ECM200-Capstone Project

Module Provider: School of Politics, Economics and International Relations
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:7
Terms in which taught: Spring / Summer term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2023/4

Module Convenor: Prof Giovanni Razzu
Email: g.razzu@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

Working in small groups and overseen by a faculty member, the students complete a project on behalf of an external organisation, which can be business companies, government agencies, not-for-profits, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). The program is designed to give our students hands-on experience, and to give external organisations an opportunity to benefit from an independent analysis of an existing or prospective initiative, policy or area of concern. Students will work in teams, with interdisciplinary backgrounds if appropriate to the nature of the project and external organisation’s requests, to deliveran agreed output on time and to high standard. An academic supervisor will provide guidance through-out the project. The project will require a significant amount of research and inquiry and help students to negotiate successfully the transition to the next stage of their career. 

Aims:

This module aims to give students an opportunity to synthetize and apply their knowledge by completing a project for an external organisation.  It will represent an effective and practical way of building experiential learning opportunities into the curriculum. Working together on the Capstone, students will have the opportunity to:

• develop project management, teamwork, and communication skills;


• integrate and synthesize the lessons from prior coursework;


• engage in a "real world" organizational experience;


• further develop and consolidate communication skills. 

Assessable learning outcomes:

At the end of the module students should be able to:

• integrate and synthesise prior knowledge and learning from multiple topic areas, including between core and optional modules, thus helping them to connect their learning;


• to apply synthesised knowledge and skills to an initially partially structure authentic/real problem.

Additional outcomes:

Outline content:

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

Students work in team to deliver the external organisation’s output, a report and/or presentation that results from a comprehensive analysis of an issue facing the external organisation: a key decision, a critical policy, a new challenge, an emerging opportunity, or a new program or initiative. Working closely with the external organisation, the student will prepare a comprehensive analysis of the issue, combining economics with other political, institutional, managerial, legal, or othe r analyses, depending on the nature of the issue. Students will be assigned an academic supervisor who will support and provide advice to them in the preparation and delivery of the final output to the external organisation.

Depending on the nature of the project, student will make a formal presentation to the external organisation at the conclusion of the analysis, and prepare a professional quality analysis of the policy, management, or institutional issue. A non-proprietar y version of the paper will also be prepared that the student may use as an example of his/her work for future employers.

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Practicals classes and workshops		5
Supervised time in studio/workshop		10
Guided independent study:		185
Total hours by term		200
Total hours for module	200

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Project output other than dissertation	100

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Students will have to submit an individual written report on the project of 3,000- 4,000 words. This will have to be based on the report for the external organisation but have more economic related content and include a related literature review and, if appropriate, an economic methodology section. The precise content of the report, and the types of analysis included, will depend on the nature of the issue.

Formative assessment methods:

Penalties for late submission:

The below information applies to students on taught programmes except those on Postgraduate Flexible programmes. Penalties for late submission, and the associated procedures, which apply to Postgraduate Flexible programmes are specified in the policy 'Penalties for late submission for Postgraduate Flexible programmes', which can be found here: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/penaltiesforlatesubmissionpgflexible.pdf
The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:

A minimum overall mark of 50%.

Reassessment arrangements:

Following a failure in (or a failure to submit) the project, the candidate has one year in which to re-submit (or submit). Reassessment is by submission of a revised version of the written project only.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1) Required text books:  None

2) Specialist equipment or materials:  None

3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear:  None

4) Printing and binding:  None

5) Computers and devices with a particular specification:  None

6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence:  None

Last updated: 30 March 2023