensitivity (Taught/Facilitated)
* Comprehensive and scholarly written communication (e.g. essays) (T/F/Assessed)
* Effective oral communication (e.g. seminar presentations) (T/F/A)
* Ability to select, summarise and synthesis written information from multiple sources (T/F/A)
* Ability to synthesise multidisciplinary perspectives on the same problem (T/F/A)
* Ability to formulate a research question, then develop and present an original & coherent answer (T/F/A)
* Ability to produce work to agreed specifications and deadlines (T/F/A)
* Ability to work independently, without close supervision of guidance (T/F/A)
* Ability to work effectively as part of a group or team (T/F/A)
Content:
Part 1 comprises a review of major economic, social, and political trends in South Asia, contemporary development debates and related literature.
Part 2 comprises individual or small group tutorials aimed at helping each student to identify a substantive essay topic of their own choice. These topics are likely to draw on material covered in other Semester 2 units that do not have a regional focus. In this way this unit provides a way for students to develop expertise in the region by applying what they are learning in other units.
Part 3 comprises a series of seminar presentations and discussions based on students essay topics.

EC40149: Africa regional specialism

Credits: 6

Level: Masters

Semester: 2

Assessment: ES100

Requisites:

In taking this unit you cannot take EC40148 or take EC40150 or take EC40151 or take SP40141

Aims: To allow students to develop a more in-depth and contextual understanding of key development issues in Africa. To give the student an opportunity to plan and implement a piece of research (based on secondary sources) on a topic of their own choosing.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the unit students will have a deeper, more coherent and up-to-date multi-disciplinary understanding of development issues in Africa. They will have improved their skills in locating and critically reviewing published research findings about the region and in discussing their views with others. They will have identified and examined in-depth a contemporary development issue in the region.
Skills:
* Cross-cultural and interpersonal sensitivity (Taught/Facilitated)
* Comprehensive and scholarly written communication (e.g. essays) (T/F/Assessed)
* Effective oral communication (e.g. seminar presentations) (T/F/A)
* Ability to select, summarise and synthesis written information from multiple sources (T/F/A)
* Ability to synthesise multidisciplinary perspectives on the same problem (T/F/A)
* Ability to formulate a research question, then develop and present an original & coherent answer (T/F/A)
* Ability to produce work to agreed specifications and deadlines (T/F/A)
* Ability to work independently, without close supervision of guidance (T/F/A)
* Ability to work effectively as part of a group or team (T/F/A)
Content:
Part 1 comprises a review of major economic, social, and political trends in Africa, contemporary development debates and related literature.
Part 2 comprises individual or small group tutorials aimed at helping each student to identify a substantive essay topic of their own choice. These topics are likely to draw on material covered in other Semester 2 units that do not have a regional focus. In this way this unit provides a way for students to develop expertise in the region by applying what they are learning in other units.
Part 3 comprises a series of seminar presentations and discussions based on students essay topics.

EC40150: Latin America regional specialism

Credits: 6

Level: Masters

Semester: 2

Assessment: ES100

Requisites:

In taking this unit you cannot take EC40148 or take EC40149 or take EC40151 or take SP40141

Aims: To allow students to develop a more in-depth and contextual understanding of key development issues in Latin America. To give the student an opportunity to plan and implement a piece of research (based on secondary sources) on a topic of their own choosing.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the unit students will have a deeper, more coherent and up-to-date multi-disciplinary understanding of development issues in Latin America. They will have improved their skills in locating and critically reviewing published research findings about the region and in discussing their views with others. They will have identified and examined in-depth a contemporary development issue in the region.
Skills:
* Cross-cultural and interpersonal sensitivity (Taught/Facilitated)
* Comprehensive and scholarly academic writing style (e.g. essays) (T/F/Assessed)
* Effective oral communication (e.g. seminar presentations) (T/F/A)
* Ability to select, summarise and synthesise written information from multiple sources (T/F/A)
* Ability to synthesise multidisciplinary perspectives on the same problem (T/F/A)
* Ability to formulate a research question, then develop and present an original & coherent answer (T/F/A)
* Ability to produce work to agreed specifications and deadlines (T/F/A)
* Ability to work independently, without close supervision of guidance (T/F/A)
* Ability to work effectively as part of a group or team (T/F/A).
Content:
Part 1 comprises a review of major economic, social, and political trends in Latin America, contemporary development debates and related literature.
Part 2 comprises individual or small group tutorials aimed at helping each student to identify a substantive essay topic of their own choice. These topics are likely to draw on material covered in other Semester 2 units that do not have a regional focus. In this way this unit provides a way for students to develop expertise in the region by applying what they are learning in other units.
Part 3 comprises a series of seminar presentations and discussions based on students essay topics.

