To enhance cross-cultural communication and academic exchanges, broaden the global perspectives of young scholars, and improve research capabilities and international competitiveness, the Faculty of Economics at Liaoning University is pleased to announce the offering of 10 English-taught courses specifically designed for international exchange students. These courses are also open to undergraduate students affiliated with the Faculty of Economics. We warmly welcome all students and faculty to participate in these enriching academic opportunities. Below are the details of the English-taught courses for the Spring Semester of the 2024-2025 academic year:
1. International Economics
(1) Course introduction
The course is a foundational subject in economics, aiming to equip students with essential knowledge in international trade and international finance. The course covers key facts and classical models in international trade and international finance, including classical, neo-classical, new and new-new trade theory and topics such as balance of payments and exchange rates. Its main objective is to help students apply their understanding of international economics to analyze global economic issues and China’s opening up and development.
The first half of the course covers several useful theoretical models to analyze international trade and trade policies. The second half course introduces international finance concepts and models to analyze balance of payments and exchange rates.
(2) Instructor
Liu Renliang
Liu Renliang is an Assistant Professor at Li Anmin Institute of Economic Research of LNU, Deputy Director of Machine Learning and Big Data Algorithms Institute, and a Master’s Thesis Supervisor. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Guelph, Canada. His main research areas include Development Economics, International Economics, and Applied Econometrics. His papers have been published in renowned international journals such as Journal of International Money and Finance, Review of International Economics, Journal of International Trade & Economic Development, and Open Economies Review. He serves as an expert reviewer for the Ministry of Education’s degree center and is an anonymous reviewer for The World Economy and over a dozen other journals. He has participated in multiple projects of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, as well as provincial and municipal level research projects.
(3) Textbook
P.R. Krugman, M. Obstfeld, and Marc Melitz, International Economics: Theory and Policy
(4) Time and location
Class section 1-2, Tuesday, Week 2-9
Room 304, Bowen Building
2. Industrial Economics
(1) Course introduction
This course analyzes the behavior of firms in various market structures and introduces the basic game concepts and strategies and enable students to understand firm behaviors with perfect competition, monopoly, oligopoly behaviors and antitrust concerns.
(2) Instructor
Xie Cong
Xie Cong is a newly joined faculty member at China Economic Research Institute of LNU, holding a PhD in Economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He previously taught at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. He has participated in projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China. His research interests include macroeconomics and macro finance.
(3) Textbook
Industrial Organization: Theory and Application by Oz Shy
(4) Time and location
Class section 1-2, Wednesday, Week 2-13
Room 112, Bowen Building
3. Business Statistics
(1) Course introduction
Statistical concepts and methods used in business decision making. Topics include probability rules, discrete and continuous distributions, descriptive and graphical statistics, estimation, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, regression, and applications of MS Excel data analysis tools to economic and business data.
(2) Instructor
Lan Lan
Lan Lan is an Assistant Professor at Li Anmin Institute of Economic Research of LNU. She holds a PhD in Economics from Clemson University, an M.A. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities. Her primary research areas are in applied microeconomics, particularly labor and urban economics. Her current research focuses on the various impacts of city size.
(3) Textbook
Statistics for Business, Decision Making and Analysis by Stine and Foster
(4) Time and location
Class section 1-2, Friday, Week 2-13
Room 304, Bowen Building
4. Mathematical Economics
(1) Course introduction
This course is designed to provide students with basic understanding of the fundamental mathematical tools in economics, including comparative static analysis, optimization, and dynamic analysis.
(2) Instructor
Yang Zhe
Yang Zhe is an Assistant Professor at the China Economic Research Institute of LNU and a Master’s Thesis Supervisor. He completed his undergraduate studies in Physics at Peking University, his Master’s degree at the National School of Development at Peking University, and his PhD at the University of California, Davis. He previously served as an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Economics and Sociology at Jinan University.
His research focuses on labor economics, population economics, and child development. He has led projects such as the Guangdong Provincial Philosophy and Social Science Planning Project and the Liaoning Provincial Department of Education’s Basic Research Project, and his papers have been published in leading international economics journals, including the Journal of Labor Economics. In teaching, Yang Zhe teaches courses such as Mathematical Economics, Labor Economics, Corporate Finance, and Frontiers of Economics, covering undergraduate, Master’s, and PhD levels. He is known for his rigorous and meticulous guidance of students. One of his Master’s students successfully secured admission to pursue a PhD in Economics at the University of California, Riverside.
(3) Textbook
Alpha C. Chiang and Kevin Wainright (2005). Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics (4th Edition). McGraw Hill.
(4) Time and location
Class section 1-2, Saturday, Week 2-13
Room 304, Bowen Building
5. Econometrics
(1) Course introduction
This undergraduate course provides a practical introduction to modern econometric methods and their application to real-world economic issues. Students will learn to use econometric tools for causal inference, model estimation, and result interpretation, with a strong emphasis on policy-relevant analysis. The course combines theory with hands-on practice, covering key econometric techniques and their implementation using software. By analyzing real-world data, students will develop the skills needed to conduct independent empirical research. Upon completion, participants will have a solid foundation in econometric methods and the ability to apply them to complex economic and social challenges.
