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Department of Economics

Undergraduate Student Information Guide 2012-13

Undergraduate Economics at SOAS

The Department of Economics offers two single-subject degrees in economics: a BSc in Economics and a BSc in Development Economics.  It also offers a variety of BA joint honours degrees in Economics with another discipline or with a language.

The undergraduate programme is designed to teach students sufficient economics to enable them to pursue a career as a professional economist, or to go on to postgraduate work in any branch of economics.  It provides a range of disciplinary courses that are similar in content to economics courses in other universities and colleges in the UK but the Department's distinctiveness lies in the application of relevant theoretical concepts to real issues in the countries of Africa, the Middle East and Asia.  Students are therefore able to develop expertise in the essential conceptual apparatus of economics, including the necessary statistical and econometric tools, and to gain a firm understanding of the basic theoretical and analytical issues.  Whilst the undergraduate degrees guide students towards courses that build on each other, the structure is flexible and allows for as much individual choice as is compatible with academic coherence.  

The Department's three undergraduate quantitative methods courses encompass basic computing skills and the use of computers for specific numerical tasks. Basic statistical and mathematical applications are taught using Excel spreadsheets, while more advanced statistical applications are taught using STATA.  The Department recognises the importance of interactive computer-aided learning packages.

Graduates in Economics from SOAS will have a grounding in analytical thinking, have acquired statistical and computing skills, and will have a familiarity with economic principles and their application to concrete situations.  They are therefore appealing to prospective employers.  The better students (who gain a first or upper second) are equipped to proceed to Masters programmes in economics, and a large number of our students regularly do so.  Previous graduates have pursued a variety of successful careers often with Asian, Middle Eastern or African links: in international organisations and NGOs, business and industry, banking, accountancy, journalism, teaching and higher education.

Degree Structures

BA Economics and...
The two-subject degree combines economics with another discipline or language.

BSc Development Economics
The distinctiveness of the BSc Development Economics degree at SOAS is its application of relevant theoretical concepts to real issues in the countries of Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Students develop expertise in essential conceptual apparatus of economics, including the necessary statistical and econometrical tools, and gain a firm understanding of the basic theoretical and analytical issues.

BSc Economics
The single-subject degree in economics provides a thorough grounding in economic theory and analysis. Furthermore, it offers students the opportunity to pursue interests and to develop expertise in the economics of developing countries as well as the economics of particular regions such as Japan or the Middle East.

Core and Optional courses must be chosen from the approved lists in the ‘Structure’ tab of the programme page:

 

Students taking a three-year degree course must take twelve course units in total over the three years of their course.  Students taking a four-year degree course must take sixteen course units in total over four years.  In other words, students must take four course units each year.  To be eligible for the award of an honours degree of three years duration students must have satisfied the minimum attendance requirement for, and passed the examination of, at least eleven course units in total.  For honours degrees of four years duration students must have satisfied the minimum attendance requirement for, and passed the examination of, at least fourteen course units in total.  For two-subject degrees there is also a minimum number of course units to be taken and passed in each subject.

Students who are taking the course units relevant to their degree programme in any year and have to choose a course unit to fulfil their quota of four course units may take an open course unit (known as an open option).  An open option is a unit in a subject or a language other than the subject(s) or language(s) named in a student's degree title, or other than prescribed in the syllabus of the degree for which the student is registered: so any course outside of your degree structure is an ‘open option’.  Students are permitted, where possible, to take open option units up to the value of one in an academic year but should consult their year tutor before registering to take one.  There are a maximum number of open options which the student can take in total over the degree course.  The number, given below, varies according to the type of degree course taken:

  • single-subject three-year degree: three units – one open option per year
  • two-subject three-year degree: two units
  • two-subject four-year degree: three units
Quantitative Methods Streaming

Degrees in the Department of Economics have quantitative methods teaching which is divided into two separate “streams” on the basis of mathematical background. Stream A is for those with a B or above in A–level maths or equivalent. Stream B is for those  without  a B or above in A–Level maths or equivalent. While each student will exit their degree with the same core courses in quantitative methods, the path taken will differ depending upon the stream. The following diagram shows how the progression differs by stream for the BSc in Economics. Please refer to the degree structure diagrams in the following section for equivalent information for other single honours degrees and joint honours degrees.