EC40165: Critical issues in social development

Credits: 6

Level: Masters

Semester: 2

Assessment: CW100

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must (take EC10077 and take EC20023) or take EC50061

Aims: To introduce students to key current issues in social development, and equip them with analytical skills to address these.
Learning Outcomes:
Participants should gain some knowledge and understanding of key issues and approaches in social development, and be able to locate these in a broader analysis of societies and culture.
Skills:
* Cross-cultural and interpersonal sensitivity (Taught/Facilitated)
* Comprehensive and scholarly written communication (e.g. essays) (T/F/A)
* Concise, time-bound and effective written communication (e.g. briefings )
* Effective oral communication (e.g. seminar presentations) (T/F)
* Ability to select, summarise and synthesise written information from multiple sources (T/F/A)
* Ability to develop rigorous arguments through precise use of concepts and models (T/F/A)
* Ability to select and use appropriate ideas to produce a coherent response to a pre-set question (T/F/A)
* Ability to produce work to agreed specifications and deadlines (T/F/A)
* Ability to work effectively as part of a group or team (T/F)
* Ability to reflect critically on own experience (T/F).
Content:
The core of social development is the recognition that development is done for, by, and with people. Sound understanding of social life and culture is critical to the impact of policies on the ground. Beyond a duty of care for the relatively disadvantaged, this requires critical analysis of the social dynamics through which identities are constructed and resources distributed. With particular reference to gender and child rights, this unit examines some of the key approaches in the field of social development, and explores the analytical issues that these raise. Considering underlying issues of culture and political economy, it locates present approaches within the broader traditions of analysis. Reflection on personal experience is also encouraged. Finally, it reviews $ùbreaking issues&© in social development, such as wellbeing, commodification, the significance of psychology, race, and violence.
Illustrative content: targeting women; planning gender; men and masculinity; child rights; child labour; child participation; wellbeing and livelihoods; commodification and consumption; race and racism; health and culture; psychologies in development; violence.

EC40166: South East Asia regional specialism

Credits: 6

Level: Masters

Credits: 6

Level: Masters

Semester: 1

Assessment: CW100

Requisites:

In taking this unit you cannot take SP50139

Aims: To establish the political theoretical frameworks necessary for the analysis of policy and then to introduce the wider concepts, ideas and questions that are fundamental to the study of politics in developing countries.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the units students should:
* have a critical understanding of key concepts from political science necessary for the analysis of policy, both in general and in relation to development policy;
* be critically aware of the range of 'actors' in the policy process and place them in theoretical context;
* have a critical understanding of the way Western political theory has been applied to developing countries;
* show an understanding of basic conceptualisations of democracy, state, nationalism that had their origins in the West but are used to evaluate the politics of developing countries.
Skills:
Comprehensive and scholarly written communication (e.g. essays) (Taught/Facilitated/Assessed). Ability to select, summarise and synthesis written information from multiple sources (T/F/A). Ability to develop rigorous arguments through precise use of concepts and models (T/F/A). Ability to select and use appropriate ideas to produce a coherent response to a pre-set question (T/F/A). Ability to produce work to agreed specifications and deadlines (T/F/A). Ability to work independently, without close supervision or guidance (T/F/A).
Content:
Part 1: Politics and policy analysis; Theories of the state; Theories of power; Organisations and Institutions; Street-level bureaucrats; Organised interests and civil society: Part 2: The politics of studying the politics of developing countries; The state of the Third World State; The problem of democratisation, problematising democracy; Contesting the Nation; contesting Nationalisms; Conceptualising politics; Politicising concepts.

EC50066: Postgraduate dissertation preparation (MID/MGIPA)

Credits: 6

Level: Masters

Semester: 2

Assessment: CW100

Requisites:

Aims: To develop skills in formulating a research question and with plans for a possible answer; to develop skills in preparing and giving presentations; to develop skills in locating and organising suitable data and literature for a dissertation.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the unit students should have a deeper and more critical understanding of how to formulate and develop an original research question. They should also have improved their skills in researching, presenting and critically appraising possible topics.
Skills:
Cross-cultural and interpersonal sensitivity (Taught/Facilitated). Concise, time-bound and effective written communication (e.g. briefings / exams) (T/F/Assessed). Effective oral communication (e.g. seminar presentations) (T/F). Ability to develop rigorous arguments through precise use of concepts and models (T/F). Ability to synthesise multidisciplinary perspectives on the same problem (T/F). Ability to formulate a research question, then develop and present an original & coherent answer (T/F/A). Ability to produce work to agreed specifications and deadlines (T/F). Ability to work independently, without close supervision of guidance (T/F). Ability to work effectively as part of a group or team (T/F).
Content:
The unit consists of an intensive workshop lasting one week. During this period students are briefed on what constitutes a good dissertation and on methodological options. They are also required to come up with a possible dissertation topic. They discuss these in small groups, as well as with a tutor, and present a draft dissertation synopsis both on paper and orally.

