ECON7030: Semester 1, 2021

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Units ECON7030 Semester 1 2021 [Normal day]

Unit of study_

ECON7030: Economics Research Project

Semester 1, 2021 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

This unit represents a culminating academic experience for students in the MEc by bringing together their knowledge in Economic theory and methodology to analyse an economic problem of their choice. This unit involves the writing and completion of a 6,000 word report. The emphasis is on students acquiring skills in identifying an economic problem, undertaking the required analysis using appropriate tools and disseminating the results.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	ECON7030
Academic unit	Economics
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	ECON7010 or ECON7020
Prerequisites ?	24 credit points from Economics elective units of study
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Chandana Maitra, chandana.maitra@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Proposal presentation Submit pre--recorded presentation in canvas for peer feedback & grading.	10%	Week 06 Due date: 16 Apr 2021 at 00:00	per-recorded presentation (5 minute)
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Project proposal State aims and importance of project, proposed method and data/model	10%	Week 07 Due date: 23 Apr 2021 at 00:00	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Dissertation	Final report Complete project report submission with all sections completed.	80%	Week 13 Due date: 04 Jun 2021 at 00:00	6000 words
Outcomes assessed:

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	Outstanding
Distinction	75 - 84	Superior
Credit	65 - 74	Sound
Pass	50 - 64	Satisfactory
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.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

Any written work submitted after the specified time on the due date will be penalised by 5% of the maximum awardable mark for each calendar day after the due date. If the assessment is submitted more than 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.

Learning support

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.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to Research: Guidelines	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 02	Choosing a research topic	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 03	Joining the conversation: using a literature review to contextualize your contribution	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 04	Research question, meet method: how to answer your research question? Submit tentative plan with steps for completion.	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 05	Reality check: present summary statistics (for empirical proposal) or model set-up (for theoretical proposal) to ensure project feasibility	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 06	Submit pre-recorded proposal presentation for peer group discussion and feedback	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 07	Submit revised project proposal	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 08	Integrate feedback on proposal, develop analysis	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 09	Finding the story in your data/model: what do your results tell us about the economic issue(s) that you have chosen to study?	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 10	Know your weaknesses: identify, describe potential alternative explanations for your findings and discuss the relative merit of these explanations	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 11	Integrate the pieces into a draft final report	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 12	Final presentations (pre-recorded)	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 13	Revise in response to presentation feedback, prepare final project submission	Workshop (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

All readings for this unit will be available in Canvas

Learning outcomes

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.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

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

LO1. Identify a well-defined research question and, where appropriate, formulate testable hypotheses.
LO2. Synthesise the relevant literature and identify an area of potential contribution.
LO3. Apply economic analysis to address a specific research question.
LO4. Use appropriate empirical or theoretical tools to provide insight into the economic issue(s) under study and discuss the advantages of the chosen approach relative to other methods.
LO5. Communicate the result of the economic analysis to both specialist and non-specialist audiences in both written and verbal 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
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

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

Unit outline has been updated based on student feedback to include additional scaffolding and intermediate project steps.

Additional information

More information can be found on Canvas.

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.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

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