BSc Development Economics Quantitative Methods Streaming
STREAM A – A-LEVEL MATHS

Year 1

 

STREAM B– Non A-LEVEL MATHS

Year 1

 

Language Courses

Students may take a language course in the Faculty of Languages and Cultures. Courses are listed at language open options. However, sometimes demand may be low and places limited so students are advised to enquire at the Languages and Cultures Faculty Office (room 351) at the earliest opportunity. Options may be withdrawn if there is insufficient demand: students who have selected these options will be notified and asked to select an alternative

Departmental Seminars

Economics Seminar Series

During term time the Department runs occasional seminars which cover a range of topics in Economics. Students are encouraged to attend to hear prominent development specialists from SOAS and other universities and colleges around the UK and from overseas.  Seminar speakers represent the full range of development-related disciplines including economics, political science, anthropology, sociology and history. For example, recent seminar topics include agrarian reform, the relationship between poverty and economic growth, development finance and the environment, the political economy of liberalization in India, economic reform in China, and toxic assets and the global financial crisis. For further information contact Mushtaq Khan.

Money and Development Seminars

During term time the Department also runs a lively seminar series on Money and Development. The seminar series engages with critical issues such as monetary theory, the relationship between monetary economics and economic development, the role of finance in contemporary capitalism, and financial crisis. For example, recent seminar topics included exchange rate dynamics in Brazil, deficits and crisis in Italy and Spain, and the theory of the monetary circuit. For further information, contact Jan Toporowski.

Agrarian Change Seminars

The Agrarian Change Seminars are organised by the Journal of Agrarian Change and the Department of Development Studies, SOAS. They usually take place every two weeks during terms one and two, with speakers examining agrarian issues across the developing world. For further information, contact Deborah Johnston.

Guidelines for students

BLE (Moodle)

BLE is run on Moodle, a virtual learning environment which is used to make reading lists and other course information available online.  Log-on to Moodle.  For further information about BLE, contact ble@soas.ac.uk. During the busy registration period, all students will have access to all courses within their registered departments.  From the second week of term, students will only have access to courses they are registered for.  If you don’t have access to any of your courses on BLE, there is likely to be a problem with your registration. In this case, please contact the faculty office as soon as possible. 

On-line submission of course work

Students will be informed at the start of term that they will be required to all submit course work via Turnitin on Moodle. Please follow the following link for instructions on how to submit your course work on-line: Guide to Online Course work Submission. The only exception to this rule is Applied Econometrics (153400119) please see the course page for information on how to manually submit course work for this course.

Attendance

Students must attend all required teaching sessions. If, you exceptionally miss a tutorial because you are ill or for another unavoidable reason, you need to fill out a form at the Faculty Office to explain your absence, please see: Non-attendance form for the form. Students who persistently fail to meet the attendance requirement without supplying evidence of good cause may be withdrawn from the course.

Assessments

Marking criteria are available on the faculty website, also available here:Undergraduate Marking Guidelines.  The key requirements relating to your degree are summarised below. For detailed information on any of these requirements, please see Part 2 of the Undergaduate Degree Regulations for the current year, available at Undergraduate Degree Regulations. For any clarification, please contact the Faculty Office.

Submission of Course work

All students are required to submit all elements of assessment to pass a course, and are required to submit all coursework as a pre-condition of exam entry.  The Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching) may, at the request of the Head of Department, withdraw permission to take exams or terminate degree registration if you persistently fail to submit coursework without good cause.

Deadlines for course-work essays are set prior to the commencement of the academic year by the course lecturer or (where more than one teacher is involved in a course) the course convenor.  The final deadline will not be later than the School's final deadline and will generally be earlier. Students will be informed of these deadlines at the beginning of the course. Coursework deadlines may also be confirmed on your course Moodle page or from the Faculty Office.

