ECON5310 Development Economics - 2022

Subject Code
ECON5310
Study Level
Postgraduate
Commencing Term
Term 3
Total Units of Credit (UOC)
6
Delivery Mode
Online
School
Economics
This course outline is provided in advance of offering to guide student course selection. Please note that while accurate at time of publication, changes may be required prior to the start of the teaching session. To view other versions, visit the archives .

1. Course Details

Summary of Course

Poverty and underdevelopment in many countries are among the main contemporary challenges for humanity. This course provides an in-depth discussion of different economic explanations of underdevelopment, and modern strategies for fostering development. We will investigate the role of institutions, institutional change, and markets as they relate to economic development, and discuss related domestic and international economic policy questions. Special emphasis is put on the interplay and synergy between economic theory (attempting to explain underdevelopment) and empirical data (providing both motivating facts and specific testing grounds for theory). At the end of this course, students will be able to design innovative ways to assess whether a proposed development intervention is likely to successfully improve the welfare of its target population.

Teaching Times and Locations

Please note that teaching times and locations are subject to change. Students are strongly advised to refer to the Class Timetable website for the most up-to-date teaching times and locations.

View course timetable

Course Policies & Support

Course Aims and Relationship to Other Courses

​This course is offered as part of the Graduate Certificate in Economics and the Master of Applied Economics. Knowledge of microeconomics equivalent or greater to ECON5101 Microeconomics at UNSW is a prerequisite.

Students should be warned that a good command of the material taught in the prerequisite is essential for successfully mastering the material in ECON5310. The course involves mathematical models and problem-solving. A basic understanding of statistics and econometrics (e.g., as provided in ECON2206 Introductory Econometrics) is useful.

Please note that, like many upper-level economics courses, the material in this course encompasses theoretical models and empirical arguments. Hence a reasonable facility with mathematical and econometric methods is necessary.

Alert: Content is Open to Argument!

It is extremely important to note that, in large part, this course does not deal with accepted answers to conventional questions. Many of the questions we will address and discuss are current puzzles about which there are conjectures and insights, but no known “right answers” that can be memorised. Indeed, different pieces of reading material assigned on the same topic will sometimes contradict each other. Assignments and exams will reflect this nature of the material; marks will be awarded for evidence of reflection and reasoning, not for merely reproducing textbook content or lecture notes.

2. Staff Contact Details

Position Title Name Email Location Phone Consultation Times
Course CoordinatorAProfGautam BoseRoom 467, UNSW Business School
Lecturer-in-chargeDrDanielle Hayek
(02) 9348 0957Thursday 1:30 - 2:30pm and by appointment

Communication with staff

You should feel free to contact your lecturer or seminar leader about any academic matter. Discussion is encouraged on the course discussion forum, which can be accessed through the Moodle site. The best times to make enquiries in person are before or after seminars, and during consultation time. Email is not the appropriate platform to engage in discussions about subject material.

Email correspondence on administrative matters (e.g., advising inability to attend tutorial/seminar) will be responded to within 48 hours, but not over weekends. Please note that the date and time of the final exam is determined by the University exams office. Course staff do not know this information in advance, nor do they have any influence on the scheduling.

Student Enrolment Requests

Students can vary their own enrolment (including switching lecture streams or tutorials/seminars) via myUNSW until the end of Week 1. In general, most other student enrolment requests should be directed to The Nucleus: Student Hub (formerly Student Central). These include enrolment in full courses or tutorials/seminars, course timetable clashes, waiving prerequisites for any course, transfer-of-credit (international exchange, transfer to UNSW, cross-institutional study, etc.), or any other request which requires a decision about equivalence of courses and late enrolment for any course. Where appropriate, the request will be passed to the School Office for approval before processing. Note that enrolment changes are rarely considered after Week 2 classes have taken place.

3. Learning and Teaching Activities

Use of your Webcam and Digital Devices: If you enrol in an online class, or the online stream of a hybrid class, teaching and associated activities will be conducted using Teams, Zoom, or similar a technology. Using a webcam is optional, but highly encouraged, as this will facilitate interaction with your peers and instructors. If you are worried about your personal space being observed during a class, we encourage you to blur your background or make use of a virtual background. Please contact the Lecturer-in-Charge if you have any questions or concerns.

