CS490U: Blockchain & Cryptocurrency (Summer 2019)
Introduction
This course will provide a comprehensive overview of
blockchain and cryptocurrency. We introduce the core
encryption technology used in blockchain and the core
technologies applied in Bitcoin. Then we introduce the core
technologies of the Ethereum and Smart Contracts. We also
introduce the development of Decentralized Apps (DApp) using
smart contacts. We introduce and compare public and private
blockchains and some of the most popular blockchain
platforms. A number of popular applications using Blockchain
will be introduced. We will discuss the most important
issues in blockchains including scalability, security, and
performance. We introduce the ICO concept that the
blockchain startups are using to attract investment. We
explain the Token economy. Finally, we will explain how the
coins are traded.
If you take this course faithfully, you will be able to
understand all the basic concepts related to blockchain,
take courses that deal with each technique more deeply, and
start development and research.
Instructor:
Lectures:
- This course will be conducted using flipped learning this term. The lectures can be found at
POSTECHx MOOC platform.
- We will meet from Mon to Fri except Wed. 15:00-17:00 (PIRL 421 or Building2 109) for Q&A, hands-on tutorials, discussions and student presentations.
Teaching Assistant (TA):
- Kyungchan Ko (DPNM Lab, PIRL Room 422), 054-279-5641, kkc90(@)postech.ac.kr
- Changhoon Kang (DPNM Lab, PIRL Room 422), 054-279-5641, chkang(@)postech.ac.kr
Lecture Outline:
Pre-requisites:
- A course on OS and computer networking are strongly recommended.
Required Textbook:
There will not be a textbook for this course.
Lecture slides and various materials (videos, papers, software,
presentations, etc.) found from the Internet will be used for the
course.
Suggested Materials:
- Videos:
- Blockchain
- Bitcoin
- Ethereum & Smart Contracts
- DApp
- EOS
- Hyperledger
- Token Economy
- Use Cases
- Articles & Books:
- Blockchain platforms
International Conferences & Exhibitions
Evaluation:
- Evaluation on each student will be done based on the following:
- Assignments - 40%
- Quizzes - 10%
- Term Project - 40%
- Class Participation - 10%
- Note: the above evaluation scheme may change slightly during the course.
Term Project:
There will be a major term project (worth 40% of the final mark) on Blockchain.
The project topics will be discussed in class.
Students will be asked to prepare, submit and present materials (Word & Powerpoint)
related to the project throughout the course.
- Project Proposal Preparation
(Presentation: Jul. 05, 2019) (Term Project Proposal List)
- Project Requirements Presentation ( Jul. 12, 2019)
- High-Level Design Document Presentation ( Jul. 15, 2019)
-
Detailed Design Document Presentation (Jul. 19, 2019)
- Final Document (Technical Paper) & Powerpoint Slides (due: Midnight, Jul. 24, 2019) & Final Presentation & Demo (3:00-6:00pm, Jul. 25, 2019)
Assignments:
- There will be a few assignments (worth 40% of the final mark).
You should submit your assignment materials to LMS.
- Assignment 1 - Survey of blockchain-based applications (2%) (Out: Jun. 25, Due: Midnight, Jun. 28)
- Assignment 2 - Procject Ideation (3%) (Out: Jun. 28, Due: Midnight, Jul. 01)
- Assignment 3 - Bitcoin Core (5%) (Out: Jul. 2, Due: Midnight, Jul. 8)
- Assignment 4 - Go-Ethereum (5%) (Out: Jul. 9, Due: Midnight, Oct. 11)
- Assignment 5 - Smart Contract (10%) (Out: Jul. 11, Due: Midnight, Jul. 15)
- Assignment 6 - Dapp Development (10%) (Out: Jul. 18, Due: Midnight, Jul. 23)
- Note: the above assignment schedule may change slightly during the course.
- Late assignments may be handed in, but there will be
a penalty of 20% of the mark for assignments turned in less than one day
late, and an additional penalty of 10% for each day thereafter.
- Cheating Policy -- Cheating will not be tolerated in this course.
Students are encouraged discuss things related to courses and assignments
but the materials handed in must be his/her own. The maximum penalty for
the first offense is for the assignment in question. For
subsequent offenses may result in an automatic failure of the course
and possibly other academic punishments.
Class Participation:
Students are strongly encouraged to listen to all online lectures,
do the quizzes, attend all classes. Students are also
strongly encouraged to participate in discussions during
classes. 10% of the final mark is assigned for good
and active class participation.
Topics Covered:
Dr. James Won-Ki Hong
Professor
Dept. of Computer Science and Engineering
Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)
Pohang, Korea
Tel: +82 54 279 2244
Fax: +82 54 279 5663
Email: jwkhong{@}postech.ac.kr
Last modified: Sept. 3, 2018
This page is maintained by J. W. Hong. If you have any questions or
suggestions, please send email to jwkhong at postech.ac.kr.