• Demonstrate a thorough and critical understanding of the course literature.
• Demonstrate an excellent ability to use the course literature and discussions to analyze problems with relation to the social aspects of financial markets and financial institutions.
• Demonstrate an excellent ability to communicate and discuss his or her findings and understanding of the subject and the course readings.

"Social Studies of Finance: From Financialization to Algorithmic Trading" provides students with a solid understanding of present-day financial markets. Drawing on sociological studies of trading firms and exchanges (and the ways in which they operate and are organized) as well as investigations into the broader effects of finance on society, the course offers a broad discussion of the social aspects of finance. This includes insights into financialization, i.e. the ways in which finance has become increasingly important to society and affects fields not hitherto connected to financial markets (such as the everyday life of ordinary citizens). Particular attention is paid in the course to new developments towards algorithmic trading, including so-called high-frequency trading, i.e. the use of fully automated, high-speed trading algorithms which have come to replaced human traders. The course presents state-of-the-art sociological analyses of the rise, dynamics, and consequences of algorithmic trading. Through the discussion of algorithmic trading, the course covers the main components of the ecology of present-day financial markets, including trading firms, exchanges, dark pools, and financial regulation. The course also addresses the morality and ethics of markets (including the ethical challenges raised by the use of AI-based algorithms in finance) and the ways in which finance might contribute to inequality. Teaching will be based on a mixture of lectures and student presentations. The course contains blended learning components, as videos will supplement the readings. Continuous feedback is ensured through written feedback to students after their presentations.

"Social Studies of Finance: From Financialization to Algorithmic Trading" is part of the minor in Financial Decision-Making in a Social Context. Priority is given to students who register for the full minor. In the case of vacant seats, students can register for one or more of the individual courses.