BSc Economics and Politics

BEE1025: Statistics for Business and Management

Summary:

This course will familiarize students with the rudiments of statistics. Students will learn basic concepts of probability and statistical inference, focusing on an intuitive approach to understanding concepts and methodologies. Students will be introduced to statistical and critical thinking, including descriptive statistics, probability, sampling distributions, interval estimation, and hypothesis testing.

Please also note that this module is not available to Maths students.

Additional Information:

Internationalisation

The content of this module is universal and applicable around the world. It includes international examples with real statistical data from countries such as China, India, Europe and the UK.

Employability

Knowledge of statistics is essential for any business or economics student, so this module provides students with a valuable theoretical and practical understanding of the subject, as well as weekly assignments that enable them to work consistently with continuity and discipline.

Sustainability

All of the lecture notes and tutorial sets are available on the ELE (Exeter Learning Environment).

View an example full module specification

BEE1029: Economic Principles

This module introduces Economics and explores the main characteristics of economies using historical and cross-country comparisons across the major dimensions of economic performance (growth, inequality, stability). By taking the main economic actors and showing how they make decisions, the course covers behaviour in goods and labour markets, highlighting the role of the players of the game, and showing the sources of market successes and market failures. Behaviour of households and firms is analysed in the economy as a whole, along with that of fiscal and monetary policy makers.

The module consists of two semesters of teaching, each covering core theory and applications from the main course resources: CORE's The Economy, Society and Public Policy (Term 1), CORE's The Economy 2.0 Macroeconomics (Term 2) and CORE's Doing Economics (Term 2).

This course aims to provide students with a basic understanding of Economics, and to apply this way of thinking to real world problems. It aims to help students understand the world around them, become more astute participants in the Economy and Society and help them understand Economic Policy so that they can better judge the decisions affecting the allocation of their society's resources.

View an example full module specification

BEE1032: History of Economic Thought

This module is an introduction to some of the great economists and their work including:

• Adam Smith
• Karl Marx
• John Maynard Keynes

The module will also provide you with an understanding of classical and neoclassical economics as well as the economics of today.

Additional information:

Internationalisation

• The focus is necessarily international, given that it is the history of global, not British or European, economic thought

Employability

• The transferable skills listed below are chosen with regard to employability: there is a particularly strong focus on good use of English

Research in Teaching

• The module draws on my own research in the subject

The module aims to:

• Introduce you to the great economists of the past
• Understand how economics evolved into what it is today
• Understand that the questions raised by contemporary economics are not the only important ones

View an example full module specification

POL1029: Introduction to Comparative Politics

This module introduces you to the key concepts, theories, and methods from the field of Comparative Politics. Topics include the nature and origins of the modern state, democracy, authoritarianism and regime transitions, social and political cleavages, elections, political participation and media systems. You will develop the skills needed to engage in rigorous and systematic comparison, and to apply core theories to better understand political change. Although we will spend time thinking about concepts and theories, empirical case studies will inform all the questions we ask. In true comparative fashion, our examples will be drawn from a wide variety of representative case studies around the world. Teaching and learning for this module will take place in an interactive environment where students will be expected to engage fully with their peers and tutor, as well as working independently. Lectures will introduce key concepts and give students a grounding in the main issues and debates pertaining to the topic under consideration. Independent study and tutorials will help students to formulate, debate, and refine their own analyses of these topics.

View an example full module specification

POL1047: Global Sustainability Policy and Governance

Multiple transnational challenges face policy-makers in the 21st Century, raising questions over how they should be governed in practice. In this respect, the United Nations has set out a normative agenda for future global policy up to the year 2030 via its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agreed by national governments in 2012. These goals encompass the critical issues of our times, including reducing poverty, ensuring access to clean water, promoting clean energy, preserving oceans, reducing inequality and maintaining global security. Achieving them will require innovative critical thinking and novel, interdisciplinary policy solutions.

This foundation module seeks to identify, discuss and evaluate emerging policy responses to these challenges at multiple institutional levels as basis for lesson-drawing. Drawing on theories of governance as an analytical lens it will: examine the context relating to the SDGs; provide an overview of the UN targets; introduce a range of governance theories (for example, multi-level governance, network governance, regulatory governance, collaborative governance, urban governance, polycentric governance, mixed governance, global governance); and provide an empirical and theoretical analysis of critical policy challenges to attaining the SDGs.

