Not too bad, it helps if you already have some background in finance. The lectures are useful for finding out what is on the tests (two midterms and a final), but the material is straight from the book, which isn't very well-written. Common sense helps in this class, too.

The grading in this class is pretty bad. The graders are Econ grad students so they have very limited exposure to finance. Unfortunately that causes there to tons of inconsistencies and errors in the grading.

Overall a decent class. His book explains concepts in a confusing manner so I would recommend you also look to other sources when trying to figure out what duration, put-call parity, etc actually is.

This semester was especially fun due to the current financial crisis. Burton is amazing at applying the concepts to real life issues. We pretty much spent the first month talking about the crisis every lecture. Tests are tricky, read the book many times and go to class.

This class is relatively easy compared to other ECON classes. Class is optional if you keep up with the readings. There is always a pretty large curve for the midterms and finals.

not too hard. talks about real world examples in class which he uses on tests, so it is very helpful to go to class or get notes. keep up with the articles he sends out because they are on tests too

The thing that makes this class great is Burton's story-telling. He has been around the block in the world of finance and has some great stories to really ground what you are learning. Stay on top of tests though. Several people warned me beforehand that you have to get used to Burton's tests, and once you do you'll be fine. That is very true, but don't get burned on the first one like I did.

Professor Burton does a great job in this class of teaching applicable course material, unlike most econ classes. There is a lot more practical use for the material instead of broad theory. He does a good job of using real-life examples to explain the course material.