UZH International Summer School:

Deep Dive into Blockchain 2021

Linking Economics, Technology and Law (Online Course)

Course Description

This online Summer School gives you a complete immersion into the topic of blockchain from world-leading experts and practitioners in the field. Blockchain-based systems, with cryptocurrencies as the most prominent example, have disrupted and reshaped the way we now think about digital finance and other similar applications, such as supply chains. Blockchain and related technologies allow to store sequential, trustful information without enforced consensus by central authorities or trustees.

For a full understanding of Blockchain, with all its implications and potential for application in practice, it is absolutely crucial to look at it from a multidisciplinary perspective. This is exactly what the UZH Blockchain Center offers during the three weeks of this course: you will understand the three key pillars of blockchain systems, namely the technology, the economics and the legal aspects behind it. Building on this, we will then explore other fields of application, such as forensics and data analytics.

The course is taught by different professors and lecturers from UZH and other leading universities worldwide, as well as top practitioners from various fields.

Further, the program is highly interactive, with hands-on practice sessions incorporating the most advanced and promising blockchain-based platforms.

Key Points

Date: 4-23 July 2021

Hosting Institute: UZH Blockchain Center

Course Director: Prof. Dr. Claudio J. Tessone

Language of Instruction: English

Open to: Advanced Bachelor students and Master students

Credits: 6 ECTS

Grading: Pass or Fail

Key Information

Learning Outcomes

In this Summer School, you will:


  • Get to know how blockchain-based systems work.
  • Understand the economic incentives as the basis of blockchain-based systems.
  • Learn to critically assess the decisions taken when designing blockchain technologies.
  • Learn from experts in academia and industry, and obtain hands-on experience in both established and advancing technologies.

Entry Requirements

To participate in this online summer school, you should meet the following entry requirements:


Study Level:

Talented Bachelor students, who have completed their first year of study, as well as Master students. Other applicants might be admitted to the program “sur dossier”.

Basic knowledge of programming is not required, but desirable.

Prior/Specific Knowledge:

Basic knowledge of programming is not required, but desirable.

Subject Areas:

This course is of particular interest to students from the fields of Economics, Finance, Business, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics or Law. Students from other fields of study with a strong interest in the topic and Data Science who have a strong technical and analytical background are also welcome to apply.

English Language Requirements:

Applicants must possess a sufficient command of English (broadly CEFR B2 or equivalent) to be able to actively contribute to classes. This needs to be visible from your motivation letter, previous studies or work experience.

Technical Requirements

Please be aware of the following technical requirements before you apply to this online summer school:


Computer and Internet Connection:

To follow this online summer school, you will need regular access to a computer with an internet connection. Due to daily video conferences, we highly recommend high speed broadband access for the optimal learning experience.

Access to Learning Platform:

The course content will be provided via one learning platform (Microsoft Teams). We will invite you to join this platform before the online summer school starts. Some livestreams might be provided over Zoom. Make sure these applications work on your computer / in your region. (Please note that we cannot provide technical support during the online summer schools.)

Fees and Discounts

The regular fee for this summer school is 1,500 Swiss Francs.


The tuition fee includes:

all teaching lessons (incl. live sessions, podcasts, group assignments etc.) and the final assessment; a digital social program that will foster your intercultural competence; a final certificate and a transcript indicating the credits earned in the program

Scholarships:

Generous discounts are available for students from certain partner universities. Once we have received your full application, we will notify you of any potential discounts available to you.

Schedule and Classes

This summer school program offers a mix of daily (Monday – Friday) interactive live classes, pre-recorded sessions and podcasts. Active participation in live sessions is mandatory to successfully pass the program. On weekends, you are most welcome to join our social activities.

We aim at being inclusive of the various time zones of our summer school students. We will create a detailed schedule with exact times once we know where participants are joining us from and which time zones have to be taken into account.

Beside interactive live sessions (approx. 3-4 hours/day) and watching podcasts, you will also work in groups on your final project. The expected workload for this summer school program is approx. 30 hours/week.

Please also take into account that you will have to prepare properly for this online course before the start of the program. Instructions and a reading list will be sent by the end of May to all enrolled students.

Assessment

You will receive a Certificate of Completion and a Transcript of Records (stating your grade with “pass” or “fail”) at the end of the summer school. In order to get the 6 ECTS credits for this summer school, you will have to:


  • Prepare properly before the start of the program (estimated workload: max. 20 hours). Instructions and a reading list will be sent to you by the end of May.
  • Participate actively in the daily interactive live sessions (hands-on sessions / Q&A / mentoring and wrap-up sesssions).
  • Watch all podcast sessions in accordance with the schedule.
  • Engage actively in your study group.
  • Hand in your final project in time.

Course Organizers

The lecturers and guest speakers, business partners and sponsors for the 2023 program of Deep Dive into Blockchain will be announced soon. Check this space for regular updates!

Prof. Claudio J. Tessone

Course Director

Assistant Professor in Network Science, UZH Department of Business Administration

ShengNan Li

Instructor

Research Associate, Department of Business Administration, University of Zurich

Lecturers and Guest Speakers

Lecturer on Business Models, UZH
Lecturer on Blockchain Technology, UZH
Lecturer on Regulations, UZH
Lecturer on Financial Markets, UZH
Smart Contracts, UZH
Crypto-communities, UZH
Lecturer on Business Models, UZH
Professor, Università di Siena
AI and Blockchain Developer, Max Planck Society
Senior Research Associate, University of Pennsylvania
Associate Professor, IIT Hyderabad
Professor, SOGANG University
Researcher, WU Wein
Lecturer, UCL
Solutions Architect, Algorand
Founder, Tezos Israel
Associate, Tezos Foundation
General Secretary, Cardano
Council Member, Cardano
CTO and Co-Founder, IOST