Syllabus for INV-711
INVESTMENTS
This course discusses investment setting, asset allocation, global investments, functioning of securities markets, portfolio management, asset pricing model, and models of risk and return. It analyzes financial statements, company, industry, and macroeconomic valuation of stocks and bonds. It also examines derivative securities and contracts such as forward, futures, and options. It further provides a conceptual base for investment managers, individual investors, and corporate financial managers.
After completing this course, you will be able to:
You will need the following materials to do the work of the course. The required textbook is available from the University’s textbook supplier, MBS Direct.
ISBN-13: 978-0538482387
Investments is a three-credit online course, consisting of four modules. Modules include an overview, topics, learning objectives, study materials, and assignments. Module titles are listed below.
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in eight graded discussion forums, two synchronous events, and to complete four written assignments. You are also required to complete a midterm project and a final project.
Consult the Course Calendar for assignment due dates.
This course requires you to participate in eight graded discussion forums. There are also two ungraded but required forums in Module 1. In addition, there are two discussion forums for synchronous events.
Online Discussion Grading Rubric.
You are required to complete four written assignments. Each written assignment includes selected questions and problems from the end of chapters that may require you do some calculations and/or evaluate different options in making investment decisions.
You are required to participate in two synchronous events during Week 3 and 6 of the semester in Edison Live!, our virtual meeting space. To access the event, click the Collaboration Space link in the Edison Live! section of the course site a few minutes before the designated time. Use the following link for directions and helpful videos about how to use the Edison Live! tool in Moodle. Both synchronous events will focus on the interim report of the final project. See the Module 2 and Module 4 areas of the course web site for further details.
You are required to submit a midterm research project in the form of a paper in which you assume the role of a hedge fund manager or investment manager investing for your clients' funds in stocks based on profit sharing. You are required to research the stock market and choose two stocks to invest in and write a 4-6 page research report on your investment decision.
See the Midterm Project area of the course web site for further details.
You are required at the end of the course to submit a final project in the form of a paper in which you assume the role of an investment manager investing for your clients’ funds in two foreign currencies based on profit sharing. You are required to research the foreign currencies as soon as possible after initial consultations with your mentor regarding what directions to pursue.
You will produce your final project in four different stages as part of your course work:
By the end of Module 1 you will inform your mentor which foreign currencies you are thinking of researching. Your mentor will help you with feedback regarding your choices and how to proceed with your research.
During Module 2 you will organize the information you have gathered into an interim report that you will share with your classmates and mentor during a synchronous event. Your mentor will coordinate arrangements for sharing your report and taking part in the discussion.
After participating in the Module 2 synchronous discussion forum and reflecting on any suggestions, advice, observations, etc., made by your classmates and mentor, you will decide on which foreign currencies you would like to invest (choose two hard currencies). You will update your interim report to include this choice and a brief explanation regarding why you have selected these particular foreign currencies. You will submit the updated interim report to your mentor for grading at the end of Module 3. During Module 3 you will also participate a second synchronous event during which you will have the opportunity to discuss your final project further.
By the end of Module 4 you will complete and submit your final project paper.
See the Final Project area of the course web site for further details.
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
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:
A | = | 93–100 | B | = | 83–87 | |
A– | = | 90–92 | C | = | 73–82 | |
B+ | = | 88–89 | F | = | Below 73 |
To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., assignments, discussion postings, projects, etc.). Graduate students must maintain a B average overall to remain in good academic standing.
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Consider the following study tips for success:
Thomas Edison State University is committed to maintaining academic quality, excellence, and honesty. The University expects all members of its community to share the commitment to academic integrity, an essential component of a quality academic experience.
Students at Thomas Edison State University 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.
All members of the University community are responsible for reviewing the Academic Code of Conduct Policy in the University Catalog and online at www.tesu.edu.
Thomas Edison State University 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 University insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty can take the following forms:
Thomas Edison State University is committed to helping students understand the seriousness of plagiarism, which is defined as using the work and ideas of others without proper citation. The University takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing are subject to discipline under the academic code of conduct policy.
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, or without identifying it as a direct quote, 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.
For examples of unintentional plagiarism, advice on when to quote and when to paraphrase, and information about writing assistance and originality report checking, click the links provided below.
Examples of Unintentional Plagiarism
When to Quote and When to Paraphrase
Writing Assistance at Smarthinking
Originality Report Checking at Turnitin
Acts of both intentional and unintentional plagiarism violate the Academic Code of Conduct.
If an incident of plagiarism is an isolated minor oversight or an obvious result of ignorance of proper citation requirements, the mentor may handle the matter as a learning exercise. Appropriate consequences may include the completion of tutorials, assignment rewrites, or any other reasonable learning tool in addition to a lower grade for the assignment or course. The mentor will notify the student and appropriate dean of the consequence by e-mail.
If the plagiarism appears intentional and/or is more than an isolated incident, the mentor will refer the matter to the appropriate dean, who will gather information about the violation(s) from the mentor and student, as necessary. The dean will review the matter and notify the student in writing of the specifics of the charge and the sanction to be imposed.
Possible sanctions include:
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