View an example full module specification

BEE1024: Mathematics for Economists

Summary:

This module aims to make you familiar with those mathematical tools and methods which are used frequently in most economics courses and to show you how they are applied.

Additional Information:

Internationalisation

Mathematics is a global language, so the technical skills students acquire in this module can be used internationally.

Employability:

By solving statistical mathematical problems and exercises, students are equipped with practical problem-solving skills, theoretical skills, and an understanding of mathematical relationships. All of these are highly valuable to employers.

Sustainability

All of the resources for this module are available on the ELE (Exeter Learning Environment).

Economic problems are often expressed using mathematical models. Therefore we introduce models which are to be formulated, analysed and then confronted with real-world data. This module aims to make students familiar with those mathematical tools and methods which are used frequently in most economic modules and to demonstrate how they are applied.

View an example full module specification

BEE1036: Economics I

This module provides the introduction to economics for undergraduates in the Department of Economics. It puts the student at the centre of pedagogy using learning materials and experiences attuned both to the societal problems that students care about and to how students acquire facility and confidence in using and communicating economics. Digital technology and interactive teaching methods will introduce students to an empirical discipline. Students will learn to use evidence from history, experiments and other data sources to test competing explanations and policies. It introduces the characteristics of economies using historical and cross-country comparisons across the major dimensions of economic performance (growth, inequality, stability). By taking the main economic actors and showing how they make decisions, the module covers behaviour in goods, labour and credit markets, highlighting the role of the rules of the game (institutions), and showing the sources of market successes and market failures. Behaviour of households and firms is analysed in the economy, along with that of fiscal and monetary policy makers.

View an example full module specification

BEE1037: Economics II

This module continues to provide the introduction to economics for undergraduates started in the module Economics I. It introduces the characteristics of economies using historical and cross-country comparisons across the major dimensions of economic performance (growth, inequality, stability).

By taking the main economic actors and showing how they make decisions, the course covers behaviour in goods, labour and credit markets, highlighting the role of the rules of the game (institutions), and showing the sources of market successes and market failures. Behaviour of households and firms is analysed in the economy as a whole, along with that of fiscal and monetary policy makers .

This module aims to provide students with a basic understanding of economics, and to apply this way of thinking to real world problems. It aims to help students understand the world around them, become more astute participants in the Economy and Society and help them understand Economic Policy so that they can better judge the decisions affecting the allocation of their society's resources.

View an example full module specification

BEE1035: Basic Quantitative Methods

This module aims to bring students without A level Mathematics at Grade B or above - (or equivalent) - up to a sufficient level to enable you to become familiar with those mathematical tools and methods which are used frequently in the economics programmes and modules. In particular, this module will show you how they are applied and you will be able to practice this in lectures and tutorials. This is a compulsory module for Business Economics and Economics and Politics students without A level or equivalent. Please check with the module convener if you are unsure whether you need to take this module. This module is only to be taken by first year students.

Additional Information:

Internationalisation:

Mathematics is a global language, so the technical skills students acquire in this module can be used internationally.

Employability:

By solving statistical mathematical problems and exercises, students are equipped with practical problem-solving skills, theoretical skills, and an understanding of mathematical relationships. All of these are highly valuable to employers.

Sustainability:

All of the resources for this module are available on the ELE (Exeter Learning Environment).

View an example full module specification

BEE2038: Intermediate Microeconomics

The module is designed to equip you with the key principles necessary for the analysis of a range of basic economic problems and policies. It seeks to increase your abilities to, independently, pose and solve economic questions, especially those relating to policy issues.

This module emphasises the fundamental conceptual foundations in microeconomics and key tools of microeconomic analysis and provides concrete examples of their applications.

You will develop understanding of how decisions by consumers, firms and government are interlinked, and impact on the overall level of economic activity. Analysis of contemporary economic events will be a key feature of the module, enabling the procurement of skills to assess the likely trends in economic variables that will facilitate decision making.

Internationalisation

This module covers economics from a business and policy point of view and incorporates many international examples and the world economy.

Employability

You will gain an awareness of the economy and economic laws and the effects this has on the decision making, which is a key skill required by company managers.

You will improve your analytical, logical, quantitative, and communication skills. You will cultivate the ability to apply tools and approaches from the Economics discipline to real-world problems in business and government policy, and to communicate these approaches to non-specialists.

View an example full module specification

BEE2039: Intermediate Macroeconomics

Summary:

The module is designed to equip you with the key principles necessary for the analysis of a range of basic economic problems and policies. It seeks, in particular, to increase your abilities to independently pose and solve economic questions, especially those relating to policy issues.

