Provides PhD students with experience of formulating a research topic, selecting appropriate staff assistance, writing a research essay, presenting this work in a seminar and, in general, to develop their research skills. It is expected that the research topic chosen by the student will be a first run at defining a subject area for their doctoral dissertation. (This does not commit the student to a particular topic/supervisor). The research essay, which may be built around a survey of several related papers on a topic of the student's choice, is expected to be about fifteen pages in length.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
To complete the course satisfactorily each student must:
1. Select a research topic. Each student is responsible for selecting a research topic in consultation with the staff in the PhD Graduate Program in Economics (GPE) which meets the approval of the course coordinator.
2. Prepare an abstract of the proposed research essay. It must clearly indicate:
• the topic to be investigated,
• the approach to be taken, and
• the staff member/s who has/have agreed to oversee the essay.
3. Preliminary draft of the research essay
4. Present the draft of the research essay, along with a discussion of another student's presentation, at a Workshop.
5. Submit a completed research essay.
Other Information
See the course outline on the College courses page. Outlines are uploaded as they become available.
Indicative Assessment
Performance in this course is assessed as either satisfactory or unsatisfactory. Assessment will be based on the quality of the student's research essay and presentation and their discussion of another student's presentation. The main criterion used in assessing your essay is that you demonstrate evidence of independent and critical thinking at a level likely to lead to a successful PhD thesis. A purely descriptive literature review, for example, will not be regarded as satisfactory. The assessment will be carried out by the course coordinator, in consultation with the GPE staff member overseeing the essay. Failure to achieve a satisfactory assessment in Economics Seminars will generally lead to termination of your PhD enrolment.
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
There will be a weekly two hour class.Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 34
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $2940 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $4890 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
