Course descriptions

The course shall assist students in understanding the wide range of instruments for financing, investing and controlling risk available in today's financial markets. The course also involves learning about participants in financial markets. governments and financial business and households. In addition, applying financial and economic models and theories to evaluate various securities and portfolios shall take place along with covering the organizations and the structuring of capital markets and financial operations.

This is an introductory course to Islamic Banking and Finance. Here, a historical background of Islamic Banking and Finance is discussed alongside the mechanics of Islamic financing and investment tools; rules and regulations governing Islamic financial contracts; Islamic mode of financing; Islamic financial instruments, risk, uncertainty (gharar), interest (riba). A comparative analysis will be made between conventional and Islamic banking & finance to critically explore the problems, challenges and prospects of Islamic banking and finance industry. This exposure will help our students understand the application of Shariah principles in banking & finance operations, products and services. In addition, the Islamic business ethics will be discussed at an introductory level in a setting where students take active participation to share their knowledge, views and experiences.

This course will equip our students with practical understanding of Islamic banking and finance such as Islamic law of contracts, Islamic banking activities, corporate governance in Islamic financial institutions, Islamic asset and fund management, Islamic bond market (Sukuk) and Islamic insurance (Takaful). This course will involve discussions regarding the mobilization of funds in the light of various prohibitions as well as how these funds are channeled in conformity with Islamic law (Sharia). This course will enable our students to develop intellectual capacity to critically analyze the various aspects of Sharia principles related to financial products and services offered by Islamic financial institutions alongside Islamic business ethics. According to Islamic business ethics, ethics governs all aspects of life, and it preaches that ethics provides essential support for maximizing long-term business value. This course will prepare our students to succeed in the Islamic Finance Qualification (IFQ) exam from Securities and Investment Institute, UK..

The objective of the course is to introduce the students to the theory and practice of portfolio management. Topics included are formulation of appropriate portfolio objectives, alternative asset-allocation techniques, portfolio revision, criteria for evaluating investment portfolios, and the analysis of various investment constraints. The course will employ different equity and bond portfolio management techniques in addition to covering the essentials to professional asset management.

The course explores the risk management issues facing firms and individuals, examining how to protect firm value and personal wealth. It covers the areas of general risk management process, property and liability insurance, life and health. insurance, annuities and employee benefits. The insurance industry and regulatory concerns are also addressed. In addition, the course touches on some of the new products emerging in the risk management arena and how the insurance industry responds to them.

This course focuses on capital budgeting and long-term financing decisions. All major topics concerned with strategic investment decisions are covered in the course, including investment value measurements, cash flow analyses, risk assessments, and capital structure/financing analyses. The use of cases and problems will be emphasized throughout the course. The cases and problems will provide the opportunity to apply concepts and methods presented in the text and lectures. Course Objectives and Outcomes This course will enable the students to: 1. Analyze the application of firms’ long-term financial decision-making process, and explore the detail description of the capital budgeting process. 2. Identify the theoretical foundations in capital budgeting models and the applications of these models for valuation purposes. 3. Use the computer skill of MS Excel and have access to a computer spreadsheet program. Although such a program is not a required part of the course, students will be able to identify those certain cases and problems will be easier and faster to solve with a spreadsheet program.

This course focuses on international financial management and international foreign exchange markets. The course undertakes an in-depth overview of the multinational corporation business, risks of international operations, the international flow of funds among countries, the international financial markets, and the foreign exchange determinates. A significant part of this course introduces how governments can affect exchange rates changes and how such changes can affect the economy. Furthermore, this course explores the relationship between inflation, interest rates and currency values.

The entrepreneurial startup community is aggressively developing new Financial Technology, "Fintech", applications which are dramatically changing the way financial services and products are delivered. Some commentators foresee a revolution in finance, where there will be no need for brick-and-mortar branches, investment counselors, or even physical money itself. The reality is likely to be more gradual adoption and integration of innovative technology and mobile applications into the existing financial system. The course gives a broad understanding on the current and emerging technologies around money and payments, markets and consumer experience, and explores key ideas, principles, and frameworks around FinTech. It covers the economic, regulatory, and technological impact of the Fintech industry.

