Week 1 Week 1 of 12 Week 12

Week 1: Introduction to DeFi

Overview of decentralized finance, its history, and comparison with traditional finance

Complete

--- ## Learning Objectives

1. Define DeFi and explain its core principles
2. Compare DeFi with traditional financial systems
3. Identify major DeFi protocols and their functions
4. Understand the value proposition of DeFi

## Topics Covered

What is Decentralized Finance? History and evolution of DeFi DeFi vs Traditional Finance (TradFi) Key characteristics and principles The DeFi ecosystem overview

--- ## Resources

Lecture Slides

Download PDF presentation

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Self-Assessment Quiz

Test your knowledge

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Exploring DeFi Data

Open in Google Colab

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--- ## Required Readings

Paper	Authors	Year	Link
Decentralized Finance: On Blockchain- and Smart Contract-Based Financial Markets	Schaer	2021	Link
DeFi and the Future of Finance	Harvey, Ramachandran, Santoro	2021	Link

--- ## Reading Guide: Reading Guide: DeFi Foundations

2-3 hours DeFi definition and taxonomy Financial infrastructure comparison Economic primitives

Introduction to the foundational academic literature on decentralized finance and its economic implications.

View Reading Guide

--- ## Exercise: Exploring the DeFi Ecosystem

100 Points 2-3 hours easy

Analyze the DeFi ecosystem by exploring TVL data, identifying major protocols, and comparing DeFi with traditional finance.

View Full Exercise

--- ## Discussion & Questions

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Have questions about this week's material? Want to discuss concepts with fellow students?

Week 1 Discussion Ask a Question

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