ECONOMICS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND BREXIT - 2020/1

Module Overview

This module introduces students to the process of economic integration within the European Union as well as the economic aspects of Brexit. The main areas covered are: 1) historical background, principles and functioning of EU institutions; 2) the internal market; 3) selected EU policies; 4) EU monetary integration; 5) the economics of Brexit.

Module provider

Economics

Module Leader

BREINLICH Holger (Economics)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None.

Module content

Indicative content includes:

- Historical background, principles and functioning of EU institutions.

- The internal market - economic effects of integration of goods and factor markets.

- Selected EU policies: competition, regional and agricultural policies.

- EU monetary and fiscal integration: historical background, theory of optimum currency areas, EU monetary/fiscal policy and the Eurozone sovereign debt crisis.

- The economics of Brexit: future scenarios, forecasts and economic effects to date.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

Not applicable.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate:

- Their understanding of the fundamental economic principles and facts underlying the process of EU economic integration.

- Their ability to critically discuss existing research and forecasts related to the economic effects of Brexit.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

- Students are assessed through a coursework essay and a final examination.

- The two-hour final examination offers a choice of essay questions. Worth 70% of the final mark.

- Students select an essay title from a list of three topics for the 3,000-word coursework essay. Worth 30% of the final mark. Typically submitted in week 9.

Formative assessment and feedback: Students will receive verbal feedback during lectures. We will also discuss a set of exercises designed to deepen their understanding of the various economic models used in the lectures. Sample questions and outline solutions will be made available ahead of the final examination for students to familiarise themselves with the style of the assessment. Finally, feedback will also be provided on the coursework essay.

Module aims

• To introduce students to the principles of economic integration that underlie the process of European development today.
• To enable students to understand the economic aspects of Brexit, including a critical analysis of existing forecasts and actual economic effects.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

- Enhance student's ability to analyse independently the process of EU economic integration and the economic effects of Brexit.

- Enhance student's skills in using economic models to explain complex empirical facts.

- Enable students to effectively communicate these insights in verbal and written form.

- The learning and teaching methods include: 2 hour lecture per week x 11 weeks

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ECO3057

Other information

None.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2020/1 academic year.