Course Syllabus
For a list of course activities, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Course Materials
Textbook: Essentials of Investments, by Bodie, Kane, and Marcus Publisher: McGraw-Hill XXth Ed. (Any double-digit edition would work. International edition is fine, too.)
The book is for your own reading and review. I will provide all the homework assignments and exams, and you don't need the book to access these questions. You DO NOT need to purchase the online access code.
You will have to purchase a StockTrak account for the simulated trading project (2nd mini-project). This is a group project, so only one account is needed for each group.
Course Schedule:
This is an online course consisting of seven modules, each of which takes one week to cover. The detailed course calendar can be found below:
ZOOM meetings are 7:00pm to 9:00pm Central Time.
| Live Session (Central Time) | Topics |
| 7:00pm to 9:00pm | Asset Return and Risk |
| 7:00pm to 9:00pm | Mechanics of Investment |
| 7:00pm to 9:00pm | Portfolios |
| 7:00pm to 9:00pm | Asset Allocation |
| Midterm Exam Window | |
| 7:00pm to 9:00pm | CAPM and Investment Performance |
| 7:00pm to 9:00pm | Options Markets |
| 7:00pm to 9:00pm | Futures Market & Risk Management |
| 7:00pm to 9:00pm | Q&A(Project, Exam) |
| Final Exam Window | |
Please pay special attention to the exam dates and times. Make sure that you keep your schedule open for the exams.
Please contact me ASAP if you have conflicts in your schedule.
Grades
Breakdown
| Activity | Description | Points |
| Practice Problems | 1 set per module | 16 |
| Live Sessions | Attendance (You are required to attend 4 sessions out of 7. 2 pts for each attendance.) | 8 |
| Homework | 1 set per module | 24 |
| Assignments | 2 longer assignments (mini-projects) | 16 |
| Midterm Exam | Covers the first four modules | 18 |
| Final Exam | Covers the last four modules | 18 |
| Total | 100 |
Scale
Grade cutoffs for A, B, C, D are 90%, 80%, 70%, 60% respectively.
Grades are rounded to the nearest percent (i.e. 89.5% rounds to 90% while 89.4% rounds to 89%)
All students will be graded according to the above scale and thus should not expect a "curve" in the class. Everyone will be treated the same under this grading system.
Course Components
Pre-recorded Lectures
I provide pre-recorded lectures for each module. They should cover the majority of the topics for that module. I suggest that you watch the video, take notes, and bring your questions to me during the live sessions. You may use the practice problems as an initial test of your understanding of the topics.
Please note that you can adjust the resolution of the videos in the video player. All videos are available in high resolution.
Practice Problems
Practice problems provide feedback on your guided study. These problems should be relatively easy and focus on the most essential concepts.
Please finish these questions before each live session. They are always due on the same day as the live session by 5pm.
Live Session
I will hold weekly online sessions via ZOOM in real time. During this meeting, I will explain key concepts, solve practice problems, and answer your questions.
You are welcome to post any questions you might have before each live session. (This is not required.)
You are required to attend 4 sessions out of 7.
Homework
These problems are designed to help reinforce your learning from the Live Session.
Homework problems are always due on the Sunday by midnight following each live session.
Assignments
These assignments include a mini data project and a simulated trading project. They aim to provide you with a better understanding of the materials covered in the textbook by connecting them to real world examples.
See Course Summary for all the due dates.
Exams
In this course, you’ll have one midterm exam and one final exam. The Midterm Exam will test the materials presented in Modules 1-4. The Final Exam will test the materials presented in Modules 5-8. The exams are designed to assess your mastery over the skills and knowledge introduced during the course.
There will be a test-taking window in which you'll have 90 minutes to complete each exam. You are responsible for keeping your schedule open for these two test windows.
Course Policies
Communication
- If you have general questions about the class (assignments, class logistics, due dates, etc.), post a question in the HELP BOARD in the “Start Here” module. You can post questions about the course here throughout the semester.
- If you have a personal question (grades, feedback, requests for special accommodation, etc.) please send me an email (tong.wang@ou.edu ). In some cases, it might be helpful if you could send a screenshot of the issue. During the work week (Monday-Friday), you can expect a response from me within 24 hours. During weekends (Saturday-Sunday), you can expect a response from me within 48 hours.
- If you have general tech questions, please contact OU IT at needhelp@ou.edu.
All email sent by your professors will be sent to the email registered in your name at the University of Oklahoma.
If you wish to also receive course emails at another email address, go to your profile in Canvas and you can add 1 or more alternate emails to your account.
Late Policy
No late work accepted: All graded assignments must be completed by the assigned due date. No late work will be accepted. Pre-session and post-session assignments are to be completed on Connect and will be submitted automatically in Connect at the due date.
University Academic Policies and Student Support
Access the University Academic Policies Document.
Course Summary:
| Date | Details | Due |
|---|---|---|