History of Money and Financial Institutions

A.Y. 2024/2025
6
Max ECTS
40
Overall hours
SSD
SECS-P/12
Language
Italian
Learning objectives
The course aims to trace the history of money and of financial institutions from the ancient world to the contemporary age. The course will analyze continuity and discontinuity that constituted the emergence of different monetary paradigms and that characterized the diverse credit systems with a focus on formal and informal financial institutions (banks, markets, international organizations, non-institutional operators) in the broader political, institutional and social context.
Expected learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- have a sound knowledge of the main events, paradigms and interpretations relating the history of money and the financial institutions from antiquity to the contemporary age:
- identify and discuss critical turning points in the paths of evolution of monetary regimes and credit systems in a national and international context;
- understand and evaluate, through a comparative approach, the role of monetary policies and financial intermediaries in conditioning and determining evolution, characters and dynamics of the various economic systems;
- reflect on the role of national and international contexts in promoting or curbing growth and development, and in particular of the monetary and financial systems;
- carrying out a critical analysis of economic-financial choices and decision-making process in relation to path-dependencies, factor endowments and short- or long-term crises;
- to argue along the space-time axis the importance of institutions, innovations and markets for economic and financial development.
Single course

This course can be attended as a single course.

Course syllabus and organization

Single session

Responsible
Lesson period
Third trimester
Prerequisites for admission
No prerequisite.
Teaching methods
Lectures, flipped classroom and interactive student presentations.
Students are required to actively participate in the lessons by preparing the reading material assigned for each lesson.
For non-attending students, the preparation of the exam is based on the following texts:
M. Fornasari, Puzzle. Una storia del denaro, Torino, 2024.
M. Fornasari, La banca, la borsa, lo Stato (secoli XIII-XXI), Torino, 2017, chapters: III, IV,V and Epilogo.
Teaching Resources
Non attending students will study on the following texts:
M.Fornasari, Puzzle. Una storia del denaro, Torino, 2024.
M. Fornasari, La banca, la borsa, lo Stato (secoli XIII-XXI), Torino, 2017, chapters: III, IV,V ed Epilogo.

Students attending will study on the notes taken in class and the teaching materials that will be given during the lessons.
Assessment methods and Criteria
For attending students the assessment is composed by: 30% by class activities (class discussion and class presentations) and 70% by a
written exam composed of multiple-choice questions and open-ended questions, which focuses on topics and concepts covered during the lessons and on the slides (which will be made available in MyAriel>>Contents).
While the first type of questions aims to assess knowledge and understanding of the content of the programme (basic concepts, stylised facts, time coordinates, geo-political dynamics), the second type is intended to verify the ability of these skills in relation to the actual dynamics of certain historical contexts. For 30% the verification of results will be based on a mandatory group presentation according to topics and timetables that will be communicated.

For non-attending students, the assessment is based on a written final exam, composed of multiple choice and open ended questions. While the multiple choice section is aimed at verifying the learning outcomes of the course (critical thinking, problem solving, ability to communicate), the open ended questions are intended to ascertain the command of the ideas, events, dates, political dynamics related to the themes of the course.
SECS-P/12 - ECONOMIC HISTORY - University credits: 6
Lessons: 40 hours
Professor: Lorenzini Marcella
Professor(s)
Reception:
Giovedi 15.00-17.00