Some courses may involve undertaking online exams for which your own computer or digital devices will be required. Monitoring of online examinations will be conducted directly by University staff and is bound by the University's privacy and security requirements. Any data collected will be handled accordance with UNSW policies and standards for data governance. For more information on how the University manages personal information please refer to the UNSW Student Privacy Statement and the UNSW Privacy Policy.

Approach to Learning and Teaching in the Course

The philosophy underpinning this course and its teaching and learning strategies is based on “Guidelines on Learning that Inform Teaching at UNSW". Specifically, the lectures, tutorials and assessment have been designed to appropriately challenge students and support the achievement of the desired learning outcomes. A climate of inquiry and dialogue is encouraged between students and teachers and among students (in and out of class). The lecturers and tutors aim to provide meaningful and timely feedback to students to improve learning outcomes.

An understanding of any economic phenomenon has two components. Theory investigates causal factors that produce and sustain the phenomenon (in this case, underdevelopment) and examines the processes through which causality works. The facts that theory attempts to explain are provided by empirical observations and analysis. Empirical data is also used to test the validity of the theory in the context of specific cases. In this course, we will emphasise this synergy between theory and empirics. Students will be particularly encouraged to question the validity of theories, as well as the relevance of specific facts.

Learning Activities and Teaching Strategies

The examinable content of the course is defined by the references given in the lecture schedule, the content of lectures, and the content of the tutorial program.

Lectures

The purpose of lectures is to provide a logical structure for the topics that make up the course; to emphasise the important concepts and methods of each topic, and to provide relevant examples to which the concepts and methods are applied. Lectures will be pre-recorded and made available on Moodle.

Seminars

The weekly seminar is an integral part of the subject. The seminars will be held live during timetabled hours. Seminar presentations will build on the material discussed in lectures, and associated assigned material.

Attendance is required in seminars.  Students are responsible for making up material that they missed as a result of non-attendance.

Out-of-Class Study

While students may have preferred individual learning strategies, most learning will be achieved outside of class time. Lectures can only provide a structure to assist your study, and tutorial time is limited.

An “ideal” strategy (on which the provision of the course materials is based) might include:

  • Reading of the relevant chapter(s) of the text and any readings before the lecture. This will give you a general idea of the topic area.
  • Watching the pre-recorded lectures. Here the context of the topic in the course and the important elements of the topic are identified. The relevance of the topic will be explained.
  • Attending seminars, attempting the homework questions, and participating in seminar presentations and discussions.

Note

The opportunity for synchronous contact with course staff is available to students during specified seminar times. Students are strongly encouraged to avail themselves of these opportunities and become familiar with teaching staff.

5. Course Resources

The website for this course is on UNSW Moodle.

Textbooks

•    The textbook for this course is:

–    Debraj Ray. Development Economics. Princeton University Press, 1998 (“Ray”).
Students can access the book online through the UNSW library. There is a cap on the number of pages that can be accessed in this way. A new edition of this book is imminent and some chapters from the new edition will be made available to students.
•    We will also refer to several articles from:

–    Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee, Roland Benabou, and Dilip Mookherjee. Understanding poverty. Oxford University Press, 2006 (”BBM”).
[You can access an online version free of charge through the UNSW library.]

Other readings and presentation papers

An assortment of other readings is recommended below, organised roughly by topic. An asterisk indicates required (examinable) reading. The course schedule details when these are to be read. Many of the readings are not required. These may be useful for presentations, analysis papers, and/or a better understanding of the subject.

Perspectives

•    * Amartya Sen. Mortality as an indicator of economic success and failure. The Economic Journal, 108 (446):1–25, 1998.
•    * Abhijit V Banerjee and Esther Duflo. The economic lives of the poor. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 21(1):141–168, 2007.
•    Debraj Ray. Development economics. In The new Palgrave dictionary of economics. Macmillan.
•    Nathan Nunn. The importance of history for economic development. Annu. Rev. Econ., 1(1):65–92, 2009.

