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Syllabus

Course Information

Course Description

This course teaches cryptoeconomics: the study of using economic incentives and game theory to achieve security properties in decentralized systems. Rather than just explaining how blockchains work, we focus on why they work and how to design new mechanisms.

The Central Question: How do we design systems where strangers cooperate honestly WITHOUT trusting each other?

Students will learn to analyze existing protocols through an economic lens, identify attack vectors, evaluate sustainability, and ultimately think like mechanism designers. Through hands-on labs and a capstone project, graduates will be able to both critique existing systems and design new ones.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Analyze Economic Mechanisms (Core Cryptoeconomics)
- Identify incentive structures in any decentralized protocol - Calculate attack costs and evaluate economic security - Apply game theory to predict rational actor behavior - Diagnose failure modes before they occur

  1. Design Trustless Systems (Mechanism Design)
- Design incentive-compatible mechanisms for coordination problems - Evaluate trade-offs between competing design goals - Propose improvements to existing protocols - Justify design choices with economic reasoning

  1. Understand Blockchain Technology (Technical Foundation)
- Explain consensus mechanisms and their security models - Write and deploy smart contracts using Solidity - Compare blockchain architectures and scaling solutions

  1. Evaluate Digital Assets & DeFi (Applications)
- Assess tokenomics models for sustainability - Analyze AMM mechanics, lending protocols, and stablecoin designs - Evaluate NFT value propositions and marketplace dynamics

  1. Navigate Regulatory Landscape (Business Context)
- Compare global regulatory approaches to crypto assets - Apply classification frameworks (Howey Test, MiCA) - Assess compliance trade-offs in mechanism design

  1. Think Like a Mechanism Designer (Ultimate Goal)
- Critique existing systems by identifying attack vectors - Design new mechanisms for real-world coordination problems - Communicate design trade-offs to technical and non-technical audiences

Problem-Based Curriculum Structure (44 Topics)

The course content is organized into 44 problem-based topics across 6 blocks. Each topic addresses a specific real-world problem, connects to theoretical foundations, and delivers measurable competencies.

6 Theoretical Pillars

Every topic draws from one or more unifying theoretical frameworks. The first five are descriptive (understanding existing systems), while the sixth is prescriptive (creating new systems):

Pillar Core Question Example Topics
Trust How do strangers transact without intermediaries? 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7
Incentives How do we make selfish actors behave honestly? 3, 15-22
Trade-offs Why can't we optimize everything simultaneously? 5, 14, 24, 34
Value How do tokens capture and distribute value? 19, 20, 25, 35
Risk What happens when things go wrong? 13, 22, 28, 36
Design How do we create systems that achieve desired properties? 16, 17, 30, 44

The Cryptoeconomics Lens

Every topic is examined through six questions:

  1. What PROBLEM does this solve? - The coordination failure being addressed
  2. What INCENTIVES make it work? - The economic mechanism
  3. Who BENEFITS and who PAYS? - The value distribution
  4. What if incentives BREAK? - The failure mode
  5. How would you DESIGN this from scratch? - Mechanism design thinking
  6. What ALTERNATIVES exist? - The design space

Topic Distribution by Block

Block Theme Topics Hours
1 Trust & Foundations 1-7 10.5h
2 Programmable Money 8-14 10.5h
3 Cryptoeconomics 15-22 12h
4 Digital Assets 23-28 9h
5 DeFi Ecosystem 29-36 12h
6 Business, Regulation & Future 37-44 12h

Total: 44 topics, 66 hours

Difficulty Distribution

Level Count % Description
Easy 8 18% Accessible entry points, hands-on labs
Business 18 41% Economics, strategy, markets, regulation
Technical 11 25% Development, protocols, architecture
Math 7 16% Quantitative analysis, formulas

Modular Audience Paths

The 44-topic curriculum supports different audiences through topic selection:

BSc Data Science / Computer Science (44 topics, 66h)

MSc Finance / MBA (32 topics, 48h)

Executive Education (20 topics, 30h)

New Topics (Added 2026)

# Topic Problem Addressed
16 Game Theory Foundations Why do rational actors sometimes cooperate?
40 Privacy vs Transparency Should blockchains be public or private?
41 Cross-Chain & Interoperability How do different blockchains communicate?
42 AI & Blockchain Convergence What happens when AI meets crypto?

