I found this to be the best introduction because it shows how every function of the money markets is a direct patch for a previous catastrophe. It balances the Wall Street view with the Ivy League view, and shows what happens when they butt heads. His book “The New Lombard Street” is more or less this course as a book, but covers more of the historical developments.
I find it to be the best introduction because it draws on material from economists of different major schools of thought without requiring the student to subscribe to any school in particular. He can do that because he focuses on the structure of the modern financial system, which is neglected or abstracted away in most mainstream and even heterodox economics literature. It makes it easy to recommend this course to anybody, because they can't say "I'm sorry, this is from the toilet-water school of economics, and I only listen to the bilge-water school."
