Bitcoin: A Pedagogical Guide for the College Classroom

Abstract

The emergence of Bitcoin as an online currency/payment system has been surrounded with controversy with equally passionate proponents and detractors arguing for its long-term viability. These debates lead to stimulating exercises for the finance or economics student eager to understand principles of money, currencies, and monetary economics. The author presents a summary of the key arguments in a pedagogical structure useful to instructors who wish to use Bitcoin as a practical tool to stimulate critical thinking on these topics in the college classroom.