EC50071: Management of development (MID)

Credits: 6

Level: Masters

Semester: 2

Assessment: CW50EX50

Requisites:

Aims: To introduce students to key issues in the contemporary management of development.
Learning Outcomes:
Participants should develop an awareness of trends in contemporary development practice and understand how the management of development fits with a wider analysis of the development policy process.
Skills:
Cross-cultural and interpersonal sensitivity (Taught/Facilitated). Concise, time-bound and effective written communication (e.g. briefings / exams) (T/F/Assessed). Effective oral communication (e.g. seminar presentations) (T/F). Ability to select, analyse and present numerical data (T/F). Ability to develop rigorous arguments through precise use of concepts and models (T/F/A). Ability to synthesise multidisciplinary perspectives on the same problem (T/F/A). Ability to select and use appropriate ideas to produce a coherent response to a pre-set question (T/F/A). Ability to produce work to agreed specifications and deadlines (T/F/A). Ability to work effectively as part of a group or team (T/F).
Content:
The unit involves a review of process and blueprint approaches to project cycle management (including the use of logical framework, cost-benefit, and stakeholder analysis, contracting and performance assessment) with particular reference to micro enterprise development. It also analyses wider structures and systems of administration and governance, illustrated with reference to structural adjustment and public (including health) sector reform programmes. In both parts the emphasis will be on bringing out the relationship between development practices and underlying issues, including participation, power, sustainability, rationality.Illustrative content: Introduction: Policy, Programmes and Projects; Managing Organisations, Managing People; Project Appraisal; Appraisal exercise; Project Identification and Design Identification; Identification and Design exercise; Interventions and Internal Relationships External Relationships; Service Delivery; Service Delivery exercise; Intervention Evaluation; Evaluation exercise; Conclusion: Managing Development and Poverty Eradication.

EC50073: Introduction to economics

Credits: 0

Level: Masters

Academic Year

Assessment:

Requisites:

Aims: The aim of this unit is to provide an introductory outline of the main features of economic analysis and show how this may be of help in analysing important contemporary issues, with a view to informing and underpinning students' work in the translation and interpreting units.
Learning Outcomes:
Students who complete the unit successfully will be able to demonstrate an appropriate knowledge and understanding of economic analysis and terminology in their translation and interpreting activities.
Skills:
The emphasis in this unit is on developing:
* the intellectual skill required to assimilate a potentially complex and unfamiliar body of information;
* the transferable key skills of listening, analysing information and relating this to data and materials that are likely to be encountered in other contexts;
* the practical ability to deploy a functional knowledge of economics as part of professional language work.
Content:
The course material is chosen to demonstrate how economic analysis can be applied not only to UK domestic issues but also to a broad selection of European and more widely international topics. The main areas dealt with are as follows:
* Markets: demand and supply - Case study: the housing market
* Assessing macro-economic variables
* Macro-economic policy
* Inflation and unemployment
* Public debt, the balance of payments and exchange rates
* EMU and possible UK membership.
Students are expected to do appropriate background reading.

Credits: 6

Level: Masters

Semester: 1

Assessment: EX80OT20

Requisites:

Aims: To provide a good understanding at graduate level of the theory and techniques of microeconomic analysis.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will gain an understanding of how economists model individuals and their interaction in market and non-market settings. In addition students will able to demonstrate an awareness of the difficulties presented by risk and uncertainty and asymmetric information in economic analysis and how they are resolved.
Skills:
Ability to develop rigorous arguments through precise use of concepts and mathematical models (Taught/Facilitated/Assessed). Ability to select, summarise and synthesis written information from multiple sources (T/F/A). Ability to select and use appropriate ideas to produce a coherent response to a pre-set question (T/F/A). Comprehensive and scholarly written communication (T/F/A). Concise and effective written communication (e.g. briefings / written exams) (T/F/A). Effective oral communication (e.g. lecture question and answer) (F).
Content:
The theory of the consumer and producer in a competitive environment; uncertainty, the expected utility model and alternatives; general equilibrium theory; game theory; the economics of information; incentives and mechanism design with applications to bargaining and auctions.

