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ECON44615: NATURAL RESOURCE ECONOMICS

It is possible that changes to modules or programmes might need to be made during the academic year, in response to the impact of Covid-19 and/or any further changes in public health advice.

Type Tied
Level 4
Credits 15
Availability Available in 2024/2025
Module Cap
Location Durham
Department Economics

Prerequisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None

Aims

  • To provide the students with an advanced knowledge and critical understanding of issues related to natural resource management.

Content

  • Topics are likely to include:
  • Introduction to Natural Resource Constraints.
  • Ecological Systems over Time.
  • Population Models.
  • Optimal Resource Management over Time.
  • Renewable Resource Economics.
  • Non-Renewable Resource Economics.
  • Fisheries and Forests: Optimal Harvesting, Stock Recovery, and Assessing Extinction.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • Be able to interpret scholarly literature at the frontier of research in natural resource management;
  • Have an advanced knowledge and critical understanding of the contribution of economic analysis to problems in natural resource economics.
  • Have a critical knowledge of, and be able to engage in advanced discussion of, current theoretical and empirical research in the field of natural resource economics.

Subject-specific Skills:

  • Have acquired relevant analytical techniques for own analysis of resource problems.
  • Be able to apply advanced problem-solving and analytical skills to complex issues in natural resource management.

Key Skills:

  • Written Communication;
  • Planning, Organising and Time Management;
  • Problem Solving and Analysis;
  • Using initiative;
  • Numeracy;
  • Computer Literacy.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • A combination of lectures, seminars and guided reading will contribute to achieving the aims and learning outcomes of this module. The seminars will train the students to solve analytical problems in natural resource management, identify and critically discuss its applications as well as giving students opportunity to identify research questions.
  • The summative written examination will test students' knowledge and critical understanding of the material covered in the module, their analytical and problem-solving skills.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
Lectures101 per week2 hour20 
Seminars4Fortnightly1 hour4Yes
Revision Session1Once2 hour2 
Preparation and Reading124 
Total150 

Summative Assessment

Component: ExaminationComponent Weighting: 100%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
One in-person written examination2 hours100Same

Formative Assessment

One formative assessment to prepare students for the summative exam.

More information

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Current Students: Please contact your department.