History, institutions and coordination failure

•    * Daron Acemoglu, Simon Johnson, and James A Robinson. The colonial origins of comparative development: An empirical investigation. American Economic Review, 91(5):1369–1401, 2001.
•    * Abhijit Banerjee and Lakshmi Iyer. History, institutions, and economic performance: The legacy of colonial land tenure systems in India. American Economic Review, 95(4):1190–1213, 2005.
•    * Kaushik Basu and Pham Hoang Van. The economics of child labor. American Economic Review, 88(3): 412–427, 1998.
•    * Gautam Bose. Institutions and institutional change: A review of conceptual and analytical issues. In Limam (ed) Institutional Reform and Development in the MENA region. API-ERF, 1999.
•    Kenneth L Sokoloff and Stanley L Engerman. Institutions, factor endowments, and paths of develop- ment in the new world. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 14(3):217–232, 2000.
•    Edward L Glaeser, Rafael La Porta, Florencio Lopez-de Silanes, and Andrei Shleifer. Do institutions cause growth? Journal of Economic Growth, 9(3):271–303, 2004.
•    * Michael Kremer. The O-ring theory of economic development. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 108(3):551–575, 1993.
•    Kevin M. Murphy, Andrei Shleifer, and Robert W. Vishny. Why is rent-seeking so costly to growth? American Economic Review, 83(2):409–414, May 1993.
•    * Nathan Nunn. The long-term effects of africa’s slave trades. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 123(1):139–176, 2008.
•    * Nathan Nunn and Leonard Wantchekon. The slave trade and the origins of mistrust in Africa.
American Economic Review, 101(7):3221–52, 2011.
•    Warren Whatley and Rob Gillezeau. The impact of the transatlantic slave trade on ethnic stratification in Africa. American Economic Review, 101(3):571–76, 2011.

Poverty and inequality

•    Oded Galor and Joseph Zeira. Income distribution and macroeconomics. The Review of Economic Studies, 60(1):35–52, 1993.
•    Abhijit V Banerjee and Andrew F Newman. Poverty, incentives, and development. The American Economic Review, 84(2):211–215, 1994.
•    Gautam Bose. Nutritional efficiency wages: a policy framework. Journal of Development Economics, 54(2):469–478, 1997.

Gender

•    * Esther Duflo. Women empowerment and economic development. Journal of Economic Literature, 50 (4):1051–79, 2012.
•    Claudia Goldin. The U-shaped female labor force function in economic development and economic history, NBER, 1994.
•    * Alberto Alesina, Paola Giuliano, and Nathan Nunn. On the origins of gender roles: Women and the plough. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 128(2):469–530, 2013.
•    * Siwan Anderson and Debraj Ray. Missing women: age and disease. The Review of Economic Studies, 77(4):1262–1300, 2010.
•    * Pauline Grosjean and Rose Khattar. It’s raining men! hallelujah? the long-run consequences of male-biased sex ratios. The Review of Economic Studies, 86(2):723–754, 2019.
•    * Robert Jensen. Do labor market opportunities affect young women’s work and family decisions? experimental evidence from india. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 127(2):753–792, 2012.


Property rights

•    * T Besley and M Ghatak. Property rights and economic development, in Dani Rodrik and Mark Rosenzweig (eds.) Handbook of Development Economics, vol. V. Elsevier, 2010. (Read pp. 4525-4595.)
•    Timothy Besley. Property rights and investment incentives: Theory and evidence from Ghana. Journal of Political Economy, 103(5):903–937, 1995.
•    * Markus Goldstein and Christopher Udry. The profits of power: Land rights and agricultural invest- ment in Ghana. Journal of Political Economy, 116(6):981–1022, 2008.
•    * Abhijit V Banerjee, Paul J Gertler, and Maitreesh Ghatak. Empowerment and efficiency: Tenancy reform in West Bengal. Journal of Political Economy, 110(2):239–280, 2002.

6. Course Evaluation & Development

Feedback is regularly sought from students and continual improvements are made based on this feedback. At the end of this course, you will be asked to complete the myExperience survey, which provides a key source of student evaluative feedback. Your input into this quality enhancement process is extremely valuable in assisting us to meet the needs of our students and provide an effective and enriching learning experience. The results of all surveys are carefully considered and do lead to action towards enhancing educational quality.

​The School of Economics strives to be responsive to student feedback. If you would like more information on how the design of this course and changes made to it over time have taken students’ needs and preferences into account, please contact the Director of Education at the School of Economics.

​Consent for De-Identified Data to be Used for Secondary Research into Improving Student Experience

To enhance your student experience, researchers at UNSW conduct academic research that involves the use of de-identified student data, such as assessment outcomes, course grades, course engagement and participation, etc. Students of this course are being invited to provide their consent for their de-identified data to be shared with UNSW researchers for research purposes after the course is completed.

