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Unit of study_

ECOP6012: Country Risk Analysis

Semester 2, 2022 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

The sources of volatility and disruption to social provisioning are an ever-present concern for policymakers, firms, and households. In this unit, you will be introduced to an overview of social provisioning at the level of macroaggregates before drilling down into the sectors of the capitalist economy to understand where and why vulnerabilities emerge, and ruptures occur. You will learn a diverse range of methods and techniques for assessing the facets of country risk (eg economic risk, financial risk, sovereign (default) risk, socio-political risk) and the opportunity to conduct an assessment for a country of your interest.

Unit details and rules

Unit code ECOP6012
Academic unit Political Economy
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Susan Schroeder, susan.schroeder@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Project
n/a
40% Formal exam period
Due date: 21 Nov 2022 at 23:59
3000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8
Assignment Essay
Essay.
30% Week 05
Due date: 02 Sep 2022 at 23:59
2000 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO6 LO7 LO8
Creative assessment / demonstration Empirical practice
Intro to data & basic method of risk analysis. Due end of weeks 6 8 10 12
15% Week 06
Due date: 09 Sep 2022 at 23:00
250 words x 4 submissions.
Outcomes assessed: LO5 LO7 LO3 LO1
Participation group assignment Seminar participation
n/a
15% Weekly n/a
Outcomes assessed: LO1
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found in the Canvas site for this unit.

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 Introduction - What is country risk? Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO6
Week 02 Government (sovereign debt), part 1 Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 03 Government (sovereign debt), part 2 Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 04 Trade (Balance of Payments) and Currency Crises Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 05 Political and Geopolitical Risks Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO6 LO7
Week 06 Political Institutions and Economic Policies Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 07 Country risk vs. Sovereign Risk Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 08 Firms (SMEs and Corporations) Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 09 Banking Systems and Bank Crises Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO3 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 10 Households and Inequality Seminar (2 hr) LO1 LO3 LO5 LO7
Week 11 Financialisation and Asset Bubbles Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 12 Climate Change Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 13 Globalization and Regionalization Seminar (2 hr) LO2 LO3 LO5 LO6 LO7

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 can be accessed on the Library eReserve link available on Canvas.

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. critically analyze and competently discuss the approaches to country risk assessment
  • LO2. evaluate historical influences on the field
  • LO3. identify critical macroeconomic indicators, their constructions and relevance
  • LO4. adapt and apply an approach to country risk assessment
  • LO5. learn basic quantative techniques associated with this field
  • LO6. identify relevent non-economic issues that may impact the performance of an economy
  • LO7. use information technology, such as databases and data processing software
  • LO8. conduct and present independent research that builds on the class material in an original way.

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 unit has undergone significant change since last offered. The material has been flipped so that events and phenomena are analyzed with the assistance of theory. It also seeks to be an actual seminar where students will engage more directly in class.

Style preference:  Harvard system. 

All components are compulsory. 

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.