Introduction to Cryptocurrency

Instructor: Vin Armani
Sessions: Mondays, April 19 and 26 and May 3 and 10, 2021 @ 8:30 PM Eastern (5:30 PM Pacific)
Each session will run between 2 and 2.5 hours

Each session will be recorded and immediately available for streaming for participants who are unable to attend a session.

This course explores and explains the crucial elements of cryptocurrency in history, technology, economics, and politics. The obscure and often confusing world of crypto is demystified and made immediately accessible, whether the student is an investor, an activist, or is simply hungry for knowledge on this fascinating and financially rewarding topic.

No previous software or computer science background is needed. If you can send an email, you can absorb this knowledge!

Presented in the form of a coherent narrative stretching from World War II to 2021, this course will teach you:

• The little known story of modern cryptography
• The genesis of Bitcoin
• The contributions of Bitcoin’s early contributors
• The landscape of the volatile interaction between crypto and the state
• How Bitcoin “finds truth” through the use of consensus
• The difference between cryptocurrency consensus mechanisms such as Proof of Work and Proof of Stake
• How Ethereum and its “smart contracts” revolutionized the cryptocurrency industry
• How privacy coins like Monero allow for completely untraceable transactions
• How new cryptocurrency networks (like Bitcoin Cash and Ethereum Classic) are created via “forks”
• The political ramifications of custodial versus non-custodial use of cryptocurrency wallets
• The basics of tokens—including Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs)
• The various models for stablecoins and how these powerful tokens are shaping world finance
• Why the culture and community of a cryptocurrency network matters as much as its technology