This course is designed for students to analyze the promises and challenges of crowdfunding and look closely at impact investing. The course examines peer-to-peer lending and its effect on the consumer credit landscape and marketplace lending. The course helps the students to develop analytical skills to exploit opportunities to use financial technologies to improve financial health. The course demonstrates peer-to-peer lending platforms as an alternative method to finance debt to better analyze the methodology behind fintech companies that refinance loans for consumers.

?The course provides a comprehensive understanding of current and emerging technologies in the financial industry, specifically in the areas of money, payment methodologies, markets, and consumer experience. Through exploration of key ideas, principles, and frameworks around FinTech and using a related software, students gain insights into the technological applications of finance and exposure to new FinTech services. Additionally, the course analyzes modern-day investment strategies that utilize FinTech and examines how FinTech is emerging as an entrepreneurial solution for both investments and payment systems. By the end of the course, students will have a deep understanding of the latest developments and trends in FinTech, empowering them to engage with this dynamic and rapidly evolving field.

This course introduces students to the principles, concepts and practices of corporate financial management, and the theories and applications underlying the financial decision-making process. The major topics covered include financial statement analysis, risk and returns, time value of money, valuation of stocks and bonds, capital structure and its cost, and capital budgeting.

?Given the importance of derivatives and the dynamic risk management industry, this course is expected to provide students with the basic necessary knowledge regarding derivatives and risk management in the field of finance. This course is mainly structured to cover options first, followed by forwards, futures and swaps. The first part of the course will present an overview of the subject by introducing the basis characteristics of options and their markets, together with the fundamental principles of pricing options. Under this concern, the simple binomial model for pricing options, the Black-Sholes- model which is the premier tool for pricing options-, in addition to option trading strategies will be introduced as well. Forwards, futures and swaps will be given in part two, which introduces the basic characteristics of forwards and futures markets. The second part will present the principals of pricing forwards, futures, also, options on future contracts will be introduced. Some of the hedging strategies will be provided throughout the third part of the course.

Special Topics in Finance

This capstone course offers the students the opportunity to apply their academic experience to conduct an experiential learning project in a designated field in a practical manner. Students will work in teams where they will read a case to analyze an existing business or engage in a business simulation. This experience will allow the students to gain a better understanding of everything they have learned through hands-on experience so that they can be better prepared for the workforce. This course will improve the investment literacy of the students by applying the theory with equity analysis and investment discussions. The course aims to give the students the credibility and knowledge they need to compete for the positions in the investment profession. Students will be able to perform equity research to a publicly listed company from Boursa Kuwait. This research will expose the students to the full cycle of the analysis including and not limited to financial analysis, industry and competitors' analysis, assumptions and projections basis, financial modeling, and valuation methods. The students will learn how to reach to an investment decision based on their professional and solid analysis. The course is applied, industry- and skill-oriented, and applicable to many career paths in finance and is a fantastic opportunity to enhance students' resume and overall marketability.

Finance Internship

The course demonstrates on corporate decision processes and its structure. As such, the course applies the valuation techniques and estimate the parameters necessary towards formulating capital decisions. Also, the course describes the capital markets efficiency and its behavioral changes, in conjunction with the ability to develop an efficient set of securities. Theories of risk and return, namely the capital assets pricing model as well as the arbitrage pricing theory.\n\nThis course is primarily quantitative in nature. For many students, this course may be the first quantitative course in which they will need to apply the knowledge and skills developed in prerequisite math and accounting classes. In addition, while this is an analytical course, your success, as a student, will primarily depend on your ability to relate a few problem-solving procedures to new problems. This ability is developed through many sessions of individual practice. You are expected to be able to integrate individual concepts into practice and study.

