Capital and finance - economic and historic perspectives

At least 15 higher education credits in social science subjects.

What role does the distribution of capital play in a society’s economic and social development? What role have financial markets and actors played in the emergence of modern capitalism? Why do financial crises occur, and how have financial markets been regulated historically? This course provides students with analytical tools to examine these, and other, questions related to capital and financial systems from a historical perspective.

The course critically examines the phenomenon of capital, how it has been analyzed historically, and the significance that the distribution of capital holds for societal development. It also addresses the evolution of capital markets and financial instruments, as well as the interaction between financial theory, regulation, and market behavior. The course focuses on periods and events that have generated debate and legislation concerning the functioning and regulation of financial markets. In addition to providing students with a deep historical frame of reference, the course also trains students to identify, analyze, and critically engage with capital and financial markets within a broader societal context.

After successful completion of the course, the student should be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

a) describe historical development in terms of capital and financial systems

Skills and abilities

b) analyze financial crises in terms of their sequence of events, crisis management, and regulation

Judgement and approach

c) identify and independently discuss the relationship between capital and resource allocation in different historical contexts.

The course is sustainability-related, meaning that at least one of the intended learning outcomes clearly demonstrates that the course content fulfills at least one of the criteria for sustainability labeling established by the University of Gothenburg.

The course is offered online as a distance-learning course, with teaching consisting of lectures and seminars.

The course is examined through compulsory seminars and a final individual take-home examination. Students who do not attend the compulsory seminars must complete supplementary assignments in order to pass the course.

A student who has failed the same examination component twice may request a change of examiner prior to the next examination opportunity. Such a request must be submitted in writing to the department and shall be granted unless there are special reasons not to do so (Higher Education Ordinance, Chapter 6, Section 22).

For students who have received a recommendation for special pedagogical support from the University of Gothenburg, the examiner may, provided that this is compatible with the learning outcomes of the course and does not require unreasonable resources, decide to offer an adapted examination or an alternative form of assessment.

In the event that a course has been discontinued or has undergone major changes, students shall be guaranteed at least three examination opportunities (including the ordinary examination occasion) during a period of no less than one year and no more than two years after the course has been discontinued or changed. The same applies to internship courses and work-integrated learning (WIL), with the limitation that only one additional examination opportunity is guaranteed.

The course is graded using the following scale: Excellent (A), Very Good (B), Good (C), Satisfactory (D), Pass (E), and Fail (F). To receive a passing grade for the course (A–E), students must achieve a pass on both the compulsory seminars and the take-home examination.

A course evaluation is conducted at the end of the course. The results of the evaluation and any resulting changes to the course design shall be communicated both to the students who participated in the evaluation and to students who are scheduled to commence the course.

The course may not be credited towards a degree in combination with the course EHG201.