Spring 2010: Current Topics in Financial Mathematics -- The Projects Course MAP 6437-02 in 102 LOV (Kercheval) -- MAP 6437-03 in 200 LOV (Nichols) TR 2:00 - 3:15 pm
instructors	Prof. Warren Nichols, office 112 LOV, http://www.math.fsu.edu/~nichols Prof. Alec Kercheval, office 113 LOV, http://www.math.fsu.edu/~kercheva
eligibility	Except by special permission, this course is open only to students in the Financial Mathematics graduate program who have passed Financial Engineering MAP 6621 and expect to complete the Masters degree requirements during the current calendar year.
objectives	The purpose of this capstone course is for students to bring together knowledge from previous courses to read current research, formulate specific project ideas, develop computational experiments to support their own conclusions, hone written and oral presentation skills, and practice teamwork to produce a polished final product under time-limited conditions. The main objective is the completion of an individual research project on a topic chosen by the student in consultation with the instructor. The project will be submitted both as a polished written paper in thesis format, and as a 45-minute oral presentation in class. In addition, students will complete a group project leading to a group in-class presentation, and complete other smaller assignments. An important part of the course is for students to practice critically listening to other projects and participating in constructive questions and discussion. Therefore attendance and class participation will be a part of the course grade.
homework schedule	Assignment 1, due in class Tuesday, January 12: Hand in typed paragraphs answering each of the following questions: Choose a book to purchase for your personal financial math library that you do not already own. What book did you choose and why? Daily reading is an important habit: what publications do you read, which ones do you think you should read, and why? Describe your computing skills. What software, platforms, or languages are you missing that you would like to acquire? Where do you see yourself professionally in 2 and 5 years? Assignment 2, due in class Thursday, Feb. 11: Hand in a book review of the book you chose as part of Assignment 1; provide a copy to each of your classmates, and also upload a pdf via Blackboard to SafeAssign. (Make your review interesting and useful for your classmates.) Assignment 3, due by email Monday, April 19: On April 15 you will be assigned a classmate's project report to read and evaluate. You will write a 1-2 page report evaluating and commenting on the project, describing strengths and weaknesses, and making any suitable suggestions for final revision before the April 22 deadline. The report will be provided anonymously to the author.
group presentations	Group presentations are popular and fun to prepare: students form groups of 2 or 3; in February each group will put together a presentation on a current topic expected to be of interest to all. Past topics have included the Birmingham-Scrushy-HMO scandal and the ENRON case. But it isn't all scandal. One group interviewed former students about job interview strategies. Another presented an in-depth guide to the CFA. And there have been many presentations that extended previous class topics, such as energy marketing or foreign currency.
individual project	The individual project is worth 60 per cent of the course grade and has three parts as described below. Your project may be based on a topic suggested in a previous course or your own readings/investigations. Generally it should incorporate reading from recent literature, and some related computational experimentation that you design and carry out. You are individually responsible, in consultation with your instructor, for framing, developing, and presenting a suitable problem - that is part of the assignment - but you may ask a professor from an earlier course, or a financial sector professional, for suggestions and help along the way. If a professor/expert advises you on the project, you must disclose this at each presentation stage. If you are preparing for the PhD it may be possible to work on a project of some interest to a potential major professor as a prelude to your Candidacy exam. The three components of your Individual Project grade are: Preview (written and verbal): In January (see schedule) you must have your plan - ``Preview" - you will talk at most 5 minutes, using a laptop and projected slides. You will hand out to the class a 1 or 2 page description of your plans, with references and description of any help you are getting, and also submit your written Preview through Blackboard to SafeAssign. Classmates and instructor will give comments, ideas, and suggestions about the content of your proposed project. Presentation: On the date you have "drawn", give a talk (40-45 minutes) about your project. Presentations are critiqued by the class and your participation in discussing the papers of others will be noted. You will use powerpoint, beamer, LaTeX slides or equivalent. This is a professional level presentation, not just a class discussion. It is suggested that if you do not have a laptop you arrange with a classmate --- but this is your responsibility. If for any reason, even illness, you cannot present on the day you draw, it is necessary for you to swap presentation dates with another student, and inform the class by e-mail of the swap. Paper: You must produce a written report in good thesis format as both electronic file and hardcopy. This will happen in two steps. By no later than the start of class on Thursday, April 15, email a complete first draft to your instructor. The document should be a PDF file -- convert to PDF if necessary. Your draft will be read and reviewed anonymously by another classmate by Monday April 19. By no later than the start of class on Thursday, April 22, the final version of your project report is due. You must upload an electronic version to SafeAssign on Blackboard, and also hand in a paper copy. Use proper form (see FSU Graduate School website). You must number your pages and have a properly formatted bibliography.
other grade components	60 per cent of the overall grade comes from the individual project, and 40 per cent is subjectively assigned, based on: group participation and leadership; the quality of the group project presentation; attendance; the quality of your participation in discussion of other students' work, and the hand-in homeworks.

honor code: The University Academic Honor Code can be found in the current Student Handbook; you are bound by this in all of your academic work. Each student has the responsibility to 1) personally uphold the highest standards of academic integrity, 2) refuse to tolerate violations of academic integrity, and 3) foster a mutual sense of integrity and social responsibility.

ada statement: Students with disabilities needing academic accommodations should, within the first week of class: 1) register with and provide documentation to the Student Disability Resource Center (SDRC); 2) bring a letter to the instructor from SDRC indicating you need academic accommodations. This and other class materials are available in alternative format upon request.