(2) Instructor
Chen Feng
He is an Assistant Professor and a Member of the Directly Subordinate Party Branch Committee at Li Anmin Institute of Economic Research of LNU, a Master’s Thesis Supervisor, and Deputy Dean of the Institute of Machine Learning and Big Data Algorithms. He obtained his PhD in Economics from Tulane University in the United States. His research primarily focuses on labor economics, public economics, and applied microeconomics. His research findings have been published in prestigious international journals such as the Journal of Public Economics, Journal of Population Economics, Contemporary Economic Policy, and Economics of Education Review.
In teaching, he leads undergraduate courses in Methodology of Economics, Introduction to Empirical Research Methods, and Econometrics, as well as a graduate course in Methodology of Economics Research. He currently oversees one research project funded by the Liaoning Provincial Government and another funded by the Shenyang Municipal Government.
(3) Textbook
Course materials compiled by the instructor
(4) Time and location
Class section 5-6, Wednesday, Week 2-13
Room 112, Bowen Building
6. Corporate Finance
(1) Course introduction
Corporate Finance is a discipline that studies the financial implications of business decisions. More specifically in this course, we study how the investment decision, finance decision and capital structure, dividend decision affects the value of the business. Toward the end of the semester, students will be able to: read and basically understand the financial report of publicly traded firms; Apply CAPM and APT to price assets; How hurdle rate affects the investment decisions of firms and investors; understand Miller-Modigliani theorem and the conditions under which the theorem holds; the real-world factors that makes firm value affected by its capital structure; the dividend policy and its implication on firm value.
(2) Instructor
Hou Shangdi
Hou Shangdi is an Assistant Professor at China Economic Research Institute of LNU. He obtained his PhD in Economics from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, in July 2023. His research focuses on macroeconomics, particularly the theoretical analysis of optimal monetary and fiscal policies. He has been invited to deliver academic presentations at renowned economic institutions both domestically and abroad, including the University of Mannheim in Germany and Stockholm University in Sweden. His papers, co-authored or sole-authored, are currently under submission.
(3) Textbook
Ross et al., Corporate Finance, 13th Edition, Mc Graw Hill Damodaran, Applied Corporate Finance, Wiley
(4) Time and location
Class section 1-2, Thursday, Week 2-13
Room 112, Bowen Building
7. Marketing Principles
(1) Course introduction
The Marketing Principles module aims to introduce the core concepts, theories, and practices of marketing. This course will help students understand the market environment, consumer behavior, market segmentation, target market selection, market positioning, as well as key elements such as product strategy, pricing strategy, distribution channels, and promotional strategies. Through the study of this course, students will be able to master how to analyze market opportunities, develop effective marketing plans, and understand the critical role of marketing in business success.
(2) Instructor
Meng Jiajia
Meng Jiajia is an Associate Professor at Sunwah International Business School of LNU. She completed her joint PhD program at the University of California, Irvine, and pursued her postdoctoral research jointly at the China Business Executives Academy and Tsinghua University. She has been recognized as an Outstanding Lecturer for Undergraduate Programs at LNU and received the Second Prize in the Teaching Innovation Competition for College Teachers in Liaoning Province. She authored a teaching case that was selected as one of the Top 100 National Excellent Management Cases. She has led five provincial and ministerial level research projects and published over 20 papers in SSCI and CSSCI journals, including nine articles in Category A journals recognized by the Management Sciences Department of the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
(3) Textbook
Principles of Marketing, 18th Edition
(4) Time and location
Class section 1-2, Monday, Week 2-13
Room 304, Bowen Building
8. Trade and Economic Relations
(1) Course introduction
The course develops a systematic understanding of the key areas of the world economy — trade, investment and finance — and how they impact on each other. Theory will be applied to international economic events, issues and trends. As the international economic environment is dynamic in nature and is impacted by real world developments in business, politics and finance, the course coverage is updated periodically to include current real-world evidence as well as recent academic and empirical findings. As such, during the semester topics to be analyzed include US-China Trade war, Brexit (Britain’s exit from the European Union), Russia-Ukraine war, and the waning power of OPEC.
(2) Instructor
Yin Lijuan
Yin Lijuan is an Associate Professor at the School of Finance and Trade of LNU. She holds dual master’s degrees in Economics and Finance from Peking University and the University of Hong Kong, as well as a PhD in Economics from the University of California, Davis. Previously, she served as an Assistant Professor at the Institute for Economic and Social Research, Jinan University. Her research areas focus on international trade and development economics, with publications in renowned international journals such as the Journal of Development Economics, China Economic Review, and the Journal of Asian Economics. She has led or participated in several significant research projects, including the National Natural Science Foundation of China’s Youth Project, Guangdong Province Social Science Foundation General Project, and Liaoning Provincial Federation of Social Sciences Projects, among others. In terms of teaching, she instructs a wide range of courses including International Economics, International Trade, Trade and Economic Relations, Mathematical Economics, Econometrics, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, and Frontiers of Economics, covering undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels. She is dedicated to her teaching, providing rigorous and meticulous guidance to her students. Under her mentorship, her undergraduate students have won second prizes in the national “Challenge Cup” competition. Many of her students go on to pursue further studies at world-renowned universities after graduation, including National University of Singapore, Chinese University of Hong Kong, The University of Hong Kong, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Texas A&M University, among others, pursuing master’s and PhD degrees.
