This course consists of a study of recent empirical finance research with an emphasis on understanding some important events and debates of our time and how to create finance research that is useful for society. The main topics examined will be the state of current empirical asset pricing, the growing use of causal methods, research regarding the causes and consequences of the financial crisis, the growing field of forensic finance, Real Estate, International Finance, and Institutions. As such, there will be considerable discussion of research trends and in the formation of new research ideas in these areas with the final project to sketch out a preliminary research paper.