This course offers a rigorous, hands-on exploration of blockchain systems and decentralized finance, beginning with the technical and economic foundations that make blockchains possible. In the first part, students learn the core principles of decentralization, trust, and incentives, gaining a working understanding of Bitcoin’s UTXO model and Ethereum’s account-based architecture, before diving into EVM execution, Solidity programming, and smart contract design patterns through a series of progressively challenging labs. Building on this foundation, the second part focuses on DeFi applications, analyzing stablecoins, AMMs, lending markets, derivatives, MEV, and governance systems, with case studies and coding assignments that emphasize both conceptual understanding and practical implementation. The final section surveys advanced topics—layer-2 scaling, cross-chain bridges, and real-world security case studies—preparing students to think critically about the future of blockchain scalability, security, and usability. By the end of the course, students will have designed, implemented, and analyzed multiple decentralized applications, gaining both theoretical insight and hands-on experience with the infrastructure powering today’s Web3 ecosystem.
The workloads include 5 programming assignments plus two in-class midterms.
Instructor: Yu Feng (yufeng@UCSBCS)
TA: Hanzhi Liu (hanzhi@UCSBCS)
Class: M,Wed, 5:00pm-6:15pm, TD-W 1701
Instructor's office hour: Mon, 3:30pm-4:30pm, HFH-2157
Hanzhi's office hour: Fri, 1:50pm-3pm, SH-1430 (Discussion Session: 1pm-1:50pm, SH-1430)
Slack: https://join.slack.com/t/cs190n/shared_invite/zt-3ej3pqm9y-7DWy1FEGMlYzBSzckDnZKw
| Date | Topic | Slides | Out | Due | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/29 | Introduction & Bitcoin | lec1 | note1 | ||
| 10/1 | Ethereum Basics | lec2 | note2 | ||
| 10/6 | EVM Execution Model | lec3 | HW1 | note3 | |
| 10/8 | Solidity I: Basics | lec4 | note4 | ||
| 10/13 | Solidity II: Contracts in Practice | lec5 | note5 | ||
| 10/15 | Smart Contract Design Patterns | lec6 | note6 | ||
| 10/20 | Gas, Testing, and Tooling | lec7 | HW2 | HW1 | note7 |
| 10/22 | Midterm 1 | ||||
| 10/27 | DeFi Overview: Money Legos | lec8 | note8 | ||
| 10/29 | Stablecoins | lec9 | note9 | ||
| 11/3 | Automated Market Makers | lec10 | HW3 | HW2 | note10 |
| 11/5 | Lending | lec11 | note11 | ||
| 11/10 | Derivatives: Perpetual Futures | lec12 | note12 | ||
| 11/12 | Maximal Extractable Value (MEV) | lec13 | HW3 | note13 | |
| 11/17 | DAOs & Governance | lec14 | note14 | ||
| 11/19 | Midterm 2 | HW4 | |||
| 11/24 | Layer-2 Scaling | lec15 | |||
| 11/26 | Cross-Chain Bridges | lec16 | |||
| 12/1 | Security in Practice | lec17 | HW5 | HW4 | |
| 12/3 | Wrap-Up & Future Directions | lec18 |
-
Programming assignments: 60%
- 5 programming assignments, 12% each
-
Midterms: 40% （20% each）
Below is a grading system (No curving).
| Letter | Percentage |
|---|---|
| A | 93–100% |
| A- | 85–92% |
| B+ | 80–84% |
| B | 75–79% |
| B- | 70–74% |
| C+ | 65–69% |
| C | 60–64% |
| F | <60% |
Credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_grading_in_the_United_States
Please submit your homework to gradescope: https://www.gradescope.com
