Tentative and subject to change.

In the first semester of this intermediate financial accounting class, we have covered the conceptual framework and topics related to various types of assets. Topics related to liabilities and equity will be covered this semester; while, tax, pension, lease, and other special topics will be covered in the “Special topics for Intermediate Accounting” class. The materials are cumulative; therefore, students enrolled are supposed to have successfully finished their introductory financial accounting class. The content is mainly based on the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) with occasional reference to the US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP). The main textbook is the 2nd edition of Intermediate Accounting: IFRS Edition by Donald E. Kieso, et al. Supplementary text will be provided to better cover some technical details. This supplementary text is highly recommended for students who plan to take local CPA exams. However, this is not a CPA preparation course. We focus not only on technical details but also the intuitions, the critical thinking process, and the application of the rules.
Students are strongly suggested to attend both the lecture and the tutorial sessions. A typical lecture lasts for 2 hours, followed by a one-hour case/news presentation by student groups. A typical tutorial session may start with a quiz followed by discussions led by the teaching assistant. During the lecture, students should focus on understanding the concepts and the reasoning behind accounting techniques. The main purpose is for students to see the “big picture” and get familiar with the logic behind the material. Solving homework problems after each class is essential for the students to perform well in quizzes and the final exam. The solutions to homework questions will be posted on the course website to facilitate self-learning. Accounting is learned by doing. However, students are expected to understand the concepts with the instructor’s help in class instead of merely memorizing them. If a student studies this course “mechanically,” it is likely that he/she will not be able to apply the knowledge to real world situations. This course will also provide students opportunities to work in groups and make presentations. Nonetheless, the course just touches upon the fundamentals of presentation skills. Students are expected to develop these “soft skills“ in the rest of their educational experiences at NTU.