Official Course Syllabus: Fundamentals of Banking and Insurance
Official curriculum framework prescribed by the University of Calicut under the Four Year Undergraduate Programme (FYUGP) regulations for the B.Com Finance Elective stream. Includes course summary, pre-requisites, Bloom's Taxonomy course outcomes (CO1–CO6), module-wise lecture hour allocations, open-ended practical exercises, and approved university reference textbooks.
Course Summary & Pre-requisites
Summary: A comprehensive course providing an overview of key principles, institutional practices, operational mechanics, and statutory regulations governing both the banking and insurance sectors in India.
Pre-requisites: A foundational understanding of financial concepts such as savings, investments, interest rates, and financial intermediaries is helpful.
Course Outcomes (CO) & Cognitive Competencies
Mapped against Revised Bloom's Taxonomy levels and knowledge categories:
| CO Code | Course Outcome Statement | Cognitive Level | Knowledge Category | Evaluation Tools |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CO1 | Develop comprehensive understanding of the financial services industry, including the roles of banks and insurance. | Understand (U) | Conceptual (C) | Instructor-created exams / Quiz / Assignment |
| CO2 | Analyse the core functions and operations of commercial banks, including deposit mobilization and lending. | Analyse (An) | Conceptual (C) | Examinations / Assignment |
| CO3 | Analyse the regulatory environment governing banking and insurance sectors. | Analyse (An) | Conceptual (C) | Seminar / Assignment / Examinations |
| CO4 | Evaluate the role of technology in modern banking operations. | Evaluate (E) | Procedural (P) | Assignment |
| CO5 | Interpret the concepts and classification of risks and annotate on the principles and terms of insurance. | Analyse (An) | Conceptual (C) | Instructor-created exams / Assignment |
| CO6 | Analyse the regulatory system for insurance sector in India. | Understand (U) | Conceptual (C) | Project / Practical Report |
Detailed Module-wise Syllabus & Hour Allocation
60 Total Hours across 4 Theory Modules + 1 Open-Ended Practical Module:
Introduction to Banking
- Unit 1 (2 Hrs): Meaning and definition - Origin and development of banking.
- Unit 2 (3 Hrs): Structure of banking in India - Functions of commercial banks (conventional and innovative functions).
- Unit 3 (2 Hrs): Central bank - RBI – Functions.
- Unit 4 (2 Hrs): Banks and economic development, Emerging trends in banking.
- Unit 5 (3 Hrs): Negotiable Instruments: Definition - Characteristics - Types - Parties to negotiable instruments - Cheques - Types of cheques - Crossing of cheques - Drafts - Cheque vs. Draft.
E-Banking & Financial Inclusion
- Unit 6 (2 Hrs): Centralized online real time electronic banking (CORE).
- Unit 7 (3 Hrs): Electronic payments - Electronic Clearing service (ECS) - Electronic Fund Transfer - Real Time Gross settlement (RTGS) – National Electronic Fund transfer (NEFT) - Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT).
- Unit 8 (3 Hrs): E-cheque - Any Time Money - ATMs - Credit card - Debit card - smart card.
- Unit 9 (2 Hrs): Internet banking – Mobile banking - Tele-banking.
- Unit 10 (2 Hrs): Financial inclusion - Recent initiatives in financial inclusion.
Fundamentals of Insurance
- Unit 11 (3 Hrs): Concept - Need for Insurance - Insurance as a social security tool - Insurance and economic development.
- Unit 12 (4 Hrs): Principles of Insurance (Utmost Good Faith, Insurable Interest, Indemnity, Subrogation, Contribution, Proximate Cause, Loss Minimization).
- Unit 13 (5 Hrs): Classification of Insurance - Life and General insurance (fire, marine, medical, personal accident, property and motor vehicle insurance) – Features - Life insurance Vs. General insurance.
Regulatory Framework of Insurance
- Unit 14 (3 Hrs): Law relating to life insurance - General principles of life insurance contract.
- Unit 15 (3 Hrs): Proposal and policy – Assignment and nomination - title and claims.
- Unit 16 (3 Hrs): General insurance - Law relating to general Insurance.
- Unit 17 (3 Hrs): IRDA - Powers and functions - Insurance business in India.
Open Ended Module & Practical Exercises
Designed to allow students to explore emerging industry dynamics and hands-on operational practices.
- Examining recent regulatory changes and their impact on banking and insurance dynamics.
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategies in retail banking and general insurance.
- Activity: Procedure for creating a Savings Bank (SB) account in a scheduled bank.
- Case Studies: Design real-life case studies simulating scenarios encountered by banking and insurance professionals.
- Role-Playing: Role-playing scenarios as bankers, insurance agents, or clients.
- Assignment: Identify the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the banking sector.
- Field Visit: Organize visit to nearby bank branches to study operations and submit report.
Approved University Reference Books
Recommended literature and reference texts prescribed in the official University of Calicut syllabus:
Banking Law and Practice, Kalyani Publishers.
Banking Theory Law and Practice, Vikas Publishing.
Practice and Law of Banking, MacMillan India Ltd, 2000.
Practical Banking.
Credit and Banking, Response Books, Sage Publications, 1999.
Banking in India.
Life and Health Insurance, Pearson Education.
Insurance in India, Response Books.
Indian Insurance Industry, New Century Publications.
Ready to start learning?
Proceed to Module 1 notes or view all syllabus topics.