Topics in Investment Banking Seminar

3 units

Enrollment limit: 16. Prereq: Corporations. Drop deadline: 9:00pm the day after the first class meeting. This seminar will give students the opportunity to examine significant debates in the regulation of those financial institutions that engage principally in investment banking activities. The seminar will include an overview the following: the legal and organizational structure and historical development of these institutions; the core activities in which they engage; the norms and dynamics in the investment banking industry; and the regulation of these institutions by securities, financial and other regulators. Particular emphasis will be given to regulation of the propriety of conduct of investment bankers and to systematic empirical evidence concerning the extent to which they serve client interests and protect non-public client information. The first class will offer an introduction to the writing process and to the relevant literature. In the remaining weeks, there will be no classes but students will meet regularly with the instructor and write a research paper 25 to 30 pages in length. Students can either pick a topic from a list provided or choose their own topic. [This seminar is not graded anonymously because the professor works with students on their writing project throughout the semester.] 3 units.