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CEEF COURSES
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CENTER FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP, ECONOMICS & FINANCE
The Center for Entrepreneurship, Economics & Finance (CEEF) provides students the opportunity to learn real-world critical thinking and entrepreneurial skills, while creating a foundation for business, finance or entrepreneurial endeavors in the future. Students taking WMA's finance courses will learn key financial concepts, investment tools and the foundation to building an investment portfolio, all while increasing their knowledge in financial literacy and global economics. Entrepreneurship courses teach students how to think and act like entrepreneurs. Through their coursework, they will plan, implement and evaluate real programs including for profit and nonprofit organizations. Students enrolled in CEEF courses will utilize the state-of-the-art Mark R. Shenkman Trading Center, as well as WMA's computer lab to embark on active research and gain trading experience in their journey to understanding the global financial environment. WMA's showcase facility houses 16 computer stations with monitor displays, two 70" LCD monitors, LED dynamic stock ticker, StockTrack market simulation software and Morningstar™ Financial Data, as well as video conferencing capabilities.
Sample progression:
Grade 9 Options
Intro to Economics Financial Planning Intro to Economics Financial Planning Entrepreneurship Global Entrepreneurship Social Entrepreneurship All previous options plus: Portfolio Management Stock Market Analysis AP Macroeconomics All previous options plus:
Grade 10 Options Grade 11 Options Grade 12 & PG Options
AP Microeconomics - online
INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMICS Term
Level: Introductory, Grade 10 or above. Prerequisite: none Overview: In this introductory course students develop a basic understanding of economic principles that will allow them to be more informed and build their ability to discuss current economic events in the media. Topics include scarcity, opportunity cost, economic systems, supply and demand, gross domestic product, economic growth, business cycles, unemployment, inflation and trade. Through activities and projects, students will develop analytical and problem-solving skills by learning how to interpret and explain economic data and models, and determine outcomes. In addition, this course will look to further develop students critical reading, notetaking, research, writing and presentations skills.
FINANCIAL PLANNING
Term
Level: Introductory, Grade 9 or above. Prerequisite: none Overview: This one trimester course focuses on providing students with basic personal finance skills. This course is modeled after NEFE's (National Endowment for Financial Education) High School Financial Planning Program. Students will study the following topics: money management; borrowing; earning power; investing; financial services; and insurance. Within these topics, students will learn how to control their cash flow to meet financial goals, use credit and debt responsibly, build wealth, use financial services in a wary and sensible manner, and protect personal property, financial resources and personal information. ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Term
Level: Intermediate, Grade 10 or above Prerequisite: none Overview: Students prepare for becoming responsible, enterprising entrepreneurs or entrepreneurial thinkers who contribute to economic development and sustainable communities. The curriculum follows the framework of the National Standards for Entrepreneurship Education. Students will use strategies for idea generation and assessment of feasibility of ideas; learn to understand basic free market economy and the entrepreneur's role in the economy; expand their awareness of social responsibility and the entrepreneur's contribution to society; demonstrate an understanding of financial management and basic accounting principles; and understand steps essential in business startup. Students will read related literature, including case studies, and create new model ventures with a focus on opportunity recognition, resource management, and team building.
Level: Intermediate, Grade 10 or above Prerequisite: Entrepreneurship preferred Overview: This course is designed to develop a basic understanding of some of the variety of business systems in Asia (or Europe) and the opportunities/pitfalls of operating a business in one or more of these societies. Students will understand the evolution and development of business in global societies; how and why they are different/similar; the relationship of the business system to the culture and history of that nation; the special advantages of different nations and their prospects for the future; economic strengths and weaknesses; and the relationship to the global economy.
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP Term
Level: Advanced, Grade 10 or above Prerequisite: Entrepreneurship or Global Entrepreneurship Overview: The Social Entrepreneur is someone who creates and runs a specialized nonprofit or public sector enterprise. In this course, students will explore ways to apply the basic business concepts learned in Entrepreneurship to solve the world’s toughest social and environmental problems. The students will create a model business that will raise funds for a social or environmental cause of their choice and then dissolve the business at the end of the trimester with monies earned going to a nonprofit of that cause. These individual projects will weave issues of accounting, finance, organizational management, and marketing with social and ethical responsibility.
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT
Term
Level: Intermediate, Grade 10 or above Prerequisite: Financial Planning or departmental permission Overview: This one trimester course provides an overview of how an individual would build a portfolio over time and manage a portfolio based on the fundamental principles of portfolio management. Emphasis will be placed on techniques to develop a portfolio, researching mutual funds and stocks, and the evaluation of portfolio performance. Topics will include portfolio diversification, investment analysis, risk, financial literacy and asset allocation. Projects include researching a mutual fund company and preparing a personal investment plan.
STOCK MARKET ANALYSIS Term
Level: Intermediate, Grade 10 or above Prerequisite: Financial Planning, Portfolio Management or department permission Overview: This one trimester course provides advanced study of the stock market and interpreting financial statements in order to select stocks for a portfolio. Students will learn the application of technical analysis and fundamental analysis in selecting stocks that matches risk tolerance. Long-term stock investment analysis and trading strategies will be examined in relation to portfolio theory and cycles in the stock market. AP MACROECONOMICS The Global Economy
Level: Advanced Placement. The AP exam is mandatory. AP exam fee Prerequisite: Departmental permission Overview: The purpose of the AP course in macroeconomics is to provide students with a learning experience equivalent to a typical college introductory macroeconomic course and prepare them for the AP exam in the spring. Students will be taught economic principles that apply to an economic system as a whole. Emphasis is placed on the study of national income, price determination, the financial sector, stabilization policies, economic growth, and international economics. Through lectures, class discussions, class activities and homework assignments, students define terms, calculate and interpret tabular data, conduct graphical analysis, analyze hypothetical scenarios, and develop skills in explanatory diagrams and technical writing. The course utilizes the text Principles of Economics by Gregory N. Mankiw in addition to supplementary reading and listening material.
AP MICROECONOMICS
Online*** Level: Grades 11 & 12, Advanced Placement. The AP exam is mandatory. AP exam fee Prerequisite: AP Macroeconomics, Departmental permission Overview: This course gives students an understanding of how limited resources and unlimited wants result in the need to make choices, both individually and collectively. Students will learn why private markets and the price mechanism lead to an efficient allocation of resources in a market-based economy. Market structure, market failure, natural resource markets, and the role of government are included. Students analyze societal issues through the lens of economic reasoning, develop critical thinking skills through the understanding and analysis of fundamental economic concepts, and increase their ability to analyze information and draw conclusions from a wide variety of real-world situations. Students complete collaborative assignments, group discussions, and assessments that require them to apply what they have learned to hypothetical situations. The course is recommended for 11th and 12th graders with strong mathematical reasoning skills and an interest in economics, finance, business, or government policy.
