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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Economics : Economics

Postgraduate Course: Dissertation (ESRC) (ECNM11071)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Economics CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)
Course typeDissertation AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits50 ECTS Credits25
SummaryThis course consists of a short masters dissertation equivalent to 30 of the 50 credits' worth of the course plus the equivalent of 20 credits worth of qualitative research design.
Course description The Dissertation - 30 of the 50 credits - should be an extended research proposal for a PhD thesis. It should identify a research area and provide a critical review of that literature. It should identify the research questions in the area and say which of these questions have been answered and how satisfactory are these answers. It should identify possible avenues of attack of the research questions as yet unanswered or that could be addressed in better ways.

The coursework component will cover the required learning out comes in qualitative research design demanded by the ESRC of its (+3) award holders to be. These are
1) Different purposes and approaches to interviewing, including with individuals and groups (structured, semi-structured, and in-depth) and modes of questionnaire administration (online, face to face, telephone, postal)
2) Diverse approaches to data collection, such as longitudinal, cross-sectional and experimental research designs, including field experiments
3) Ethnographic and case study research designs including participatory research, methods of observation, and analysis of observational data
4) Combining different methods of data collection and analysis (i.e. mixed-methods research)
5) Thematic (framework) analysis and methods for ethnographic analysis
6) Understanding of the significance of alternative epistemological positions that provide the context for theory construction, research design, and the selection of appropriate analytical techniques
7) Understand the integrated or complementary nature of the relationship between methods in mixed methods research designs.
8) Reflexivity in relation to probability
9) Distinctions in various forms of data, such as documentary, narrative, administrative, digital or "big" data
10) understanding of the application of good ethical practice across the entire research process

The course will rely on recorded lectures compiled by SSPS covering these topics.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed:
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs no
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2021/22, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  2
Course Start Block 5 (Sem 2) and beyond
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 500 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 10, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 470 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) The coursework component will be assessed via a 2 hour exam. The dissertation will be marked in in the same way as all masters dissertations are.

The grade for the entire course will be the maximum of the dissertation grade and the aggregate grade where the latter is the weighted average of the two assessments.
Feedback The student may approach the supervisor for feedback on the dissertation component. He/she will also have sight of anonymised marker comments.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. qualitative research design methods
  2. conducting independent research in economics
Reading List
TBA
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Research proficiency in analytical economics.
Keywordsdissertation,ESRC,qualitative research design methods
Contacts
Course organiserProf Andy Snell
Tel: (0131 6)50 3848
Email: a.j.snell@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Sophie Bryan
Tel: (0131 6)50 9905
Email: Sophie.Bryan@ed.ac.uk
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