This module follows BEE2038 Intermediate Microeconomics and focuses on macroeconomic issues and aims to both deepen and widen your formal knowledge of economic theory and its application.

You will develop a better understanding of how decisions by consumers, firms and governments are interlinked, and impact on interest rates, exchange rates on the overall level of economic activity. Analysis of contemporary economic events will be a key feature of the module, enabling the procurement of skills to assess the likely trends in macroeconomic variables that will facilitate decision making.

Additional Information:

Internationalisation

This module covers economics from a business point of view and incorporates many international examples and the world economy.

Employability

You will gain an awareness of the economy and economic laws and the effects this has on the decision making, which is a key skill required by company managers.

External Engagement

You are encouraged to attend the open lectures from visiting speakers in the Business School.

View an example full module specification

POL2027: The Politics of the World Economy

This module has been designed to offer you an introduction to the cross-disciplinary field of International Political Economy (IPE). The political examination of global economic governance is important because it sheds light on the complexity of capitalism, including its structures, processes, and outcomes. There are three main themes addressed throughout the module: (1) the structure, operation and decay of the rules-based liberal international order with respect to economic governance; (2) how are policymakers responding to changes in global economic governance; and (3) how are domestic governments and policymakers responding to selected contemporary issues?

Based on literature from the cross-disciplinary field of International Political Economy (IPE) and related field, the module examines important structures, processes, and outcomes in the recent governance of the global economy. In particular the module aims to:

(1) familiarize you with the conceptual frameworks designed to illuminate major empirical concerns;

(2) provide a foundational knowledge about the post-war history of governing the world economy, focusing in particular on international organizations;

(3) engage in current debates about contemporary issues in global economic governance.

View an example full module specification

POL2046: The Economics of Politics

This module aims to provide you with the skills to critically evaluate and apply rational choice approaches as an analytical tool for the examination of political phenomena. First, it discusses the underlying assumptions and their theoretical and empirical implications for political analyses. Second, the seminar will make you familiar with core approaches introducing economic reasoning in the conceptualisation and in the analysis of politics. Third, it will introduce you to the applications of rational choice theory in comparative politics.

This module aims at providing you with the skills to critically evaluate and apply rational choice approaches as an analytical tool for the examination of political phenomena. First, it discusses the underlying assumptions and their theoretical and empirical implications for political analyses. Second, the seminar makes you familiar with core approaches introducing economic reasoning in the conceptualisation and in the analysis of politics. Third, it introduces applications of rational choice theory in comparative politics.

View an example full module specification

BUS3002: Business School Industrial Experience

Summary:

This module allows you to undertake and to learn from an extended work placement during the third year of a four-year With Industrial Experience WIE' programme. To progress to this module, you will have completed the employability modules BSD1002 and BSD2002 in your 1st and 2nd year, and will have secured a suitable (33 week minimum) placement which has been approved by the Business School.

Having developed the career management skills necessary for a competitive graduate labour market, this is an invaluable opportunity to put the theory learned into practice in the workplace and to focus on your professional skills development.

Throughout your 'industry' year, you will receive guidance from an academic 'WIE tutor' and the Careers team, who will support and encourage you to fully maximise the developmental opportunities provided by your work experiences. Your personal development will also be supported through the completion of an assessed placement 'WIE PORTFOLIO', submitted in stages as you advance through your placement year.

Additional Information:

Internationalisation

You can undertake a work placement in the UK or elsewhere in the world. Overseas placements will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

External Engagement

View an example full module specification

BUS3000A: Year Abroad (Study and Work Placement)

This module is for undergraduate Business School students to study and work abroad in their 3rd of 4 years on the 'With Year Abroad' programme. With this module you can spend one semester studying at a European or non-European partner institution and 6 months' work placement abroad in a country of your choice.

An important element of international business is for you to understand the political, economic, and cultural differences between countries. By studying at another university and undergoing a work placement abroad as part of your degree programme, you will learn to think globally and come to understand how the world is interconnected through business. Adding an international component to your business degree, which may or not include learning of a foreign language, will make you more competitive in today's multicultural, global business environment. You will also have access to a range of modules, potentially in areas not offered at Exeter, taught in a different learning culture and therefore broadening your overall academic experience.

The module introduces you to the experience of academic study outside the UK, and, for some of you, a different language. It aims to challenge preconceptions and assumptions about higher education learning by exposing you to a different approach to academic study.

