Students Explore the Origins of Value
from his collection of items related to the history
of financial markets.
Professor William Goetzmann is a financial history expert and enjoys sharing his passion about the history of finance with his students. This past semester, Professor Goetzmann taught a financial history course which explored the history of finance from its earliest beginnings to the modern era with particular attention to Mesopotamia, China, and Europe.
During one of the classes, Professor Goetzmann hosted a show and tell session. Goetzmann brought in part of his impressive collection of bonds and financial history artifacts for the students to explore in person and ask questions about. The items that he shared gave the students a better understanding of the essential principles of finance and the processes of financial innovation in different societies that have led to the current financial system. Students were also able to participate in the show and tell virtually as Goetzmann shared items on the screen for them.
After this class, Goetzmann then asked students to visit the Yale ICF’s Origins of Value virtual museum to select an item from the collection to learn more about and discuss in class. Like Goetzmann’s personal collection, the Yale ICF has catalogued historical bonds, securities, financial instruments, and documents related to the history of financial markets across the globe.
Below are some photos from Goetzmann’s fun financial history show and tell session:
