Introduction to Currency Design

In this course, you will learn the compelling and transformative practice of currency design.

Before the explosion of blockchain ledgers in 2008, currency design was a little-known field where community-focused economies grew as pragmatic responses to blockers to effective sharing and exchange of resources. This course approaches crypto-economics, and accounting from the perspective of this long-cultivated wisdom on designing economies for deep wealth (before and beyond money).

This course is focused on the conceptual and historical background of currency design and money, with case studies and lectures by experienced designers and key voices in imagining alternative financial systems. You will learn about designing reputation systems, impact assessments, mutual credit systems, and, importantly, why many currencies fail. We also look at the notion of the "commons" and offer some guidance as to how currencies can be targeted to solve problems of commons-management, including funding and participation.

Featured speakers: Ferananda Ibarra, Arthur Brock, Emaline Friedman, Jean Russell, Brett Scott, Mamading Ceesay, Jordan MacLeod, Sean Esbjorn-Hargens, Claudia Meglin, Siddharth Sthalekar, Noah Thorp, David Rose, and Matthew Slater