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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2019/2020

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Economics : Economics

Postgraduate Course: Development and Methodology of Economic Thought (ECNM11008)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Economics CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryThe aim of this course is to promote an appreciation of how economic theory has evolved, in terms of the questions addressed, the types of theory developed to answer these questions, and the philosophical presuppositions of these theories. Lectures provide material on the background, content and assumptions of economic theories and on their comprehension of the appropriate methods of investigation into economic phenomena. The lectures provide guidance as to how particular economic doctrines and more general philosophical and methodological issues may be interpreted and judged. Students' own reading is an essential input to the course: through this reading students can develop their own interpretive and evaluative skills. Students can expect at the end of the course to be better equipped to make their own choices as to questions, theories and approaches, and to understand better the scope and limitations of economic theory.
The course covers the history of economic thought and of ideas concerning the appropriate methods of enquiry in economics, from the pre Enlightenment period up to the present day with particular emphasis on important developments. The treatment will be roughly chronological, with historical and philosophical material interspersed in a relevant manner. The material will be accessible to those who have not previously taken courses in the history of economic thought or the theory of scientific method. The course is organised around six 3-lecture sessions. A lecture outline is set out overleaf with recommendations for initial and background reading. A more detailed outline then follows with topic specific reading recommendations.
Course description Not entered
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements Students should be registered for MSc Economics or MSc Economics (Finance). All other students must email sgpe@ed.ac.uk in advance to request permission.
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesStudents should be registered for MSc Economics or MSc Economics (Finance). All other students must email sgpe@ed.ac.uk in advance to request permission.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
The aim of this course is to promote an appreciation of how economic theory has evolved, in terms of the questions addressed, the types of theory developed to answer these questions, and the philosophical presuppositions of these theories.
Reading List
Recommended Initial Reading
Milonakis, D. and Fine, B. (2009) From Political Economy to Economics: Method, the Social and the Historical in the Evolution of Economic Theory, Routledge: London

Screpanti, E. and Zamaggni, S. (2005) An Outline of the History of Economic Thought, Oxford University Press: Oxford.
Additional Information
Course URL http://www.sgpe.ac.uk/
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserProf Jonathan Thomas
Tel: (0131 6)50 4515
Email: Jonathan.Thomas@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Sophie Bryan
Tel: (0131 6)50 9905
Email: Sophie.Bryan@ed.ac.uk
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