Phase 1

In phase 1 you will prepare and post 3 main blog entries, plus contribute to a pooled list of useful websites, articles and other blogs.

(i) The first post should be posted on or before Oct 10th. It should describe in one or two paragraphs the main global story about the financial crisis on which you want to focus. It can either be a global contributing factor, a global result, or a global representation of the crisis. The point is that the post should make clear how your particular focus is indicative of the transnational aspects of the crisis, or in other words, on how it is not a purely American phenomenon either in terms of its causes or in terms of its consequences. Examples of such foci range from the development of global financial imbalances after 1971 to the ways in which particular countries such as China, Brazil or Saudi Arabia are looking at the crisis and addressing it with their own measures. You can also take a more technical focus and look at a particular financial instrument such as CDOs or Credit Default Swaps, and examine their global uptake and implications.

ii) The second post should be posted on or before Oct 17th. It should consist of two paragraphs. The first paragraph should provide a summary of a useful academic article you have found that addresses your focus issue. The second paragraph should provide a summary of a useful article that addresses one of the other honors students' focus issues. In addition the blog should provide the formal academic citations of both articles.

iii) The third post should be posted on or before Nov 4th. It should provide an annotated list of at least 5 hyperlinks to news articles and blogs that describe and analyze the focus you have chosen. Based on this list you should also provide a one paragraph assessment of what are the ties between this focus and what is happening in American markets in the contemporary moment.