Prerequisite: None

Exam Type: In Class

In addition to an in-class examination, students will be asked to participate in blog postings on a range of topics of current interest to the Securities and Exchange Commission and practitioners.

This course is designed to offer an overview of the work of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the structure of U.S. capital markets, and key policy challenges facing the Commission today. The course will begin with an introduction to the regulation of securities offerings under the Securities Act of 1933 and to the legal requirements, including disclosure obligations, imposed on public companies under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. We will then turn to SEC supervision of securities firms and investment funds, as well as its oversight of capital markets. Attention will also be given to the Commission’s enforcement practices and current debates regarding the efficacy and legality of those practices. In the Spring of 2026, we will likely also emphasize differences in the approach to capital markets regulation of the Trump Administration as compared to the Biden Administration.