Syllabus for FIN-331

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND MARKETS

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Financial Institutions and Markets examines financial institutions and systems as well as the relationship of U.S. capital markets to global markets. This involves the effects of interest rates and asset demand including stocks, bonds, options, and futures and their fundamental relationships within the financial market structure. The course analyzes the efficiency of financial markets and the role of central banks (especially the Federal Reserve System); in addition, the course examines the conduct of monetary policy to determine its effect on financial markets. Emphasis is given to the bond, stock, and money markets and their relationship to the management of financial institutions and financial regulations. The functions of the mutual fund industry, insurance companies, and pension funds are discussed and evaluated for risk and ethical considerations.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing this course, you should be able to:

1. Analyze the functions of financial markets and financial instruments.
2. Discuss the role of interest rates and their usage in securities valuation.
3. Explain the effects of interest rate change and risk structure.
4. Characterize an efficient market.
5. Analyze the functions of various financial institutions in the economy, the financial industry, and for individual investors.
6. Distinguish among the roles of the Federal Reserve System and interpret the effects of monetary policy on financial markets.
7. Compare the functions of different investment vehicles, distinguishing between the bond, stock, mutual fund, mortgage, and foreign exchange markets.
8. Explain the connection between the ethical responsibility of the banking industry and the management of financial institutions.

COURSE MATERIALS

You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the College's textbook supplier, MBS Direct.

Required Textbook

1. Mishkin, F.S. & Eakins, S.G. (2012). Financial markets and institutions (7th ed.). Boston: Prentice Hall/Pearson.

ISBN-13: 978-0-13-213689-1

COURSE STRUCTURE

Financial Institutions and Markets is a three-credit online course, consisting of eight (8) modules. Modules include an overview, topics, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.

1. Module 1: Fundamentals of Financial Markets

Course objectives covered in this module: 1, 2, 3, 4

2. Module 2: Fundamentals of Financial Institutions

Course objectives covered in this module: 4, 5

3. Module 3: Central Banks and the Conduct of Monetary Policy

Course objectives covered in this module: 5, 6

4. Module 4: Financial Markets: Money, Bond, and Stock Markets

Course objectives covered in this module: 1, 2, 5, 7

5. Module 5: Financial Markets: Mortgage and Foreign Exchange Markets

Course objectives covered in this module: 7

6. Module 6: Financial Institutions: The Banking Industry

Course objectives covered in this module: 5, 6, 8

7. Module 7: Other Financial Institutions

Course objectives covered in this module: 7, 8

8. Module 8: Managing Financial Institutions

Course objectives covered in this module: 4, 5, 8

Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in online discussion forums, complete written assignments, take a proctored online midterm examination, and complete a final project. See below for more details.

Consult the course Calendar for assignment due dates.

Discussion Forums

You are required to participate in eight (8) graded discussion forums as well as an ungraded "Introductions" forum. The online discussions are on a variety of topics associated with the course modules.

Located within the Evaluation Rubrics section of the course Web site is the online discussion forum rubric used to aid in the grading of all online discussions.

Written Assignments

You are required to complete eight (8) written assignments. The written assignments include questions on a variety of topics associated with the course modules.

Located within the Evaluation Rubrics section of the course Web site is the written assignment rubric used to aid in the grading of all written assignments.

Midterm Examination

You are required to take a proctored online midterm examination. See the Calendar for the official dates for your midterm exam week.

The midterm is a closed-book, proctored online exam. It is two hours long and covers all reading and assignments through module 4 of the course (textbook chapters 1 through 13). It consists of five essay questions.

For the midterm, you are required to use the College's Online Proctor Service (OPS). Please refer to the "Examinations and Proctors" section of the Online Student Handbook (see General Information area of the course Web site) for further information about scheduling and taking online exams and for all exam policies and procedures.

Online exams are administered through the course Web site.  

Statement about Cheating

You are on your honor not to cheat during an exam. Cheating means:

1. Looking up any answer or part of an answer in an unauthorized textbook or on the Internet, or using any other source to find an answer.
2. Copying and pasting or, in any way copying responses or parts of responses from any other source into your exams. This includes but is not limited to copying and pasting from other documents or spreadsheets, whether written by yourself or anyone else.
3. Plagiarizing answers.
4. Asking anyone else to assist you by whatever means available while you take an exam.
5. Copying any part of an exam to share with other students.
6. Telling your mentor that you need another attempt at an exam because your connection to the Internet was interrupted when that is not true.

If there is evidence that you have cheated or plagiarized in an exam, the exam will be declared invalid, and you will fail the course.

Final Project

Your final project involves applying course concepts to a real-world situation. You will choose a publicly-traded firm and prepare a paper that examines how real-world financial factors might affect that firm. The Final Project area of the course site explains the project in more detail. A full description of the paper is provided within the course.

Located within the Evaluation Rubrics section of the course Web site is the final paper rubric used to aid in the grading of the final paper.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:

1. Online discussions (8)—16 percent
2. Written assignments (8)—34 percent
3. Midterm exam (proctored online, modules 1–4)—30 percent
4. Final project—20 percent

All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:

To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or better (for an area of study course) or D or better (for a nonarea of study course), based on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., exams, assignments, discussion postings, etc.).

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

First Steps to Success

To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:

1. Read carefully the entire Syllabus, making sure that all aspects of the course are clear to you and that you have all the materials required for the course.

2. Take the time to read the entire Online Student Handbook. The Handbook answers many questions about how to proceed through the course, how to schedule exams, and how to get the most from your educational experience at Thomas Edison State College.

3. Arrange to take your examination(s) by following the instructions in this Syllabus and the Online Student Handbook.

4. Familiarize yourself with the learning management systems environment—how to navigate it and what the various course areas contain. If you know what to expect as you navigate the course, you can better pace yourself and complete the work on time.

5. If you are not familiar with Web-based learning be sure to review the processes for posting responses online and submitting assignments before class begins.

Study Tips

Consider the following study tips for success:

1. To stay on track throughout the course, begin each week by consulting the course Calendar. The Calendar provides an overview of the course and indicates due dates for submitting assignments, posting discussions, and scheduling and taking examinations.

2. Check Announcements regularly for new course information.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Students at Thomas Edison State College are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.

Academic Dishonesty

Thomas Edison State College expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the College insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty takes the following forms:

1. Cheating
2. Plagiarizing (including copying and pasting from the Internet without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources)
3. Fabricating information or citations
4. Facilitating acts of dishonesty by others
5. Unauthorized access to examinations or the use of unauthorized materials during exam administration
6. Submitting the work of another person or work previously used without informing the mentor
7. Tampering with the academic work of other students

Academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action and possible dismissal from the College. Students who submit papers that are found to be plagiarized will receive an F on the plagiarized assignment, may receive a grade of F for the course, and may face dismissal from the College.

A student who is charged with academic dishonesty will be given oral or written notice of the charge. If a mentor or College official believes the infraction is serious enough to warrant referral of the case to the academic dean, or if the mentor awards a final grade of F in the course because of the infraction, the student and the mentor will be afforded formal due process.

If a student is found cheating or using unauthorized materials on an examination, he or she will automatically receive a grade of F on that examination. Students who believe they have been falsely accused of academic dishonesty should seek redress through informal discussions with the mentor, through the office of the dean, or through an executive officer of Thomas Edison State College.

Plagiarism

Using someone else's work as your own is plagiarism. Although it may seem like simple dishonesty, plagiarism is against the law. Thomas Edison State College takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing will be severely penalized. If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism.  (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > "Citing Sources.")

Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else's. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.

Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.

Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.