This course will deal with in-depth analysis of issues in corporate finance. Topics include financial asset pricing, risk and return, short-term and long-term investment decisions, the choice of capital structure, dividend policy, and mergers and acquisitions.

This course is developed to provide students with detailed understanding of identifying financial risks facing financial institutions. This course is structured to include three main parts. Part one will identify and explore the concepts of most risks facing a typical financial institution, namely interest rate risk, market risk, credit risk, off-balance sheet risk, foreign exchange risk, country risk, technology and other operational risks, in addition to liquidity risk. Especial focus will be given to the impact made on firms’ profitability and owners’ equity. Part two will be devoted towards measuring risks. This part will investigate the interest rate margin a source of profitability and risk, in addition to the mismatching of assets and liability durations. Models of measuring trading risk and credit risk, as well as other types of risks, will be presented in this part. Part three will be focusing on managing risks. Especial interest will be directed to liability and liquidity management, capital adequacy, loan sales and derivatives.

Exposure to Shariah Rules and Regulations governing financial activities: Islamic law of contracts, Islamic mode of financing , and issue related to Islamic money market, Islamic capital market, Islamic instruments, risk, uncertainty, gharar, interest / usury (riba) , gambling, etc.

The historical background of Islamic Banking and insurance is discussed alongside their characteristics and structure. Mobilizing and utilizing of funds, asset liability management, and issue on risk management and Islamic insurance (Takaful) are the main topics of this course.

This course will focus on the study of the foreign exchange market and other international markets as a background to the analysis of international financial operations, including arbitrage, hedging, speculation, investment and financing. International parity conditions are examined critically as they relate to business decision making.

FinTech is the label for increasingly technological approaches to the main financial intermediation functions. In today's FinTech businesses, consumers bank via mobile apps integrated into social media and institutions trade electronically. Fundamentals of Financial Technology (FinTech) course introduces the theory and practice of FinTech, as well as, it has been designed to educate students in a systemic approach to understanding disruption in the context of digitalization and enables them to build better firms with an opportunity to launch new FinTech ventures and harness new technology. The course gives a broad understanding on the current and emerging technologies around money and payments, markets, and consumer experience, and explores key ideas, principles, and frameworks around FinTech.

This course is designed for students to analyze the promises and challenges of crowdfunding and look closely at impact investing. The course examines peer-to-peer lending and its effect on the consumer credit landscape and marketplace lending. The course helps the students to develop analytical skills to exploit opportunities to use financial technologies to improve financial health. The course demonstrates peer-to-peer lending platforms as an alternative method to finance debt to better analyze the methodology behind fintech companies that refinance loans for consumers.

FinTech refers to financial sector innovations involving technology-enabled business models that can facilitate disintermediation, revolutionize how existing firms create and deliver products and services, address privacy, regulatory and law-enforcement challenges, provide new gateways for entrepreneurship, and seed opportunities for inclusive growth. The course gives a broad understanding on the applications of fintech on insurance and real estate markets and provides students with exposure to new Fintech services within a critical context and framework analyzing traditional money, banking and financial markets combined with interdisciplinary content from Computer Science and Entrepreneurship. The course also analyzes the key components of traditional machine learning and deep machine learning. The course shows the effects of big data and artificial intelligence in different markets.

The course intends to critically explore the problems, challenges, prospect of Islamic banking and finance in Kuwait particularly and generally in the Gulf region. This course will include economics, banking, investment, and finance.

Topics in Finance

Advanced Topics in Finance

Implications of Current Financial Crisis

Focuses on the development of infants, children and adolescents focusing on the role of appropriate home and educational environments in fostering positive physical, cognitive, social and moral outcomes. Emphasis will also be placed on developing an understanding of the learning process in an effort to facilitate the development of independent learners. Reading relevant research will be combined with technology based assignments to investigate both biological and sociocultural forces that shape the development process.

Provides students with information regarding the characteristics of persons with various disabilities included in IDEA. Students will learn the historical and legal issues regarding special education; as well as the methods used to identify, plan and implement instructional strategies to help disabled students.

