ECON7030: Semester 1, 2022

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Units ECON7030 Semester 1 2022 [Normal day]

Unit of study_

ECON7030: Economics Research Project

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.

Details

Academic unit	Economics
Unit code	ECON7030
Unit name	Economics Research Project
Session, year ?	Semester 1, 2022
Attendance mode	Normal day
Location	Remote
Credit points	6

Enrolment rules

Prohibitions ?	ECON7010 or ECON7020
Prerequisites ?	24 credit points from Economics elective units of study
Corequisites ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff and contact details

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

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Presentation Select replication paper, propose preliminary extension plan	15%	Week 03 Due date: 12 Mar 2022 at 23:59	Pre-recorded video submiss (~800 words)
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Pure replication & detailed extension plan Present descriptive statistics key results, detailed plan for completion	25%	Week 06 Due date: 02 Apr 2022 at 23:59	1200 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Capstone diary Reflections about capstone project and evidence of consistent effort	10%	Week 12 Due date: 21 May 2022 at 23:59	500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Final project report Complete project report submission	50%	Week 13 Due date: 28 May 2022 at 23:59	3000 words
Outcomes assessed:

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

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.

Special consideration

If you experience short-term circumstances beyond your control, such as illness, injury or misadventure or if you have essential commitments which impact your preparation or performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic honesty, academic dishonesty, 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 dishonesty or plagiarism seriously.

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

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to the Unit, Research & Replication 1. Activity: Choose your replication paper	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 02	Research & Replication 2. Joining the conversation: use a literature review to contextualize your contribution. Use the literature review to refine your extension plan.	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 03	Research question, meet method: how to answer your research question? Submit a tentative extension plan of the selected replication paper using pre-recorded video presentation. Get peer feedback.	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 04	Reality check: access the data provided by the author of your replication paper, identify the challenges in processing the data, identify software issues. Keep refining your extension plan.	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 05	Reality check: start exploring the data, present summary statistics to ensure project feasibility. Keep refining your extension plan.	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 06	Reproduce the descriptive statistics and key result of your selected replication paper. Submit pure replication of key results, along with a brief literature review and detailed step-by-step completion plan of your replication project.	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 07	Your extension: Get started on your proposed extension. As always, start with the descriptive statistics. If you need access to new/additional data make sure that you have already organized access.	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 08	Integrate feedback you have received so far and develop analysis. By now you should have solved any issue with data and software access.	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 09	Know your weaknesses: get the preliminary results of your proposed extension, identify where you might have gone wrong and how you should revise your model.	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 10	Finding the story in your data/model: submit preliminary extension results as formative assessment for feedback. What do your results tell us about the economic issue(s) that you have chosen to study?	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 11	Engage in critical analysis: Identify, describe potential alternative explanations for your findings and discuss the relative merit of these explanations	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 12	Integrate the pieces into a draft final report.	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 13	Revise in response to 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

Closing the loop

Updated schedule and assessments based on student feedback to include additional scaffolding that break down the summative assessment into more manageable sub-tasks.

Additional information

More information can be found on Canvas.

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

Current students

Overview

Details

Enrolment rules

Teaching staff and contact details

Assessment

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Special consideration

Academic integrity

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Closing the loop

Additional information

Disclaimer

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