EC311: International Economics

Module code: EC311

Module provider: Economics; School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Hussein Hassan, email: hussein.hassan@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s): BEFORE OR WHILE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST ( TAKE EC201 OR TAKE EC201NU ) AND ( TAKE EC202 OR TAKE EC202NU ) (Compulsory)

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 23 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

International economics is concerned with economic interactions among sovereign nations, in terms of trade in goods and services as well as investment in financial and real assets. It tries to answer questions such as: why do nations trade; what are the gains from trade; are such benefits fairly allocated across various social groups; should trade be free or protected; how much should trade and financial relations among nations be regulated, integrated, coordinated; why do monetary regimes and exchange rates matter; why do some nations tend to accumulate current account deficits and foreign debt whereas other are in surplus and are net lenders. Part of the module will apply the introduced theoretical concepts and models to the policy context of Brexit and EU integration.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Understand and interpret a range of theoretical explanations of trade flows. Analyse the workings of the macroeconomy in an international context
2. Apply trade models to modern policy issues such as preferential trade agreements, WTO, and post-Brexit developments
3. Undersatand the gains from trade

Module content

• Trade theory and policy: Classical theories of trade. ‘New’ explanations of trade. Tariffs and protectionism.
• Open-economy macroeconomics: Theories of exchange rate determination. Policy issues.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

This module will be taught through a set of lectures and seminars/workshops.

Lectures will be used to deliver the main concepts and theories.

Seminars/workshops will be used to link those theories taught with real-life trade issues as well as solving applications.

Study hours

At least 20 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• 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 three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/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.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs