• Demonstrate a thorough and critical understanding of the corporation and finance as presented in the course literature.
• Analyze problems with relation to the central role of corporations and finance in contemporary society
• Discuss and critically assess own findings and understandings as well as of the course readings

The overall aim of this course is to give the students a contextual and critical understanding of the corporation, and finance as well as their interrelation as a central figure in contemporary society. The course provides the students with an opportunity to bring together the conceptual philosophical toolbox and skills from other courses in order to critically analyse key institutions and practices of the contemporary economy and how the economic, political, social and cultural world are brought together.

Over the last 40 years, the multinational corporation has developed into one of the most powerful economic and political institutions, and the financial sector (i.e. the way such corporations are being valued and legitimized) has developed into an economically highly important as well as a culturally and politically contested industry. The rise of the corporation and the rise of financial markets are centrally interlinked, and has been the driver of economic growth and development as well as crises and recessions. The rise of the contemporary multinational corporation can therefore not be understood without recourse to finance and financial markets, and vice versa.

Within political, historical and philosophical studies of the corporation, it has increasingly been acknowledged that the corporation must be understood not as a purely economic phenomenon, but as a political entity, that is politically constituted and that wields political power both externally and internally over its members. On the other hand, within finance studies, it has increasingly been acknowledged that the financial world is by no means detached from the wider society, rather its role and intertwined status has been much debated. This has given rise to questions like: How can we understand the corporation as a political actor? Who are the constituents, owners and stakeholders of the corporation? How can we regulate corporations, through different models of corporate governance, purpose, democratization? Do we need more regulation of multinational corporations and the financial sector in general? What consequences does the privatization of the exchanges have on the wider society? How should the corporations in general be organised in order to serve the greater public interests? How do we as a society hold such entities accountable for their actions? This course aims to provide students with an opportunity to think about and discuss these issues and how the corporation and financial institutions relate to societal changes more generally.

The literature for the course will mostly be academic texts supplemented with articles from international newspapers and other case material. Classes will focus on student discussion and class discussion. The students are required to be well prepared for each class. Students are required to discuss and debate topics with each other in class.

The literature for the course will mostly be academic texts supplemented with articles from international newspapers such as the New York Times, Financial Times, and the Economist. Classes will focus on student presentations and class discussion. The students are required to be present and to be well prepared for each class. Students are required to present and to debate topics with each other in class.