Course Work (For students admitted from academic year 2016/2017 onwards (Y-B6-xxxx-x students)

University-wide Courses:

In this online research ethics course, students will engage as independent learners in the CITI training programme to gain in-depth knowledge and understanding of all aspects of ethics as it applies in the social sciences. The CITI training programme comprises the minimal standards to demonstrate ethical competence and to comply with UM policy and Macau governed regulations for research with vulnerable populations, emerging designs, technology, and more. All students need to complete the discipline-specific prescribed units of the CITI training programme with a default score of 80% or more.

Prerequisite(s): None

CILO-1: Identify potential ethical issues in designing a research project.
CILO-2: Explain the importance of research ethics in research design.
CILO-3: Discuss the principles of research ethics in the research process.
CILO-4: Apply the principles of research ethics in preparing an ethics submission to the University of Macau.

This doctoral level course aims to develop students’ knowledge and skills regarding academic scholarship and research writing within the social sciences. The course includes the discussion of ways in which culture informs academic writing, and the underlying principles of logic, argumentation and reasoning in academic writing practices. Discipline-specific scholarly conventions and technical requirements for quantitative and qualitative research reporting are discussed and applied in preparation for dissertation writing and the writing of research papers for publication in refereed English journals. Students will also engage with relevant primary and secondary source readings, and conduct critical analysis of exemplary texts.

Pre-requisite(s): None

CILO-1: Identify the relationship between the concepts of academic scholarship and academic writing, and discuss the principles of academic analysis and writing with a particular focus on critical thinking and academic argument for different genres and disciplinary requirements.
CILO-2: Identify the requirements for citation and referencing in Anglophone academic culture, and discuss the European/Anglophone tradition of critique and the role of critical thinking in the modern Anglophone academy.
CILO-3: Identify forms of editing and proofreading and apply this to their own work and that of others.
CILO-4: Write accurate in-text citations and reference lists in an appropriate referencing system, and incorporate techniques of critical thinking and writing into their own writing and oral presentation.

Required Electives:
ONE Elective Course from the following choices:

This seminar-based course covers a wide range of material derived from a variety of theoretical traditions and bodies of work. It introduces students to, and help them develop an understanding of, complex issues and texts that are now established as the theoretical basis of scholarship in a number of relevant cognate fields, including communication studies, media studies, cultural studies, gender studies, visual culture, 6 postcolonial studies, literary studies, anthropology, education, film studies, sociology and psychology. Topics in this course will vary according to course instructor and student interest, and may include readings of classical and/or contemporary theories in the social sciences.

Pre-requisite(s): None

CILO-1: Identify a common set of scholars, theories, and concepts that are relevant to the broad topic of social theory, and which are influential across different disciplines and beyond one’s own narrow specialization, and discuss the role of power, discourse, and representation in social knowledge.
CILO-2: Identify the responsibility that accompanies the researcher’s ability to create ostensibly ‘objective’ and authoritative accounts of others.
CILO-3: Summarize the main components of particular theories in notable academic articles from across social science disciplines in a systematic manner.
CILO-4: Communicate and explain how abstract theoretical concepts may be applied to practical examples of daily social life.

This doctoral level course aims to develop students’ knowledge and skills of qualitative research methods in social sciences. Students explore different ontological, epistemological and related methodological perspectives of qualitative research in applied contexts, professional practice, and cultural settings. Students also engage with high-level readings of primary sources and apply critical analysis of exemplary qualitative research papers in preparation for designing and implementing qualitative research projects, develop interpretive/hermeneutic skills, and enhance competency in writing research papers for publication in refereed English journals.

Pre-requisite(s): None

CILO-1: Describe the research questions addressed by selected qualitative methods.
CILO-2: Identify key points of the strengths and limitations of qualitative research methods in social sciences.
CILO-3: Discuss key points in designing a qualitative research project in social sciences, including conducting interview, analyzing qualitative data, and interpreting results.
CILO-4: Discuss how to present research findings and argument in a suitably structured and sequenced qualitative paper that conforms to protocols of academic presentation and research practice in social sciences.

The purpose of this seminar-based course is to introduce students to the issues, practices and strategies involved in collaborative and interactive teaching in higher education settings. Through assigned readings and online and in-class discussion, the course focuses on the nature of teaching and learning, the role of student engagement, how student development impacts learning, the use of technology to enhance student learning, course design, learning outcomes, and models of teaching practice. The course further explores strategies for authentic assessment and whole person education, as well as the development of a teaching portfolio through practical application.

Pre-requisite: None

CILO-1: Engage with and critically evaluate, summarise and connect literature on teaching and learning in their primary discipline to their teaching philosophy and teaching practice.
CILO-2: Explain the nature of learning and the role of student engagement for whole person development and education in Higher Education settings.
CILO-3: Articulate and apply the concepts of the Outcomes Based Teaching and Learning approach to course development and presentation for designing a learner-centred teaching module.
CILO-4: Articulate and apply various assessment approaches including rubric development and grading schemes.
CILO-5: Collaborate with peers to organise and present a mini-lecture (learning module) in a classroom setting, and constructively critique teaching by peers and reflect upon own teaching practice.

This course is a doctoral level seminar designed to develop the students’ knowledge and skills of quantitative methods in social sciences, familiarize them with procedures of designing and implementing quantitative research projects, improve their critical thinking capability, and increase their competency in writing research papers for publication in refereed English journals. It will provide the students with hand-on experiences in data collection through surveys and data analysis using SPSS, the software packages most commonly applied in quantitative research in social sciences.

