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Unit of study_

ECON6906: Topics in Economic Development

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit of study is designed to provide an understanding of some of the current developments in the field of development economics. The focus is both on theoretical understanding and practical application. A central aim of this unit of study is to enable students to undertake further theoretical or empirical research in the area of development economics.

Unit details and rules

Unit code ECON6906
Academic unit Economics
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
(ECON6001 or ECON6701) and (ECON6002 or ECON6702) and (ECON6003 or ECON6703) and (ECMT6002 or ECMT6702)
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Russell Toth, russell.toth@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Final exam Final exam
Online (2-hour) and take-home (7-hour) components
30% Formal exam period 2 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Presentation Oral discussion of featured paper
Online presentation (video/script upload, Zoom presentation)
10% Multiple weeks 20 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5
Assignment Empirical replication
n/a
10% Week 04
Due date: 19 Mar 2020 at 22:00
Per assignment instructions
Outcomes assessed: LO3 LO4 LO5
Assignment Term essay: initial topic
n/a
0% Week 05
Due date: 29 Mar 2020 at 22:00
Per assessment instructions
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO3
Assignment Term essay: initial proposal
n/a
5% Week 08
Due date: 12 Apr 2020 at 22:00
Per assessment instructions
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO3
Assignment group assignment Applied theory project
Online group collaboration
10% Week 09
Due date: 03 May 2020 at 17:00
Per assessment instructions
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO4 LO5
Assignment Term essay: proposal update: literature review and methods
n/a
10% Week 11
Due date: 17 May 2020 at 23:59
Per assessment instructions
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3
Assignment Term essay: peer review
n/a
5% Week 12
Due date: 22 May 2020 at 17:00
Per assessment instructions
Outcomes assessed: LO4 LO5
Assignment Term essay: final submission
n/a
10% Week 13
Due date: 29 May 2020 at 17:00
Per assessment instructions
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Participation Online participation
n/a
10% Weekly Ongoing
Outcomes assessed: LO1
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

 

Distinction

75 - 84

 

Credit

65 - 74

 

Pass

50 - 64

 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website  provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.  

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Introductory lecture Seminar (3 hr)  
Week 02 Lecture 1 Seminar (3 hr)  
Week 03 Lecture 2 Seminar (3 hr)  
Week 04 Lecture 3 Seminar (3 hr)  
Week 05 Lecture 4 Seminar (3 hr)  
Week 06 Lecture 5 Seminar (3 hr)  
Week 07 Lecture 6 Seminar (3 hr)  
Week 08 Lecture 7 Seminar (3 hr)  
Week 09 Lecture 8 Seminar (3 hr)  
Week 10 Lecture 9 Seminar (3 hr)  
Week 11 Lecture 10 Seminar (3 hr)  
Week 12 Lecture 11 Seminar (3 hr)  
Week 13 Lecture 12 Seminar (3 hr)  

Attendance and class requirements

  • Attendance: According to Faculty Board Resolutions, students in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences are expected to attend 90% of their classes. If you attend less than 50% of classes, regardless of the reasons, you may be referred to the Examiner’s Board. The Examiner’s Board will decide whether you should pass or fail the unit of study if your attendance falls below this threshold.
  • Lecture recording: Most lectures (in recording-equipped venues) will be recorded and may be made available to students on the LMS. However, you should not rely on lecture recording to substitute your classroom learning experience.
  • Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Students are expected to read the assigned background readings in anticipation of the online discussion on the course website, and to
efficiently read the featured article(s) of the week in preparation for the regular lectures. All course readings will be available in PDF
format through weblinks on the course website.

 
Note that the assigned readings are expected to evolve throughout the semester, and so you should always take the weekly posting of
readings on the course website as the final word on the assigned readings.

 
A number of additional, suggested readings will be provided on the course website and the students are encouraged to peruse and
read them as their interests lead, without any formal requirement to do so. Note that the numbering of weeks is according to the weeks
in the semester.

 
The following book will be used as background reading relatively frequently, so it is strongly recommended that students acquire a copy:

 
Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty, PublicAffairs, 2012.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. assemble and critically evaluate existing knowledge, with an eye for developing new research questions
  • LO2. develop a theoretical framework that succinctly captures the existing state of knowledge and generates testable hypotheses
  • LO3. evaluate and select feasible empirical strategies to test the hypotheses at the highest level of rigour
  • LO4. execute and accurately interpret the results of the analysis
  • LO5. clearly communicate the results of the analysis in written and oral form.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The course is continually adapted based on feedback and other insights.

There is no other relevant information for this unit.

Additional costs

There are no additional costs for this unit.

Site visit guidelines

There are no site visit guidelines for this unit.

Work, health and safety

There are no specific work health and safety requirements for this unit.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.