Economics and Politics, BA (Hons)

Economics and Politics are closely linked throughout society. Our BA (Hons) Economics and Politics degree reflects this connection, exploring multiple perspectives while also helping you develop your own viewpoint. You’ll have the opportunity to cover diverse topics such as world economy, macro and microeconomics, corporate finance, international relations and development economics. In Years 2 and 3 you can adjust the balance of subjects to broaden your experience or focus in on your major area of interest.Students on this degree learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials (politics), workshops (economics), informal but scheduled one-to-one support, and self-directed learning, such as research, reading, and writing.All of these are supported by a virtual learning environment, Durham University Online (DUO). Seminars, tutorials, and workshops are much smaller groups than lectures, with tutorials often involving no more than eight students working with a professor or lecturer; seminars and workshops can be larger but are still small enough to allow one-to-one interaction with tutors.Workshops also allow hands-on experience of the kind of work professional economists perform. This emphasis on small-group teaching reflects a conscious choice to enhance the quality of the learning experience rather than the quantity of formal sessions.In fact, the degree is designed to feature fewer formal sessions and more independent research as you move from your first to your final year. Small-group teaching and one-to-one attention from the personal academic advisor (provided for all students when they enter the degree) are part of the learning experience throughout, but by the final year classroom time gives way, to some extent, to independent research, including a dissertation – supported by one-to-one supervision – that makes up a third of final year credits.In this way the degree systematically transforms you from a consumer of knowledge in the classroom to a generator of knowledge, ready for professional or postgraduate life. These formal teaching arrangements are supported by “drop-in” surgeries with teaching staff and induction sessions that begin in the week before the start of the degree and continue at key times throughout each year of the course.Students can also attend an extensive programme of research-focused seminars where staff and visiting scholars present their cutting-edge research.