Coursework can only be submitted online via Moodle as confirmed by the Course Convenor.  Please see below for the standard cover sheet that must be submitted with your coursework:

Cover sheet

When submitting course work students must ensure that the cover sheet has the following information at the top right-hand corner:

  • Name of student in full
  • ID number
  • Name of course
  • Code of course
  • Assignment number e.g. 1 for first assignment, 2 for second assignment – etc.
  • Date of deadline, which is given out at the start of term with the course outlines

 

Students should aim to submit coursework at least an hour before the deadline. Students must see that the date of their essay submission is recorded on their receipt. Students who submit their essays on time are entitled to receive one copy of each essay back with comments and a provisional mark within at most three weeks in term time.  

Late submission of coursework

All students should manage their time so that they are able to meet coursework deadlines. Penalties are automatically imposed for each working day that an assignment is overdue. If, in exceptional circumstances, you are unable to meet a course deadline and wish to request that the Examination Sub-Board waive or reduce the penalty for late submission, you must complete a Late Submission Request Form submit it to the Faculty Office.

Students should submit this without delay to the Faculty Office (Room R201), along with supporting evidence (e.g. letter from a medical practitioner or counsellor, supporting letter from a lecturer or tutor). All information provided will be handled sensitively and confidentially. You must then submit your coursework as soon as possible thereafter. All these applications will be considered by the Examination Sub-board which will determine if there is acceptable evidence of ‘good cause’  for the late submission (see UG Regulations for details) and if some or all the penalty points may be remitted. Please note that individual staff members have no powers to grant extensions or to waive the penalty. If you are generally struggling to meet deadlines, despite your best efforts to organise your time effectively, this is something that you should discuss and seek advice from teaching staff or Welfare Tutor.

Failure to meet the attendance and coursework requirements stated above

Each case will be reviewed to decide what further action should be taken. The School may withdraw permission to take examinations or terminate the degree programme of student who fail to meet the attendance and coursework requirements.

If you are unable to meet a course deadline and wish to request that the Examination Sub-Board waive or reduce the penalty for late submission, the procedure is as follows:

  1. Go to the Faculty Office (room R201) as soon as you think you might have a problem meeting the deadline.
  2. Collect and complete a Late Submission Request form.  
  3. Students may contact relevant members of staff to support your claim - e.g. a student counsellor or tutor.
  4. Attach any supporting evidence (e.g. medical notes or letters from a tutor) to the form. All information provided will be handled sensitively and confidentially.
  5. Submit the form (with supporting documentation) to the Faculty Office as soon as possible and no later than the School deadline.

All applications will be considered by the July meeting of the Examinations Board to determine appropriate deductions. The Board will determine what is acceptable evidence and ‘good cause’ in consultation with Registry and the Associate Dean where necessary.
Please note that ONLY the Sub-Board of Examiners have the authority to remit the penalty for late submission.  Individual members of staff or tutors have no powers to grant extensions or to waive the penalty.  All requests should be made through the procedure described above. If you have any questions about these procedures, please ask at the Faculty Office.

Unseen written exams

Information on exams for specific courses is available in the course handbooks; please read and see the convenor/tutors with any queries. Past exam questions are available at Past Exam Papers.

Plagiarism

All work submitted for your degree must incorporate your own ideas and judgements, in your own words. The presentation of other people's thoughts or words as though they were your own must be avoided. Direct quotations and summaries of other people’s ideas and judgements must be clearly identified, by use of quotation marks and references. If you draw on your own previous written work submitted for this degree or other qualifications this must be clearly stated and approved in advance. If you are in any doubt about what is permissible, consult your tutor. Plagiarism is an academic offence and may be severely penalised (see the Undergraduate Degree Regulations for further information or the School Plagiarism Statement).

Key Contacts

Department contacts
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