COURSE INFORMATION Course Title: RESEARCH METHODS IN ECONOMICS AND FINANCE

Code	Course Type	Regular Semester	Theory	Practice	Lab	Credits	ECTS
ECO 501	A	3	3	0	0	3	7.5

Academic staff member responsible for the design of the course syllabus (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature)	NA
Lecturer (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	Agim Kukeli
Second Lecturer(s) (name, surname, academic title/scientific degree, email address and signature) and Office Hours:	NA
Teaching Assistant(s) and Office Hours:	NA
Language:	English
Compulsory/Elective:	Compulsory
Classroom and Meeting Time:	A/128; Monday 18:00-20:45
Course Description:	The purpose of the research techniques is to familiarize students with a variety of academic texts and their applications in research papers. This engagement with other sources will be demonstrated by the student through the theme they will choose to write, the sources they use, the types of quotations they mention, the way they include these quotes in their work and the clarity and sophistication of the style and the vocabulary they use to get these ideas and forward them to readers. Academic writing requires a demonstration of original thought, critical analysis, citation of academic texts, and synthesis on a topic. Students will work on integrating information from other texts into their research papers in such a way that it reflects their viewpoint. Students will also become familiar with the various methods of citation, quotation and analysis, which are based on a statement or claim.
Course Objectives:	Students will demonstrate the ability to: 1. Chose a research topic, develop a problem statement, list research question and hypothesis. 2. Conduct a thorough literature review. 3. Select the appropriate methodology. 4. Collect data (primary or secondary). 5. Conduct data analysis (qualitative or quantitative). 6. Write up a draft thesis. 7. Present the draft-theses to class.

COURSE OUTLINE

Week	Topics
1	Course Overview ( Syllabus review). Choosing your research topic.
2	Formulating and clarifying the research topic
3	Critically reviewing the literature
4	Understanding research philosophy and approaches to theory development
5	Formulating the research design. Negotiating access and research ethics
6	Selecting samples. Using secondary data
7	Collecting primary data.
8	Midterm Exam Week
9	Analyzing Quantitative and Qualitative qualitative data.
10	Writing and presenting your project report. Reviews and Presentation
11	Reviews and Presentation
12	Reviews and Presentation
13	Reviews and Presentation
14	Reviews and Presentation

Prerequisite(s):	N/A
Textbook:	- Saunder,M., Lewis, P. and Thorn hill, A. (2016), Research Methods for Business Students, 7th Edition, Pearson.
Other References:	- Bryman, A. and Emma, B.( 2015) , Business Research Methods, 4th Edition, Oxford; - Robert, B. B. ( 2000) Introduction to Research Methods, 1st Edition, SAGE; - Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (examples of reference formats are also available at http://www.apastyle.org/); Any Econometric (Jeffrey M. Wooldridge or Gujarati for example) and Statistics Books.
Laboratory Work:	N/A
Computer Usage:	Yes
Others:	No

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

1	- Identify and formulate research questions and hypotheses.
2	- Write and critically evaluate research proposals.
3	- Identify ethical issues and research and understand the need to adhere to ethical guidelines when conducting research.
4	- Conduct a literature review on the topic you are developing your thesis
5	- Plan and collect sample data for a research project.
6	- Develop survey instruments and conduct survey research.
7	- Design and conduct qualitative studies.
8	- Collect and analyze various types of data.
9	- Analyzing Quantitative and Qualitative qualitative data.
10	- Writing and presenting your project report. Reviews and Presentation

COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO... PROGRAM COMPETENCIES (Blank : no contribution, 1: least contribution ... 5: highest contribution)

No	Program Competencies	Cont.
Master of Science in Economics Program
1	Students apply advanced knowledge in economics	3
2	Students explain the interaction between related disciplines and economics	5
3	Students apply scientific methods to address economic problems	5
4	Students define existing theory in a specialized branch of economics	4
5	Students critically evaluate knowledge in economics and carry out advanced research independently	3
6	Students develop economic models and formulate policy options	2
7	Students make an original contribution to the discipline	4
8	Students effectively communicate in a variety of professional and academic contexts	5
9	Students will develop new strategic approaches for unexpected, complicated situations in economics and take responsibility in solving them	4
10	Students uphold and defend ethical values data collection, interpretation and dissemination	4
11	Students use advanced empirical analyses to address social problems	4
12	Students interact with professional networks in their field of specialization	4

COURSE EVALUATION METHOD

Method	Quantity	Percentage
Presentation	1	20
Project	1	60
Other	1	20
	Total Percent:	100%

ECTS (ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD)

Activities	Quantity	Duration(Hours)	Total Workload(Hours)
Course Duration (Including the exam week: 16x Total course hours)	16	3	48
Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice)	16	4	64
Mid-terms	1	20	20
Assignments			0
Final examination	1	25.5	25.5
Other	15	2	30
Total Work Load:			187.5
Total Work Load/25(h):			7.5
ECTS Credit of the Course:			7.5