Pre-requisite: None

CILO-1: Describe the research questions addressed by selected quantitative methods.
CILO-2: Critically compare the pros and cons of the selected quantitative methods.
CILO-3: Apply the selected quantitative methods to analyze data appropriately.
CILO-4: Draw valid conclusions from the results of selected quantitative methods.

TWO Elective Courses from the following choices:

This course is organized into 3 parts, covering consumer and producer theories (Part I), market equilibrium and welfare (Part II) and selected topics in applied game theory (including part of behavioral economics) and its applications in the economics of information and incentives (Part III).

Prerequisite(s): None

CILO-1: Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of market structures and proficiency in utilizing essential microeconomic analytical tools.
CILO-2: Critically evaluate and synthesize contemporary research findings in microeconomics to identify potential avenues for original research.
CILO-3: Frame and solve scientific problems in microeconomic inquiry.

The objective of this course is to provide an overview of some classic topics in macroeconomics, with a view to providing students with the skills required to read and write professional articles. The main focus is on the basic analytical structure of economic models, their empirical and policy implications.

Prerequisite(s): None

CILO-1: Identify key points of complex macroeconomic models and theoretical tools.
CILO-2: Critically assess alternative macroeconomic perspectives and theories.
CILO-3: Interpret the theoretical underpinnings, and applications of the macroeconomic models.
CILO-4: Apply macroeconomic perspectives and theories to the advanced topics of macroeconomics.

Further current topics in theoretical and applied econometrics. Topics will vary and reflect current student and faculty’s demand and instructors’ interests. Selected advanced topics may include nonparametric and semi parametric estimation, numerical optimization, simulation methods, time series, spatial, and panel data models.

Prerequisite(s): None

CILO-1: Describe and interpret the core theoretical underpinnings of econometric methods studied.
CILO-2: Identify common econometric issues and critically analyze econometric outputs.
CILO-3: Effectively apply sophisticated econometric methods to empirical data.
CILO-4: Evaluate the empirical relevance of econometric studies and relate findings to economic theory or real-world problems.

For students admitted without a relevant Master’s degree:
In addition to the above, students are required to take 2 of the following courses:

Methodological foundations of microeconomics. Theories of production and individual choice. Aspects of decision theory under certainty, risk and uncertainty. Introduction to game theory under complete and incomplete information, with applications to oligopoly. Perfect competition as a limiting case. General competitive equilibrium: existence and Pareto efficiency. Private information in markets. Basic auction theory. General theory of markets with adverse selection. Contract design in the context of moral hazard problems.

Prerequisite(s): None

CILO-1: Identify the fundamental principles of microeconomics, including concepts such as supply and demand, market equilibrium, and elasticity.
CILO-2: Discuss the impact of government policies, such as taxes and subsidies, on market outcomes and analyzing the trade-offs involved in policy decisions.
CILO-3: Analyze the behavior of consumers and firms in different market structures, such as perfect competition, monopolistic competition, oligopoly, and monopoly.
CILO-4: Apply different economic models, such as the neoclassical model, game theory, and behavioral economics, to analyze individual and firm behavior.

This is the core macroeconomic course of the Master’s programme. The aim of the course is to give an overview of some classic topics in macroeconomics, with a view to providing students with the skills required to read critically recent professional articles. The main focus is on the basic analytical structure of economic models, their empirical implications, and some policy applications.

Prerequisite(s): None

CILO-1: Analyze and apply the fundamental principles of macroeconomics, including concepts such as GDP, inflation, and unemployment.
CILO-2: Compare and contrast various macroeconomic models, such as the classical, Keynesian, and monetarist models, and evaluating their strengths and weaknesses.
CILO-3: Discuss the impact of international trade, exchange rates, and globalization on the economy and analyzing how these factors affect economic growth and development.
CILO-4: Evaluate the effectiveness of government policies, such as fiscal and monetary policy, in stabilizing the economy.
CILO-5: Analyze the different economic systems and evaluate their performance critically, such as capitalism, socialism, and mixed economies.

Develops research ability of students through intensive discussion for preparing dissertation, individual and group research projects. Critical appraisal of modern economic research. Main techniques of empirical investigation and key issues in applying and testing theoretical models.

Prerequisite(s): None

CILO-1: Identify and apply different research methods used in economics, such as experimental research, econometric analysis, and field research.
CILO-2: Analyze and evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different research designs, such as cross-sectional, time-series, and panel data designs.
CILO-3: Design and implement research plans, including formulating research questions, collecting and analyzing data, and interpreting results.
CILO-4: Evaluate the quality and reliability of economic research, including assessing the validity of assumptions and modeling techniques.

Review of conditional distributions, expectation, regression and principles of inference. Linear regression models, ordinary and generalised least squares, heteroscedasticity. Non-linear least squares. Hypothesis testing and confidence intervals. Maximum likelihood estimation and testing. Introduction to models and methods for discrete and censored data. Simultaneity, exogeneity, instrumental variables methods. Dynamic models: autoregressive and moving average processes, vector autoregressions. Causality, stationarity, unit root tests, and cointegration. Introduction to panel data methods and models.

Prerequisite(s): None

CILO-1: Interpret and analyze regression results, including coefficients, standard errors, and confidence intervals.
CILO-2: Evaluate empirical research in economics and related fields critically.
CILO-3: Apply statistical methods to economic data using statistical software such as Stata, R, or SAS.

Doctoral Thesis