Module Search

ECON3171: DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS

Please ensure you check the module availability box for each module outline, as not all modules will run in each academic year. Each module description relates to the year indicated in the module availability box, and this may change from year to year, due to, for example: changing staff expertise, disciplinary developments, the requirements of external bodies and partners, and student feedback. Current modules are subject to change in light of the ongoing disruption caused by Covid-19.

Type	Open
Level	3
Credits	20
Availability	Available in 2023/24
Module Cap
Location	Durham
Department	Economics

Prerequisites

For the academic year 2023/24: Any Level 2 Economics module. For the academic year 2024/25 onwards: EITHER Macroeconomics (ECON2011) AND Microeconomics (ECON2021) OR Economic Theory (ECON2291)

Corequisites

None.

Excluded Combinations of Modules

None.

Aims

To provide students with insights into some of the key issues affecting the development of countries.
To stimulate students to study, present and debate their own ideas and analyses of these issues.
To widen students' perceptions of the world and of the applicability of economic science and to motivate them to retain that perception.
To provide the opportunity for students to build on knowledge and key skills acquired in their second year studies.

Content

Content will include the relationship between the development of countries and topics such as:
Structural transformation,
Climate change,
Agriculture and famines,
Poverty and inequality,
Physical capital and technology,
Human capital,
Demography,
Internal and international labour migration,
Formal and informal institutions,
International trade and openness,
Natural resources,
Foreign aid.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

Theories, controversies, policies and case studies of how countries attempt to grow and develop over time.

Subject-specific Skills:

Application of economic analysis to lower income countries

Key Skills:

critical and analytical thinking
problem solving
written communication
own learning
working with numbers
working with others
bibliographic search and information retrieval.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

Teaching is by lectures and seminars. Learning takes place through attendance at lectures; preparation and participation in seminar classes and private study.
Formative assessment is by means of a written assignment.
Summative assessment is by means of a written assignment.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total	Monitored
Lectures	20	10 in term 1, 10 in term 2	1 hour	20
Seminars	8	4 in term 1, 4 in term 2	1 hour	8	Yes
Preparation and Reading				172
Total				200

Summative Assessment

Component: Assignment		Component Weighting: 100%
Element	Length / Duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
One written assignment	4,000 words	100	Same

Formative Assessment

One written piece of work to prepare students for the summative assignment.

More information

If you have a question about Durham's modular degree programmes, please visit our FAQ webpages, Help page or our glossary of terms. If you have a question about modular programmes that is not covered by the FAQ, or a query about the on-line Undergraduate Module Handbook, please contact us.

Prospective Students: If you have a query about a specific module or degree programme, please Ask Us.

Current Students: Please contact your department.