View an example full module specification

BUS3000B: Year Abroad (Study)

This module is for undergraduate Business School students to study abroad in their 3rd of 4 years on the 'With Year Abroad' programme. With this module you can spend an academic year at one of the Business School's European partner institutions, a partner institution outside of Europe, or combine one semester study at a European and one semester at a non-European partner institution

An important element of international business is for you to understand the political, economic, and cultural differences between countries. By studying at another university as part of your degree programme, you will learn to think globally and come to understand how the world is interconnected through business. Adding an international component to your business degree, which may or not include learning of a foreign language, will make you more competitive in today's multicultural, global business environment. You will also have access to a range of modules, potentially in areas not offered at Exeter, taught in a different learning culture and therefore broadening your overall academic experience.

The module introduces you to the experience of academic study outside the UK, and, for some of you, a different language. It aims to challenge preconceptions and assumptions about higher education learning by exposing you to a different approach to academic study.

View an example full module specification

BUS3000C: Year Abroad

This module is for undergraduate Business School students to work abroad in their 3rd of 4 years on the 'with Year Abroad' programme. To progress to this module, you would have completed BSD2005 and would have found a suitable placement abroad (outside of UK) for a minimum of 24 weeks and a maximum of 33 weeks.

An important element of international business is for you to understand the political, economic, and cultural differences between countries. By undergoing a work placement abroad as part of your degree programme, you will learn to think globally and come to understand how the world is interconnected through business. Adding an international component to your business degree, which may or may not include learning a foreign language, will make you more competitive in today's multicultural, global business environment.

The module assessment is designed to give you the opportunity to present and evaluate the knowledge and skills that you have developed and gained while on your year abroad work placement.

View an example full module specification

BEE2033: Public Finance

This module is about fundamental questions in the economics of the public sector: how should decisions be made about whether particular tasks should be undertaken by the public sector or the private sector? It therefore deals with public goods, policies with respect to external effects and so on. The course then develops the criteria by which a tax or possible tax reform can be assessed and applies them to the development of tax policy.

Additional Information:

Internationalisation

The broad scope of this module means internationalisation is embedded in the course content with examples being drawn from different countries as well as an analysis of the tax and public expenditure implications of globalization.

Sustainability

Sustainability is included in the issues involved, for example in the analysis of corrective taxation such as pollution taxes.

Employability

Employability will be enhanced by the development of analytical skills.

View an example full module specification

BEE3042: International Political Economy

The module focuses on the relation between institutions and economic development. Societies across the world are organized in different ways. These differences in organization often leads to differences in economic outcomes. The module will look into questions such as: do institutions matter? what features of institutions foster economic development? and why certain institutions emerge in certain places? This module will consider institutions as both formal institutions like law and political organization as well as informal institutions like norms and culture.

Additional Information:

Internationalisation

The module critically looks at the role of institutions, particularly political institutions, to explain differences in economic outcomes across societies. Thus, the course is inherently international.

Employability

Students will get a chance to get themselves acquainted with the theoretical and empirical tools used by top researchers in the field. In addition, students will also have an opportunity to develop their writing and analytical skills. These skills are valued by employers.

The assessment structure on this module is subject to review and may change before the start of the new academic year. Any changes will be clearly communicated to you before the start of term and if you wish to change module as a result of this you can do so in the module change window.

View an example full module specification

HAS3010: Work Experience: Building Skills and Unlocking Opportunities

'Work Experience' is an exciting, interdisciplinary module that, through a 35-hour work placement, will enable you to understand how your degree and discipline are relevant to the professional job market. The module is unique in combining research-enriched learning with practical, employment experience. Through its workshops and seminars, the module will allow you to identify and articulate your skills, knowledge, and experience to potential employers and it will offer you, via the placement, the opportunity to acquire first-hand understanding of an industry sector that you are interested in. You will build confidence in yourself and in the value of your degree, and you will be able to translate academic experiences into employment-related strengths and skills outside the university.

Many employers are looking for previous work experience to have been undertaken by candidates applying for their roles as they can demonstrate their understanding of, and make a quicker transition into, the workplace. Work experience can make you stand out as you progress into the graduate recruitment market.

As a third year, you are expected to practice these skills at a high level as this is a key time for you to develop relevant employability and workplace skills/experience before you graduate in the coming months.