Weekly Schedule

Week 1-3: Module A - Blockchain Foundations (13 lessons)

Week Lessons Topics
1 L01-L04 Blockchain intro, DLT fundamentals (L02a), DLT architecture (L02b), Hash functions, Lab: Hash experiments
2 L05-L08 Public key cryptography, Bitcoin protocol, Proof of Work, Lab: Wallet setup
3 L09-L12 Proof of Stake, Consensus comparison, Scalability trilemma, Lab: Block explorer

Week 4-5: Module B - Ethereum & Smart Contracts (8 lessons)

Week Lessons Topics
4 L13-L16 Ethereum architecture, Gas mechanics, Solidity fundamentals, Lab: Contract interaction
5 L17-L20 ERC-20 tokens, ERC-721/1155 NFTs, Token lifecycle, Lab: Token analysis

Week 6-7: Module C - NFTs & Digital Assets (8 lessons)

Week Lessons Topics
6 L21-L24 NFT technology deep dive, Metadata & IPFS, NFT marketplaces, Lab: OpenSea analysis
7 L25-L28 Digital art & collectibles, Gaming NFTs & metaverse, RWA tokenization, Lab: NFT evaluation

Week 8: Module D - Tokenomics (4 lessons)

Week Lessons Topics
8 L29-L32 Token economics, Distribution & vesting, Token classification, Lab: Tokenomics analysis

Week 9-10: Module E - DeFi Ecosystem (8 lessons)

Week Lessons Topics
9 L33-L36 Intro to DeFi, AMM mechanics, Uniswap deep dive, Lab: Testnet swap
10 L37-L40 Lending protocols, Stablecoin mechanisms, Terra/Luna case study, Lab: Testnet lending

Week 11: Module F - Advanced Topics (4 lessons)

Week Lessons Topics
11 L41-L44 Layer 2 scaling, Flash loans, Smart contract security, Lab: Security audit

Week 12: Module G - Regulation & Future (4 lessons)

Week Lessons Topics
12 L45-L48 Global regulation, Swiss FINMA & EU MiCA, CBDCs & future trends, Course synthesis

Workshops (Flexible Scheduling)

Assessment Structure

Component Weight Description
Quizzes (6) 30% Multiple choice and short answer covering each module
Project 50% Individual or team project analyzing a blockchain protocol/token
Participation 20% Lab completion, workshop attendance, class engagement

Quiz Schedule

  1. Quiz 1 (Week 3): Blockchain Foundations
  2. Quiz 2 (Week 5): Ethereum Basics
  3. Quiz 3 (Week 7): Tokens & NFTs
  4. Quiz 4 (Week 8): NFT Applications & Tokenomics
  5. Quiz 5 (Week 10): DeFi
  6. Quiz 6 (Week 12): Advanced Topics & Regulation

Project Guidelines

- A: Mechanism Critique - Deep analysis of existing protocol (attack vectors, failure modes, improvements) - B: Mechanism Design - Design new protocol for real coordination problem (incentive design, trade-offs) - C: Failure Forensics - Full post-mortem of crypto failure (root cause, prevention mechanisms) - D: Regulatory Analysis - How regulations affect mechanism design (compliance trade-offs)

Required Materials

Recommended Readings

Academic Integrity

All submitted work must be original. Proper citations required for external sources. Code may be tested for plagiarism. Collaboration encouraged for learning, but final submissions must be individual (except team projects).

Course Website

https://digital-ai-finance.github.io/Cryptoeconomics-Blockchain/

Contact

Digital AI Finance | https://github.com/Digital-AI-Finance

Last Updated: January 2026 (Cryptoeconomics-First Restructure)

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