FINA 3399 Bitcoin, Blockchain, and Cryptoassets

This course is an introduction to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. The course offers a nontechnical discussion of monetary theory, enabling the students to understand how cryptocurrencies are a radical departure from existing monetary instruments and provides an overview of blockchain technology and the Bitcoin system. In addition, this course covers the technical aspects of Bitcoin in more detail, covering such topics as the Bitcoin network, its communications protocol, the mathematics underpinning decentralized validation, transaction types, the data structure of blocks, the proof-of-work consensus mechanism, and game theory. Additionally, the course discusses specific issues and applications, including price volatility, regulatory uncertainty, and central bank cryptocurrencies, as well as such alternative applications as decentralized verification and attestation, tokens, and smart contracts.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

ECON 2301 with a C or better. All students pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts in Economics, or Bachelor of Science in Materials Management and Logistics from VCoBE, must apply for and be admitted to VCoBE before they are allowed to enroll in the Advanced Business Core and Major coursework for their degree.

Schedule Type

Lecture

Grading Basis

Standard Letter (A-F)

Administrative Unit

Dept of Finance

Offered

As scheduled