You will be required to find and secure your own placements but will have help from the Placements team to support you in creating effective CVs and written applications, and to successfully navigate interviews. You will work in an agreed professional setting that develops your employability and workplace skills, and will reflect on that experience within the context of the module's assessment.

It is your responsibility to keep the Module Convenor and Employability and Placement Advisor informed of progress in the workplace and of problems that have arisen so that you can be supported as needed.

You may not take this module if you have already taken the Level 2 sister module HAS2010 OR are on an 'Employment Experience' programme and have undertaken a placement during level 3.

View an example full module specification

POL3247: Politics of Biology

When we think about politics and society, what role does our understanding of biology play? What role should it play? Can nature tell us how to organise society? In what ways can biological science be used for ideological purposes? Is this ever legitimate, or is it always an abuse of science? How should we create policy around the use of biotechnologies? What is the relation between ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’ in human life, and why does it matter?

In this module we explore spaces where politics and biology come into contact with each other – where there is interplay between the socio-political world and our understanding of living nature. These spaces can be examined via a range of disciplines, from political/social theory, to moral philosophy, to history and sociology of the life sciences. No particular prior knowledge is required in order to take this module, but if you are interested in exploring fundamental questions about human existence, and the political implications of the way we answer these questions, you should take this module.

This module aims to:

View an example full module specification

POL3297: Comparative Political Economy: Varieties of Capitalism

This module has been designed to offer you an introduction to the field of Comparative Political Economy (CPE). The study of cross-national variation in economic institutions matters because it reveals how politics shapes market outcomes, forging different responses to global challenges. Three main questions are addressed throughout the module: (1) to what extent has global neoliberalism led countries to build similar institutions? (2) what are the main features of capitalism in different regions of the world? (3) how does institutional variation explain the different patterns of stability and crisis in advanced and developing economies?

No pre-requisite or co-requisite modules are required to take this module, but some previous knowledge of political economy is desirable.

This module aims to provide you with the analytical tools to compare national economic institutions around the world.

Whilst module content may vary year on year, the module aims to cover the following topics:

The module will be divided into three parts. The first part addresses the implications of globalisation and neoliberalism for national economies, exploring what drives variegation and uniformization. Moreover, it distinguishes between international and comparative political economy, discussing what ideas, interests, and institutions mean for political economy research.

View an example full module specification

POL3311: Brexit: Causes, Interpretation and Implications

The UK's exit from the EU is a defining moment both in the UK's recent history as well as that of the EU. This module will address the different stages of Brexit, from the early days of the UK's 'awkward' relationship with the EU, over the decision to hold a referendum, the campaigns and the result, to the already visible and likely implications of Brexit for the UK and the EU. In so doing, it will equip you with the knowledge necessary to engage in the defining contemporary British political debate.

View an example full module specification

POL3312: The Transformation of Politics in the Global Age

This module deals with the transformation of politics in the global age. In particular it looks at the internal and external challenges to the nation-state context as the traditional context for politics during the modern period. The nation-state context is challenged internally by the increasing multicultural make up of its citizenry, and from without by processes of globalization and transnational governance. As part of the module, we shall look at the dominant ideas of politics and statehood, as they emerged in modern times, and then look at their transformations under several challenges. These include: (a) the challenges to traditional forms of representative politics (the crisis of parties, the emergence of new forms of representation, the politics of delegation); (b) the challenges to the political cohesion of democratic states and the problem of combining ideas of equality with the recognition of difference (multicultural citizenship, residence and citizenship rights); and (c) the challenges to the sovereignty and integrity of the nation-state from without posed by globalization and its effects (border issues, transnational governance and cosmopolitan democracy).

View an example full module specification

POL3328: Surveys and Experiments: Design Implementation and Analysis

Every organization, whether public or private, conducts surveys to understand their audience: customers, constituents, and the public at-large. For example, in market research it is necessary to examine data on sales and customer satisfaction to make decisions about a future marketing strategy. In political research, you may want to collect and analyse data from polls. Surveys are therefore a critically important methodological tool for evaluating policy, performance, and measuring impact. This module will provide you with an essential skill set in data science increasing your employability in various sectors including consulting, polling, data analysis. This module also prepares you for conducting research for your dissertation.

In this module,

1. You will learn to design and implement surveys and experiments that provide meaningful insights.
2. You will learn also learn to use survey software such as Qualtrics.
3. You will get acquainted with sampling, participant recruitment and management.
4. You will be introduced to data analysis in surveys and experiments.

View an example full module specification