Providing consent for your de-identified data to be used in academic research is voluntary and not doing so will not have an impact on your course grades.

Researchers who want to access your de-identified data for future research projects will need to submit individual UNSW Ethics Applications for approval before they can access your data.

A full description of the research activities aims, risks associated with these activities and how your privacy and confidentiality will be protected at all times can be found here.

If you consent to have your de-identified data used for academic research into improving student experience, you do not need to do anything. Your consent will be implied, and your data may be used for research in a format that will not individually identify you after the course is completed.

If you do not consent  for this to happen, please email the opt-out form  to seer@unsw.edu.au  to opt-out from having your de-identified data used in this manner. If you complete the opt-out form, the information about you that was collected during this course will not be used in academic research.

7. Course Schedule

Note: for more information on the UNSW academic calendar and key dates including study period, exam, supplementary exam and result release, please visit: https://student.unsw.edu.au/new-calendar-dates
Week Activity Topic Assessment/Other
Week 1: 12 SeptemberLecture 1

A: Introduction to the course.

B: The two-sector model of a developing economy.

Ray Chapters 1, 2 (skim).

Ray Chapter 10.

Homework problems on the two-sector model.

 

Seminar

No Seminar this week

Week 2: 19 SeptemberLecture 2

A: Poverty, inequality and growth.

B: Growth Theory and convergence.

Ray Chapters 1, 2.

Ray Chapters 3, 4.1-4.3.

Seminar

Introduction.

Discussion of the 2-sector model, and homework problems.

Assignment of analysis paper topics/countries and presentation papers.

 

Suggestion for your analysis paper: collect and organise material that provides an introduction to the history of your assigned country. Include relevant cultural details and colonisation facts.

Journal submission 1 due Friday 4:00pm.

Week 3: 26 SeptemberLecture 3

Coordination failure and economic development.

 

 

Ray Chapter 5.

Homework: Problems on coordination failure.

 

Seminar

Discussion of assigned paper (Sen: Mortality).

Discussion of growth theory.

Suggestion for your analysis paper: collect and organise material that provides an economic description of your assigned country. Include relevant statistics.

 

 

 

Week 4: 3 OctoberLecture 4

The long shadow of history.

 

Ray draft chapter.

Acemoglu et al. 2001.

Sokoloff and Engerman 2000.

 

Seminar

Discussion: coordination failure.

Homework problems.

Note: This seminar will be pre-recorded due to the Labour Day long weekend.

Suggestion for your analysis paper: Find a focus question around which you will structure your paper. Why is the question important, and how would you go about answering/exploring it?

Journal submission 2 due Friday 4:00pm.

Week 5: 10 OctoberLecture 5

Gender.

 

Anderson and Ray 2010.

Duflo JEL 2012.

Alesina et. al. 2013.

 

 

Seminar

Discussion: History.

Discussion of assigned papers.

Analysis Paper proposal due online, Wednesday 4:00pm (Sydney time).

 

 

Week 6: 17 OctoberNo Lectures

NO LECTURES THIS WEEK

 

 

 

 

 

No Seminar
Week 7: 24 OctoberLecture 7

Input markets and property rights.

Besley and Ghatak pp. 1-41.

Ray Chapters 11, 12.1-12.3.

Homework problems on input markets and property rights.

Seminar

Discussion: Gender.

Discussion of assigned papers.

Journal submission 3 due Friday 4:00pm.

Week 8: 31 OctoberLecture 8

Income distribution: Poverty and Inequality.

 

Ray draft Chapters 6-7.

Homework problems on income distribution

Seminar

Discussion: input markets and property rights.

Discussion of assigned papers.

Week 9: 7 NovemberLecture 9

Political economy of conflict.

 

Ray draft Chapters 24-25.

 

Seminar

Discussion: Income distribution.

Discussion of assigned papers.

Journal submission 4 due Friday 4:00pm.

Week 10: 14 NovemberLecture 10A

No lectures this week

Seminar

Discussion: Conflict.

Discussion of assigned papers.

Wrap-up.

 

ANALYSIS PAPER DUE ONLINE, Sunday 4:00pm.

 

 

8. Policies and Support

Information about UNSW Business School program learning outcomes, academic integrity, student responsibilities and student support services. For information regarding special consideration, supplementary exams and viewing final exam scripts, please go to the key policies and support page.

