Blockchain Fundamentals
Units: 6
This course will be on the fundamentals of Blockchain Technology and its growing impact on society. After technical fundamentals we will cover applied uses and criticisms. The best known example of Blockchain Technology in wide use today is as the storage and transaction mechanism for the cryptocurrency Bitcoin. We will use historical examples, key concepts, key challenges, and their proposed (and implemented) solutions to help explain Blockchain impacts. A second focus for the class will be on making decisions between the challenges of a given problem area and an implementation. This ‘design’ process can take a very long time. The history of the design and research process that ultimately led to a ‘successful’ implementation for a cryptocurrency is decades long. Bitcoin represents an elegant technical solution to a series of long posed problems which we can use to learn from.
Whether these technical solutions (or similar ones) can be applied to other industry problems beyond cryptocurrency remains an interesting and ongoing research and implementation problem. After covering Blockchain technology fundamentals, we will explore applications of Blockchain Technology and focusing on current and potential uses beyond that cryptocurrency.
Upon successful completion of the course, each student will show tangible evidence of growth and maturity in the following areas:
None.