(3) Textbook
Krugman, P., M. Obstfeld and M. Melitz, International Economics: Theory and Policy. (Boston, Mass.; London: Pearson/Addison-Wesley, 2014) Pearson global edition; tenth edition [ISBN 9781292019550].
(4) Time and location
Class section 3-4, Saturday, Week 2-13
Room 304, Bowen Building
9. International Finance
(1) Course introduction
This course is intended to provide students with an analytical framework necessary to understand how events in the global economy affect national economies and vice versa. The course will cover exchange rate and open-economy macroeconomics, and international macroeconomic policy. You will not only learn the fundamentals of the textbook international economics, but also get a chance of studying various critiques as well as their applications to real world issues. We will study basic questions such as: What determines exchange rates? What are the gains from financial globalization? We will also address several contemporary policy issues, including analyses of currency and financial crises, debates around international financial institutions, debt and default, and the domestic and global implications of U.S. current account deficits. Because theory and the Economy are not mutually exclusive, you will be advised to be well versed with international and national news. Therefore, reading of a major newspaper, such as the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal or The Economist is recommended.
(2) Instructor
Yan Ping
Yan Ping is a Professor of Economics. She obtained her PhD in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin in 2008. Her research interests lie in industrial economics and macroeconomics. She has published numerous academic papers in top-tier domestic and international economics journals such as the Economic Journal, Rand Journal of Economics, Management World, China Economic Quarterly, Population Research, and The Journal of World Economy. She is the principal investigator for four National Natural Science Foundation projects.
(3) Textbooks
International Economics: Theory and Policy, 12th edition by Krugman, Obstfeld, and Melitz, Pearson.
International Macroeconomics, Robert C. Feenstra, Alan M. Taylor, 5th edition, Worth Publishers.
(4) Time and location
Class section 3-4, Wednesday, Week 2-9
Room 112, Bowen Building
10. Behavioral Finance
(1) Course introduction
This course aims to provide undergraduate students with systematic knowledge of behavioral finance, so that students can understand the limitations of traditional finance and the innovations of behavioral finance. Through the study, students should be able to grasp the core theories and models of behavioral finance, such as prospect theory, BSV model, DHS model, etc., and be able to use these theories to explain anomalies in financial markets, including the mystery of equity premium, momentum effect, etc. Cultivate students’ critical thinking skills, enable them to analyze the differences and connections between traditional financial theories and behavioral financial theories, and improve their cognitive ability to understand the complexity of financial markets. Focusing on practical application, students are guided to apply the learned theories to investment decision-making analysis, understand the impact of investor sentiment, cognitive bias and other factors on investment behavior, so as to make more reasonable decisions in future financial practice, and enhance their competitiveness in the financial field and their comprehensive ability to analyze problems.
(2) Instructor
Zhou Yuegang
Zhou Yuegang is an Associate Professor at China Economic Research Institute and the School of Economics of LNU, holding a PhD in Financial Mathematics from the University of Southern California. He has earned one bachelor’s degree, three master’s degrees, and one doctoral degree across five different disciplines. Previously, he was an Associate Professor at the China Institute of Financial Development, Central University of Finance and Economics, and the Dean of the Dagong Research Institute at Dagong Global Credit Rating Co., Ltd. He also has several years of entrepreneurial experience. His primary research and teaching focus is on asset pricing, risk management, behavioral finance, and intelligent education. He has published numerous papers in international academic journals such as the Journal of International Financial Market, Institutional and Money, Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, and domestic academic journals such as the China Economic Quarterly and Journal of Financial Research. He serves as an anonymous reviewer for multiple academic journals. Additionally, he has authored and published several university textbooks in economics, finance, and mathematics.
(3) Textbook and references
Dong Zhiyong, Behavioral Finance, Peking University Press, August 2009, ISBN:978 - 7 - 301 - 15176 – 1;
References:
H. Kent Baker, John R. Nofsinger, Behavioral Finance: Investors, Corporations, and Markets, John Wiley & Sons, Inc 2010，Paperbook：ISBN 978-0-470-49911-5, eBook：ISBN 978-0-470-76966-9、ISBN 978-0-470-76967-6、ISBN 978-0-470-76968-3;
Edward Cartwright，Behavioral Economics，Third edition published 2018，Routledge，Hardback: ISBN 978-1-138-09711-7，Paperback: ISBN 978-1-138-09712-4，eBook: ISBN 978-1-315-10507-9；
David Bourghelle, Pascal Grandin, Fredj Jawadi, Philippe Rozin，Behavioral Finance and Asset Prices: The Influence of Investor’s Emotions，Springer 2023，Hardback: ISBN 978-3-031-24485-8，eBook: ISBN 978-3-031-24486-5.
(4) Time and location
Class section 3-4, Thursday, Week 2-9
Room 304, Bowen Building
