CS490U: Blockchain & Cryptocurrency

CS490U: Blockchain & Cryptocurrency (Fall 2020)

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:

Prof. James Won-Ki Hong

Lectures:

This course will be conducted using flipped learning this term. The lectures can be found at POSTECHx MOOC platform.
We will meet on Mon. & Wed. 12:30-13:45 (Online via Vmeeting) for Q&A, hands-on tutorials, discussions and student presentations.

Teaching Assistant (TA):

Changhoon Kang (DPNM Lab, PIRL Room 422), 054-279-5641, chkang(@)postech.ac.kr

Course Schedule:

Pre-requisites:

- A course on OS and computer networking are strongly recommended.

Required Textbook:

There will not be a textbook for this course. My lecture slides and various materials (videos, papers, software, presentations, etc.) found from the Internet will be used for the course.

Suggested Materials:

International Conferences & Exhibitions

2021 International Conference on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency (ICBC 2021), May 3~6, 2021, Sydney, Australia
2020 International Conference on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency (ICBC 2020), May 3~6, 2020, Toronto, Canada
2019 International Conference on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency (ICBC 2019), May 15~17, 2019, Seoul, Korea
IEEE Blockchain Summit Korea, May 7-8, 2018, Seoul, Korea

Evaluation:

Evaluation on each student will be done based on the following:
1. Assignments - 40%
2. Quizzes - 10%
3. Term Project - 40%
4. Class Participation - 10%
Note: the above evaluation scheme may change slightly during the course.

Term Project:

Project Proposal Preparation (Presentation: Oct. 14, 2020)
Project Requirements & High-Level Design Presentation (Nov. 04, 2020)
- Use this guideline to prepare a requirements document for your group project
Detailed Design Presentation (Nov. 18, 2020)
Final Document (Technical Paper-due: Dec. 19, 2020) & Powerpoint Slides & Final Presentation & Demo (Dec. 20, 2020 - 10AM ~ 3PM)

Assignments:

There will be a few assignments (worth 40% of the final mark). You should submit your assignment materials to LMS.
- Assignment 1 - Creating a Personal Homepage (1%) (Out: Sep. 07, Due: Midnight, Sep. 13)
- Assignment 2 - Survey of Blockchain-based Applications (2%) (Out: Sep. 14, Due: Midnight, Sep. 20)
  - Selected Applications List (First-Come First-Served!)
  - Submitted Files (See what other students surveyed)
- Assignment 3 - Project Ideation (3%) (Out: Sep. 21, Due: Midnight, Sep. 27)
  - Selected Topics List (First-Come First-Served!)
  - Submitted Files (See other students' topics)
- Assignment 4 - Bitcoin Core (5%) (Out: Oct. 05, Due: Midnight, Oct. 20)
- Assignment 5 - Project Proposal (Out: Oct. 12, Due: Midnight, Oct. 20)
  - Teams & Topics
- Assignment 6 - Go-Ethereum (5%) (Out: Oct. 19, Due: Midnight, Nov. 01)
- Assignment 7 - Project Requirements & High-Level Design (Out: Oct. 19, Due: Midnight, Nov. 08)
- Assignment 8 - Smart Contract (8%) (Out: Nov. 09, Due: Midnight, Nov. 15)
- Assignment 9 - Project Detailed Design (Out: Nov. 9, Due: Midnight, Nov. 22)
- Assignment 10 - Simple Ethereum Wallet (8%) (Out: Nov. 16, Due: Midnight, Nov. 29)
- Assignment 11 - DApp Development (8%) (Out: Nov. 30, Due: Midnight, Dec. 06)
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:

The following is a tentative list of lecture topics for the course.

Introduction
- Introduction to the course
- Introduction to Blockchain and Cryptocurrency(1)
- Introduction to Blockchain and Cryptocurrency(2)
- Assignment #1
Overview of Cryptography for blockchain
- Cryptography for blokchain
- Mechanics of Bitcoin
- Assignment #2
Mechanics of Bitcoin(1)
- Relationship between Keys and Address
- Bitcoin Network
- Project #1
Mechanics of Bitcoin(2)
- Introduction to Mining and Consensus
- The Task of Bitcoin Miners: Mining the block
- Assignment #3
Ethereum(1)
- Introduction to Ethereum
- Data Layer
- Project #2
Ethereum(2)
- Consensus / Execution Layer
- Common / Application Layer
- Assignment #4
- Project #3
Reading Week
DApp: Decentralized App
- Introduction to DApp
- DApp Examples
- How to develop DApp
- Assignment #5
- Project #4
Blockchain platforms (1) - EOS
- Introduction to EOS
- Features of EOS
- DPOS Tradeoffs & Attacks
- Program & Network Structure of EOS
- Installing EOS
- Build Hello World on EOS
- Tutorial on DApp with EOS
Blockchain platforms (2) - Hyperledger
- Introduction to Hyperledger
- Hyperledger Fabric (1)
- Hyperledger Fabric (2)
- Assignment #6
Consensus Algorithms
- Various Consensus Algorithms (1)
- Various Consensus Algorithms (2)
ICO(Initial Coin Offering) and Token Economy
- Token Economics
- ICO(Initial Coin Offering)
- Introduction to Token Economics
Cryptocurrency Exchange
- Introduction to Cryptocurrency Exchanges
- Centralized vs. Decentralize Cryptocurrency Exchanges
Project Development and Preparation for Presentation & Demo
Project Presentation & Demo

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: Aug. 30, 2020 This page is maintained by J. W. Hong. If you have any questions or suggestions, please send email to jwkhong at postech.ac.kr.