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BASC0023 The Knowledge Economy: Consultancy Project provides an opportunity to experience the benefits of interdisciplinary learning – both individual and team-based – in practical, real-world and employment situations while also learning about the nature of the knowledge economy and critically examining its workings. This module focuses on both practical and theoretical assessment of the working, studying and campaigning environment in advanced socio-economies. Where BASC0024 Dissertation asks students to develop their own specific interests, BASC0023 The Knowledge Economy requires students to place their interests in the wider social, cultural and economic world.

The module has two intersecting strands. In one strand, researchers will analyse the nature of the knowledge economy and present critical views of it from academic sources. This will ensure exploration of society, culture and economy in relation to knowledge, digital and internet socio-technologies and the role of information in twenty-first century societies. In the other strand, students will work in teams of 4-6 on a real-world consultancy project with an organisation sourced by UCL.

In the first five weeks of term analysis of the knowledge economy will be conducted alongside early development of consultancy projects. In the first two weeks of term, the teams will also meet their client and begin project development.

Students will be allocated a consultancy team based on their top 5 choices of client, having read all of the project proposals submitted by the organisations. Please note that it will not always be possible to match first choices so teams and organisations may end up with their second, third or other choice. Each consultancy group will be provided with a project manager who will be a UCL member of staff and member of the module teaching team.

Teaching Delivery

In the first five weeks of the module there will be two lectures and one seminar per week. These will examine from different disciplinary bases the nature of the knowledge economy. Seminars will provide a critical environment to discuss all aspects, including non-economic, of the way digital socio-technologies and information structure the nature of society.

Seminars will be created based on consultancy groups, such that all students from a consultancy group are in the same seminar. This will allow seminars to be a basis for developing consultancy projects as well as critical analysis. Normally, each group’s project manager will also be their seminar tutor.

The second five weeks of the module there will be no lectures and seminars will continue and provide a basis for consultancy project development, as well as individual group consultations with their project manager and client. The structure of later seminars will be developed in consultation between students in each seminar and the seminar tutor/project manager.

Indicative Topics

• Consultancy research report based on an organisation external to UCL.
• Knowledge Economy

Module Aims and Objectives

• To gain skills relevant to analysing and working in the knowledge economy.
• To gain experience of a real-world consultancy project, working in a team with peers.
• To gain experience of producing a team-written, real-world consultancy report.

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