Program Learning Outcomes

The Business School places knowledge and capabilities at the core of its curriculum via seven Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs). These PLOs are systematically embedded and developed across the duration of all coursework programs in the Business School.

PLOs embody the knowledge, skills and capabilities that are taught, practised and assessed within each Business School program. They articulate what you should know and be able to do upon successful completion of your degree.

Upon graduation, you should have a high level of specialised business knowledge and capacity for responsible business thinking, underpinned by ethical professional practice. You should be able to harness, manage and communicate business information effectively and work collaboratively with others. You should be an experienced problem-solver and critical thinker, with a global perspective, cultural competence and the potential for innovative leadership.

All UNSW programs and courses are designed to assess the attainment of program and/or course level learning outcomes, as required by the UNSW Assessment Design Procedure. It is important that you become familiar with the Business School PLOs, as they constitute the framework which informs and shapes the components and assessments of the courses within your program of study.

PLO 1: Business knowledge

Students will make informed and effective selection and application of knowledge in a discipline or profession, in the contexts of local and global business.

PLO 2: Problem solving

Students will define and address business problems, and propose effective evidence-based solutions, through the application of rigorous analysis and critical thinking.

PLO 3: Business communication

Students will harness, manage and communicate business information effectively using multiple forms of communication across different channels.

PLO 4: Teamwork

Students will interact and collaborate effectively with others to achieve a common business purpose or fulfil a common business project, and reflect critically on the process and the outcomes.

PLO 5: Responsible business practice

Students will develop and be committed to responsible business thinking and approaches, which are underpinned by ethical professional practice and sustainability considerations.

PLO 6: Global and cultural competence

Students will be aware of business systems in the wider world and actively committed to recognise and respect the cultural norms, beliefs and values of others, and will apply this knowledge to interact, communicate and work effectively in diverse environments.

PLO 7: Leadership development

Students will develop the capacity to take initiative, encourage forward thinking and bring about innovation, while effectively influencing others to achieve desired results.


These PLOs relate to undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs.  For PG Research PLOs, including Master of Pre-Doctoral Business Studies, please refer to the UNSW HDR Learning Outcomes

Business School course outlines provide detailed information for students on how the course learning outcomes, learning activities, and assessment/s contribute to the development of Program Learning Outcomes.

UNSW Graduate Capabilities

The Business School PLOs also incorporate UNSW graduate capabilities, a set of generic abilities and skills that all students are expected to achieve by graduation. These capabilities articulate the University’s institutional values, as well as future employer expectations.

UNSW Graduate CapabilitiesBusiness School PLOs
Scholars capable of independent and collaborative enquiry, rigorous in their analysis, critique and reflection, and able to innovate by applying their knowledge and skills to the solution of novel as well as routine problems.
  • PLO 1: Business knowledge
  • PLO 2: Problem solving
  • PLO 3: Business communication
  • PLO 4: Teamwork
  • PLO 7: Leadership development

Entrepreneurial leaders capable of initiating and embracing innovation and change, as well as engaging and enabling others to contribute to change
  • PLO 1: Business knowledge
  • PLO 2: Problem solving
  • PLO 3: Business communication
  • PLO 4: Teamwork
  • PLO 6: Global and cultural competence
  • PLO 7: Leadership development

Professionals capable of ethical, self-directed practice and independent lifelong learning
  • PLO 1: Business knowledge
  • PLO 2: Problem solving
  • PLO 3: Business communication
  • PLO 5: Responsible business practice

Global citizens who are culturally adept and capable of respecting diversity and acting in a socially just and responsible way.
  • PLO 1: Business knowledge
  • PLO 2: Problem solving
  • PLO 3: Business communication
  • PLO 4: Teamwork
  • PLO 5: Responsible business practice
  • PLO 6: Global and cultural competence

While our programs are designed to provide coverage of all PLOs and graduate capabilities, they also provide you with a great deal of choice and flexibility.  The Business School strongly advises you to choose a range of courses that assist your development against the seven PLOs and four graduate capabilities, and to keep a record of your achievements as part of your portfolio. You can use a portfolio as evidence in employment applications as well as a reference for work or further study. For support with selecting your courses contact the UNSW Business School Student Services team.





Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

Academic Integrity is honest and responsible scholarship. This form of ethical scholarship is highly valued at UNSW. Terms like Academic Integrity, misconduct, referencing, conventions, plagiarism, academic practices, citations and evidence based learning are all considered basic concepts that successful university students understand. Learning how to communicate original ideas, refer sources, work independently, and report results accurately and honestly are skills that you will be able to carry beyond your studies.

The definition of academic misconduct is broad. It covers practices such as cheating, copying and using another person’s work without appropriate acknowledgement. Incidents of academic misconduct may have serious consequences for students.

Plagiarism

UNSW regards plagiarism as a form of academic misconduct. UNSW has very strict rules regarding plagiarism. Plagiarism at UNSW is using the words or ideas of others and passing them off as your own. All Schools in the Business School have a Student Ethics Officer who will investigate incidents of plagiarism and may result in a student’s name being placed on the Plagiarism and Student Misconduct Registers.

Below are examples of plagiarism including self-plagiarism:

Copying: Using the same or very similar words to the original text or idea without acknowledging the source or using quotation marks. This includes copying materials, ideas or concepts from a book, article, report or other written document, presentation, composition, artwork, design, drawing, circuitry, computer program or software, website, internet, other electronic resource, or another person's assignment, without appropriate acknowledgement of authorship.

Inappropriate Paraphrasing: Changing a few words and phrases while mostly retaining the original structure and/or progression of ideas of the original, and information without acknowledgement. This also applies in presentations where someone paraphrases another’s ideas or words without credit and to piecing together quotes and paraphrases into a new whole, without appropriate referencing.

Collusion: Presenting work as independent work when it has been produced in whole or part in collusion with other people. Collusion includes:

  • Students providing their work to another student before the due date, or for the purpose of them plagiarising at any time
  • Paying another person to perform an academic task and passing it off as your own
  • Stealing or acquiring another person’s academic work and copying it
  • Offering to complete another person’s work or seeking payment for completing academic work

Collusion should not be confused with academic collaboration (i.e., shared contribution towards a group task).

Inappropriate Citation: Citing sources which have not been read, without acknowledging the 'secondary' source from which knowledge of them has been obtained.

Self-Plagiarism: ‘Self-plagiarism’ occurs where an author republishes their own previously written work and presents it as new findings without referencing the earlier work, either in its entirety or partially. Self-plagiarism is also referred to as 'recycling', 'duplication', or 'multiple submissions of research findings' without disclosure. In the student context, self-plagiarism includes re-using parts of, or all of, a body of work that has already been submitted for assessment without proper citation.

To see if you understand plagiarism, do this short quiz: https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism-quiz

Cheating

The University also regards cheating as a form of academic misconduct. Cheating is knowingly submitting the work of others as their own and includes contract cheating (work produced by an external agent or third party that is submitted under the pretences of being a student’s original piece of work). Cheating is not acceptable at UNSW.

If you need to revise or clarify any terms associated with academic integrity you should explore the 'Working with Academic Integrity' self-paced lessons available at: https://student.unsw.edu.au/aim.

For UNSW policies, penalties, and information to help you avoid plagiarism see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/plagiarism as well as the guidelines in the online ELISE tutorials for all new UNSW students: http://subjectguides.library.unsw.edu.au/elise. For information on student conduct see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/conduct.

For information on how to acknowledge your sources and reference correctly, see: https://student.unsw.edu.au/referencing. If you are unsure what referencing style to use in this course, you should ask the lecturer in charge.



Student Responsibilities and Conduct

​Students are expected to be familiar with and adhere to university policies in relation to class attendance and general conduct and behaviour, including maintaining a safe, respectful environment; and to understand their obligations in relation to workload, assessment and keeping informed.

Information and policies on these topics can be found on the 'Managing your Program' website.

Workload

It is expected that you will spend at least ten to twelve hours per week studying for a course except for Summer Term courses which have a minimum weekly workload of twenty to twenty four hours. This time should be made up of reading, research, working on exercises and problems, online activities and attending classes. In periods where you need to complete assignments or prepare for examinations, the workload may be greater. Over-commitment has been a cause of failure for many students. You should take the required workload into account when planning how to balance study with employment and other activities.

We strongly encourage you to connect with your Moodle course websites in the first week of semester. Local and international research indicates that students who engage early and often with their course website are more likely to pass their course.

