The Global Financial Crisis Course Syllabus

Overview: This course offers a comprehensive examination of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis and its aftermath, exploring root causes, key events, policy responses, and long-term implications. Designed for beginners with an interest in economics and finance, the course blends historical analysis with expert insights. With approximately 50 hours of content, learners will progress through structured modules that build from foundational concepts to global consequences and preventive strategies. High-quality visuals, timelines, and real-world case studies enhance understanding throughout.

Module 1: Introduction to the Global Financial Crisis

Estimated time: 2 hours

• Define financial crises and their characteristics
• Review the timeline of the 2008 financial crisis
• Outline course structure and learning objectives
• Identify key themes and questions explored in the course

Module 2: Common Causes of Financial Crises

Estimated time: 3 hours

• Identify recurring economic patterns in historical financial crises
• Analyze how asset bubbles and excessive risk-taking lead to instability
• Connect historical precedents to the 2008 collapse
• Examine the role of investor behavior and market psychology

Module 3: Housing and Mortgage Dynamics

Estimated time: 4 hours

• Explore the development of the U.S. housing bubble
• Understand subprime lending practices and their risks
• Explain the process of mortgage securitization
• Assess how financial innovation contributed to systemic vulnerability

Module 4: The Housing Crash

Estimated time: 5 hours

• Investigate the causes of the U.S. housing market collapse
• Evaluate the impact of predatory lending and regulatory failures
• Analyze how falling home prices triggered broader financial instability
• Review policy decisions that influenced market outcomes

Module 5: Early Financial Anxiety

Estimated time: 6 hours

• Analyze early warning signs in 2007 financial markets
• Study the failure of subprime mortgage-backed securities
• Track the decline of major financial institutions
• Understand initial market reactions and liquidity concerns

Module 6: Escalating Tensions

Estimated time: 5 hours

• Review the collapse of Bear Stearns and its implications
• Examine the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers
• Understand how institutional failures increased systemic risk
• Assess the growing panic in global credit markets

Prerequisites

• Familiarity with basic economic concepts is helpful
• No formal background in finance required
• Willingness to engage with complex financial events through guided instruction

What You'll Be Able to Do After

• Understand the origins and sequence of events in the 2008 financial crisis
• Analyze the role of housing markets, mortgages, and financial instruments in economic instability
• Evaluate government and central bank responses to financial collapse
• Assess the global impact of the crisis, including the Eurozone downturn
• Apply lessons from the crisis to identify risks and prevent future economic disasters