This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.

Undergraduate Handbook 2025-2026 (archived)

Module FINN2097: Banking

Department: Finance

FINN2097: Banking

Type	Level	Credits	Availability	Module Cap	Location
Tied	2	10	Available in 2025/2026		Durham

Tied To

Pre-requisites

None

Corequisites

None

Excluded Combinations

None

Aims

This module introduces students to key concepts in banking and the purpose of banks as financial intermediaries. Students will learn frameworks and obtain skills needed to understand and critically evaluate core concepts in banking.

Content

Are banks really special?
Bank Risk
Bank Crisis, Regulation and Supervision
Climate Change and Banking
Ethical Banking

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge

By the end of this module students should:
Have a critical understanding of the role of banks in the financial system and their business models.
Understand the motivation behind bank regulation and risk measurement.
Be able to discuss in an informed way new developments in banking and their implications for traditional banking.
Be familiar with contemporary issues in banking.

Subject-specific Skills

Ability to explain and critically evaluate the purpose of banks in an economy.
Practical assessment of Profit driven business models and their impact on the financial sector.
Argue the case for and against the need and the specifics of regulation and policy around bank stability.

Key Skills

Students will have the opportunity to develop the following key skills:
Problem Solving and Analysis - by applying the necessary analytical and quantitative skills, as well as the ability to demonstrate understanding and manipulate core concepts in banking and finance, in preparation for and during workshops.
Interpersonal and Written Communication – communication ideas in exams and workshop discussions.
Planning and Organisation and Time Management - by revising relevant material and preparing for the examination.
Computer Literacy - by accessing and downloading teaching material from Blackboard, undertaking bibliographical search and information retrieval for workshops and assignments.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

Teaching is by workshop sessions using a flipped classroom approach. Learning takes place through attendance at workshops, preparation for and participation in group activities in the workshops and private study through provided material (e.g. reading, recorded videos).
Regular formative assessments guide students in the development of their knowledge and skills. They also support students’ continuous engagement in learning throughout the module.
Summative assessment is by means of an individual coursework on banking.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity	Number	Frequency	Duration	Total Hours	Attendance Monitored
Workshops	5	Fortnightly	2 hr	10	Yes
Preparation and Reading				90
Total				100

Summative Assessment

Component	Component Weighting	Element	Length/Duration	Element Weighting	Resit Opportunity
Assignment/Coursework	100%	Assignment	1500 words	100%

Formative Assessment

Group work/presentations and individual short in-class assignments.

Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University.