View more information on expected workload

Attendance and Engagement

Your regular attendance and active engagement in all scheduled classes and online learning activities is expected in this course. Failure to attend / engage in assessment tasks that are integrated into learning activities (e.g. class discussion, presentations) will be reflected in the marks for these assessable activities. The Business School may refuse final assessment to those students who attend less than 80% of scheduled classes where attendance and participation is required as part of the learning process (e.g. tutorials, flipped classroom sessions, seminars, labs, etc.). If you are not able to regularly attend classes, you should consult the relevant Course Authority.

View more information on attendance

General Conduct and Behaviour

You are expected to conduct yourself with consideration and respect for the needs of your fellow students and teaching staff. Conduct which unduly disrupts or interferes with a class, such as ringing or talking on mobile phones, is not acceptable and students may be asked to leave the class.

View more information on student conduct

Health and Safety

UNSW Policy requires each person to work safely and responsibly, in order to avoid personal injury and to protect the safety of others.

View more information on Health and Safety

Keeping Informed

You should take note of all announcements made in lectures, tutorials or on the course web site. From time to time, the University will send important announcements to your university e-mail address without providing you with a paper copy. You will be deemed to have received this information. It is also your responsibility to keep the University informed of all changes to your contact details.




Student Support and Resources

The University and the Business School provide a wide range of support services and resources for students, including:

Business School Learning Support Tools
Business School provides support a wide range of free resources and services to help students in-class and out-of-class, as well as online. These include:

  • Academic Communication Essentials – A range of academic communication workshops, modules and resources to assist you in developing your academic communication skills.
  • Learning consultations – Meet learning consultants who have expertise in business studies, literacy, numeracy and statistics, writing, referencing, and researching at university level.
  • PASS classes – Study sessions facilitated by students who have previously and successfully completed the course.
  • Educational Resource Access Scheme – To support the inclusion and success of students from equity groups enrolled at UNSW Sydney in first year undergraduate Business programs.

The Nucleus - Business School Student Services team
The Nucleus Student Services team provides advice and direction on all aspects of enrolment and graduation. Level 2, Main Library, Kensington 02 8936 7005 / https://nucleus.unsw.edu.au/en/contact-us

Business School Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
The Business School Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee strives to ensure that every student is empowered to have equal access to education. The Business School provides a vibrant, safe, and equitable environment for education, research, and engagement that embraces diversity and treats all people with dignity and respect. BUSEDI@unsw.edu.au

UNSW Academic Skills
Resources and support – including workshops, individual consultations and a range of online resources – to help you develop and refine your academic skills. See their website for details.
academicskills@unsw.edu.au

Student Support Advisors
Student Support Advisors work with all students to promote the development of skills needed to succeed at university, whilst also providing personal support throughout the process.
John Goodsell Building, Ground Floor.
advisors@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

International Student Support
The International Student Experience Unit (ISEU) is the first point of contact for international students. ISEU staff are always here to help with personalised advice and information about all aspects of university life and life in Australia.
Advisors can support you with your student visa, health and wellbeing, making friends, accommodation and academic performance.
International.student@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

Equitable Learning Services
Equitable Learning Services (formerly Disability Support Services) is a free and confidential service that provides practical support to ensure that your health condition doesn't adversely affect your studies. Register with the service to receive educational adjustments.
Ground Floor, John Goodsell Building.
els@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 4734

UNSW Counselling and Psychological Services
Provides support and services if you need help with your personal life, getting your academic life back on track or just want to know how to stay safe, including free, confidential counselling.
Level 2, East Wing, Quadrangle Building.
counselling@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 5418

Library services and facilities for students
The UNSW Library offers a range of collections, services and facilities both on-campus and online.
Main Library, F21.
02 9065 9444

Moodle eLearning Support
Moodle is the University’s learning management system. You should ensure that you log into Moodle regularly.
externalteltsupport@unsw.edu.au
02 9385 3331

UNSW IT
UNSW IT provides support and services for students such as password access, email services, wireless services and technical support.
UNSW Library Annexe (Ground floor).
02 9385 1333



Support for Studying Online

The Business School and UNSW provide a wide range of tools, support and advice to help students achieve their online learning goals. 

The UNSW Guide to Online Study page provides guidance for students on how to make the most of online study.

We recognise that completing quizzes and exams online can be challenging for a number of reasons, including the possibility of technical glitches or lack of reliable internet. We recommend you review the Online Exam Preparation Checklist of things to prepare when sitting an online exam.

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