Outlines the historic, theoretical, and practical viewpoints on leadership and follower-ship, different theories of leadership, management aspects of leadership, vision building, professional ethics, working with groups, educational program, development, and the political, social, cultural and legal aspects related to educational leadership.

Aims to defend the position that human rights are universal rights by unpacking the concept of universal human rights: its historical beginnings, its possible religious and cultural influences and conflicts, and the ongoing contentions that surround it. Addresses ongoing local, regional, and global rights issues and violations and discusses the transformative power of education for human rights. This course equips students with the knowledge, skills and values necessary to contribute to the worldwide human rights dialogue.

Outlines what factors make up online teaching and learning, and approaches that improve student retention, engagement, and motivation in the online learning setting. This course explores the theory and practice of integrating online learning into k-12 schools and addresses the many factors that need to be considered in the design and delivery of effective online learning.

Explores the multiple roles and functions of professional teaching, including: communication, leadership, management skills, use of technology, and identification of needs of diverse populations. Portfolio preparation will be introduced.

Covers selected concepts and principles underlying public education.

Focuses on the role of appropriate educational environments in fostering positive physical, cognitive, social and moral outcomes. Reading relevant research will be combined with experiences in the field and technology-based assignments to investigate both biological and socio-cultural forces that shape the development process.

Investigates the history, philosophies, and purposes of education, with an emphasis on the roles of public schools, the role of the teacher as a change agent, the influence of technology on today’s classrooms, and both western and non-western educational practices and traditions.

Focuses on skill development in planning instruction, selecting content, use of various teaching methods, designing assessment, developing classroom climate and management strategies. The course includes participation in professional development through observing students in a school setting, microteaching, using educational technology and portfolio development.

Applies of the principles of psychology to an understanding of the dynamics of teaching behavior and learning behavior. Course material also involves both theoretical and practical approaches to analysis of the learning environment of the school. This course is required of all who are preparing to teach.

Focuses on methods and materials for improving reading and study strategies in content area classes in secondary school.

Covers techniques for teaching writing to both native speakers of English and EFL learners and includes all aspects of the teaching processing; readings in current theory and research on writing and the implications for teachers. Guides and assists in maturing the writing skills of future teachers.

Introduces methods of evaluation in the classrooms, including traditional testing, performance assessment, and task-based assessment. Includes discussion of test development, construct validity, reliability, and practicality.

Introduces the criteria to use in selection of instructional materials (cultural appropriateness, coverage of required content, presentation of content, and practically) and introduces development of classrooms materials to supplement the course textbook. Supplementary materials would include teacher-made worksheets, work cards, overhead projector transparencies, posters, pictures and games.

Introduces how language learning classrooms can benefit from the use of computer technology and language learning software, including writing instructions enhanced through word processing in the classrooms; interactive software programs to supplement instructions in vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and pragmatics; computerized assessment, internet-based information searching; and presentation software.

Focuses on the classroom management skills required for student teachers to achieve and maintain discipline in the classroom. Includes lesson planning, organization and pacing, choice of appropriate instructional methodology, classroom interaction and student motivation.

Examines the scope and sequence of English courses in the school curriculum with emphasis on the selection and organization of materials and methods of instruction and evaluation. Prepares students for student teaching by providing in depth study of the English curriculum used in the State of Kuwait.

Provides students with clinical teaching experience in secondary school classrooms under university and school supervision.

Explores educational philosophy, teaching strategies, and instructional technology in the classroom setting. Seminar topics include classroom environment, teaching strategies, classroom management, assessment, and professional development.

Serves as a bridge between GUST's English Foundation program and English Composition (ENGL 110) and emphasizes key academic reading and writing skills.

Teaches critical reading and writing skills and introduces foundation skills for research writing. Emphasizes analysis of texts, exposure to texts from different genres and domains, and connecting reading and writing. Develops student's ability to work with language and texts with a greater awareness of purpose, context, and strategy.