EC50162: Financial econometrics II

Credits: 6

Level: Masters

Semester: 2

Assessment: EX70CW30

Requisites:

In taking this unit you cannot take EC50119

Aims: The unit aims to provide the students with the knowledge and skills necessary to:
a) Understand and be critically aware of the findings of the empirical academic literature in the areas of accounting and finance, and;
b) Conduct their own comprehensive investigations over a range of accounting and financial relationships.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of the unit students will be expected to be able to:
* Use and develop aspects of the dynamic regression model
* Use the recommended econometric software to undertake their own empirical investigation.
* Analyse and reflect on empirical results derived using the econometric software.
* Develop and test the validity of well established empirical models using a wide range of diagnostic results.
Skills:
Abstraction and analytic skills (A)
Information gathering and Synthesis (A)
Use of Information Technology (F/A)
Time Management and Planning (A)
Numeracy Skills (T/A)
Content:
The modeling of Time Series Models and Non-stationarity.
Cointegration, Vector Autoregression and VECMs.
Panel Estimation.
Volatility Modelling and ARCH models.

EC50164: International development and poverty

Credits: 6

Level: Masters

Semester: 1

Assessment: CW100

Requisites:

Aims:
* To familiarise students with a history of ideas about development.
* To introduce alternative paradigms for thinking about development.
* To enable students to share conceptions of the development process.
* To introduce students to the different ways in which poverty has entered debates over how development assistance should be organised.
* To relate these to wider development paradigms.
* To consider how these paradigms have affected donor and government policies.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit students should
(a) have a clearer and more critical understanding of their own ideas and experiences of development
(b) be able to locate and evaluate their ideas in relation to the academic literature on development.
Students should also have a critical understanding of issues around the conceptualisation and measurement of 'poverty' and related explanations, ideologies and recommendations for praxis.
They will have improved group-work, analytical and empirical research skills, and be better able to express themselves through different modes of writing and presentation (such as Briefing Papers), and to make links between values, explanations, concepts, measures, empirical material, policy and policy outcomes.
Skills:
* Cross-cultural and interpersonal sensitivity (Taught/Facilitated)
* Comprehensive and scholarly written communication (e.g. essays) (T/F/Assessed)
* Effective oral communication (e.g. seminar presentations) (T/F)
* Ability to select, summarise and synthesise written information from multiple sources (T/F/A)
* Ability to synthesise multidisciplinary perspectives on teh same problem (T/F/A)
* Ability to produce work to agreed specifications and deadlines (T/F/A)
* Concise, time-bound and effective written communication (e.g. briefings/exams) (T/F/A)
* Ability to select, analyse and present numerical data (T/F/A)
* Ability to develop rigorous arguments through precise use of concepts and models (T/F/A)
* Ability to work effectively as part of a group or team (T/F/A)
Content:
Development ideology and practice; development studies as a post-colonial discipline; dependency and globalisation; actors' struggles; development ideas and gender; donor fashions. The experience of poverty; development paradigms and the conceptualisation and measurement of poverty; development paradigms and the causes of poverty; social policy for developing countries; development paradigms and anti-poverty praxis; country case studies.

EC50167: International policy analysis 2

Credits: 6

Level: Masters

Semester: 2

Assessment: CW100

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must take SP50139

Aims:
* To provide students with a critical understanding of international policy-making;
* To provide students with a critical understanding of different methodological approaches towards analysing international policy and with the ability to apply these to international policy issues and problems.
* To provide students with a critical understanding of the institutional and policy environment within which governments, businesses and civil society organisations are shaping the global system;
* To critically examine the policy choices and conflicts these actors present to each other and the issues of public and private responsibility which these raise.
Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this unit, students will have:
* Applied the major methods and models of international policy analysis to current international policy issues
* Critically assessed the relative strengths and weaknesses of major methods and models of international policy analysis
* Critically reviewed key texts relating to the analysis of international policy-making
* Critically analysed policy choices of state and non-state actors and political institutions involved in international policy-making.
By the end of this unit students should be able to:
* Apply different methodologies to analyse international policy issues and problems and to understand the international policy process.
Skills:
Intellectual skills:
* To think creatively and analytically
* To communicate an argument
* To critically evaluate and assess research and evidence as well as a variety of other information
* To synthesise information from a number of sources in order to gain a coherent understanding.
Transferable/Key skills:
* Essay research, preparation and writing skills
* Group work skills
* Policy research skills
* Presentation skills and verbal communication (i.e. oral presentations, seminar contributions)
Knowledge outcomes:
* Theoretical basis of different concepts towards understanding international policy-making
* Knowledge of the current developments and contemporary research in international policy analysis Identification of international policy issues.
Content:
International Policy Analysis 2 continues and builds on International Policy Analysis 1 taught in the first semester. The six international policy issues given to student groups in the first semester will be analysed in six meetings which will take the form of a lecture followed by group-presentations and seminar discussion. External professorial guest-speakers involved in international policy-making will present and discuss agreed current issues in international policy.

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