ECON 7109 - Economics Minor Research Project

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2018

Each student is to undertake an individual research project that exhibits original investigation analysis and interpretation. A possible project is the development of a research proposal for the Master thesis.

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Course Details

Course Code	ECON 7109
Course	Economics Minor Research Project
Coordinating Unit	Economics
Term	Semester 2
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 2 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Restrictions	Available to PGCW Economics students only
Assessment	Project - approx. 3000 words

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Dr Florian Ploeckl

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

Course Learning Outcomes

The purpose of the dissertation is to encourage students to undertake independent economic research and to foster research-related skills, which should benefit future study and employment.

On successful completion of this dissertation, students will be able to:

Demonstrate specialist knowledge in the area of their research.
Demonstrate the ability to initiate research and to formulate viable research questions.
Demonstrate the capacity to design, conduct and report sustained and original research.
Demonstrate the ability to evaluate and synthesize research-based and scholarly literature.
Present research findings and argument in a suitably structured and sequenced thesis that conforms to protocols of academic presentation and research practice.
Demonstrate the ability to critique literature and conduct analyses at a Masters level.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1,4,5,6
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1,4,5,6
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	2,3,5
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	1,4,6
Intercultural and ethical competency adept at operating in other cultures comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges	2,5
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	2,3

Learning Resources

Required Resources

Written projects must include a bibliography. Since different journals use different methods, it is necessary to choose one method and stick to it consistently. For some guidance concerning bibliographical methods, consult one or more of the references listed in the Barr Smith Library subject catalogue under the heading "Dissertation, Academic"; for example, Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Dissertations.

Students are recommended to consult the Writing Centre at the University for writing and language questions.
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes

Unlike standard coursework, research is a relatively unstructured activity. Student must self pace and self monitor their own progress. One to one guidance is provided in supervision sessions. Regularity of supervision will be set in accordance with their supervisor. A regular schedule would be a meeting at least once every 2 weeks.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The University expects full-time students (i.e. those taking 12 units per semester) to devote a total of 48 hours per week to their studies. This course is 3 units.

Learning Activities Summary
Teaching & Learning Activities Related Learning Outcomes

Student supervision 1-6
1. The student is to prepare a short proposal of the research idea no later than one week before the beginning of the semester and submit this to the Course Co-ordinator.
2. Approval to enrol must be obtained from the Program Co-ordinator before semester starts. A supervisor will be assigned by the Course Co-ordinator once approval is granted.
3. The student is to arrange a first meeting with their assigned supervisor within the first 2 weeks of semester. At the initial (or a subsequent) meeting the student, with approval of the supervisor, will decide on the exact research question, the paper to review or materials to use as well as the relevant structure and sections of the dissertation.
4. Students are expected to submit written drafts of each section to the supervisor. The supervisor is then expected to provide a constructive and critical assessment of the work submitted and make a note of the comments given.
5. For each section of the dissertation, the supervisor is expected to read and comment on the section once. The student is then expected to revise the individual sections, and submit them combined as the final version to the supervisor.
6. Upon receiving the final version of the dissertation, assessing the content, and deciding upon the mark, the supervisor is expected to provide a short report (half a page to one page in length) on the student’s work – including the strengths and weaknesses of the dissertation.
7. Throughout the semester students are strongly expected to attend the Monday's Thesis Workshops and the Friday's Seminar
Specific Course Requirements

The project usually takes the form of a critical assessment of a journal article, formal working paper, book or other suitable object like a particular policy issue. To write this critical assessment, students need to carry out background reading, review references listed in the paper and identify other related works. The student is expected to clearly locate the specific paper being examined within the body of literature, as well as demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical and/or empirical material in the paper, provide a critical assessment and discuss research or policy implications.

An alternative possibility is that the research project takes the form of an academic research proposal, which can be the basis of a Master or Doctoral dissertation later on.

Topics:
Students are responsible for proposing the topic of the dissertation, although they are encouraged to discuss their area of interest and ideas for a selection of the main work with the Program Coordinator or relevant faculty members. Students have to formally submit a proposal not later than one week before the semester to the Program Coordinator, who then assists with the identification of a suitable advisor. Approval by the Program Coordinator and supervisor has to be granted before the start of the semester.

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Due Date/ Week	Weight	Length(Word,Time)	Learning Outcomes
Final Dissertation - Research Project	Week 13	100%	2000 - 5000 words	1-6

Assessment Detail

The standard of English expression is expected to be high. Students may wish to consult references listed in the subject catalogue of the Barr Smith Library under the heading "Style, Literary". While supervisors will offer reasonable assistance, the writing of a dissertation is the student’s task and students must not expect the supervisor to convert careless or poor prose into good English.

Submission

The length of the research project is determined in conjunction with the supervisor and course coordinator, but is typically within the 2000 to 5000 word range.

There should be a title page showing:

the title in full
the full name and degrees of the candidate
the School in which the candidate submitted the work
the degree for which the dissertation is submitted
the date of submission
the declaration

The declaration includes the signature and date and the following paragraph. "Except where appropriately acknowledged this thesis is my own work, has been expressed in my own words and has not previously been submitted for assessment."

There should be a brief (less than 1 page) abstract preceding the text of the project. This should indicate the aims, scope and conclusions of the project, as well as the word count.

The project must also include a bibliography. See under Recommended Resources above.

The exact submission date and procedure will be posted on MyUni before the start of the semester.

The supervisor will mark the research project

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

In assessing theses, examiners look for the following attributes. Depending on the format of the thesis not all of these criteria are appropriate in each case.
1. Topic; is it well-defined, justified, and suitably motivated?
2. Structure; is it logical, coherent, and well explained?
3. Literature context; does the dissertation exhibit knowledge about the larger literature?
4. Understanding; is a thorough understanding of the methods and tools used in the literature evident?
5. Independent thought; does the analysis demonstrate originality and independent thought?
6. Conclusions; are conclusions and implications clearly drawn and are the limitations of the study identified?
7. Quality of presentation, is the language clear and understandable, is the use of tables, diagrams and other figures appropriate and well executed, and are formal conventions like footnoting and referencing followed?

High Distinction:
The dissertation excels across most of the range of the described attributes and shows at least high competency in all of them
Percentage Range: 85-100
Distinction:
The dissertation will be at least highly competent across the attributes, and probably excel in at least one of them. Relative weaknesses in some areas may be compensated by conspicuous strengths in others
Percentage Range: 75-84
Credit:
The dissertation will show competency across most of the attributes, though may have inadequacies in a few of them
Percentage Range: 65-74
Pass:
The dissertation contains some serious inadequacies. However, to obtain a pass rather than a fail the dissertation must show some understanding of research topic and evidence of independent analysis.
Percentage Range: 50-64
Fail:
A fail is a rare result, given when the student displays little understanding of the relevant economic ideas, and fails to meet the criteria for a pass.
Percentage Range: less than 50

Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator