I'd definitely recommend this class for the finance capstone. Dennis is a great teacher who is engaging, funny, and good at explaining difficult concepts in a way that makes them seem simple. He assumes we know nothing going in which is really helpful because he teaches everything fully without skipping the foundational learning. There is very little homework assigned and barely any work outside of class besides two midterms which he curves. If you like doing easy math problems, this class will be a breeze. You learn about a wide range of topics that are all really practical in the finance industry. This was one of the easiest / most enjoyable finance classes I've taken at McIntire.

This is one of the most interesting courses I have ever taken. Professor Dennis is a great professor. He really cares about the students and explains difficult concepts very clearly. However, this course is probably one of the most difficult courses at the COMM school. Highly recommend this class.

Decent course, entire grade is two midterms and a final. Final is optional and not necessary if you're happy with your midterm grades. Definitely a fairly difficult course though, especially for the Comm school. This is exacerbated by the fact that the students in the course are basically the smartest group of students in the Comm school - which is already of higher caliber than the rest of the school, so don't count on a curve helping out.

Dennis doesn't really make you do the assigned homework, which can screw you over for the exams - which he makes as tricky as he can. If you actually put in several hours a week outside of class consistently however the course should be reasonable, but fall behind and you can be a bit screwed.

I would highly recommend this class to any finance concentrator who is serious about learning investments. Dennis really knows how to teach the material. If you go to class, you won't need to do any textbook reading. The exams are tough, but do-able (and of course curved).

Great class, Professor Dennis goes fast but explains things well. Little work outside of class, you learn everything from the lecture and do a few (<5) problems for homework for every class. Probably a little more math-intensive than other finance classes in the comm school, but nothing more advanced than derivatives and time value of money.