Week 1 Syllabus: History of Vibe Coding & PRD-First Development

Course Information

Week	1 of 12
Topic	History of Vibe Coding & PRD-First Development
Project Phase	Project 1 Start
Prerequisites	Basic programming knowledge, Git fundamentals

---

Learning Objectives

By the end of this week, students will be able to:

1. Explain the history and evolution of AI-assisted coding ("vibe coding")
2. Define "disciplined vibe coding" and distinguish it from undisciplined approaches
3. Write a complete PRD before any AI-assisted coding
4. Set up Claude Code and verify proper installation
5. Execute their first Claude Code session with proper context

---

Lecture Schedule

Part 1: The History of Vibe Coding (40 minutes)

Time	Content
0:00-0:10	What is "vibe coding"? (Karpathy's definition, Feb 2025)
0:10-0:25	The evolution: GitHub Copilot → ChatGPT → Claude Code
0:25-0:35	The Discipline Spectrum: Chaos vs Control
0:35-0:40	Discussion: Where do you want to be on the spectrum?

Part 2: PRD-First Development (40 minutes)

Time	Content
0:40-0:55	Why PRDs matter for AI-assisted development
0:55-1:05	Anatomy of a good PRD
1:05-1:15	The "Non-Goals" section: AI cannot infer from omission
1:15-1:20	Live PRD walkthrough

Part 3: Claude Code Setup & First Session (40 minutes)

Time	Content
1:20-1:35	Installing Claude Code (live demo)
1:35-1:45	Configuration and authentication
1:45-1:55	First conversation: The /init command
1:55-2:00	Q&A and wrap-up

---

Required Readings

Before Class

• Andrej Karpathy's "Vibe Coding" Tweet (Feb 3, 2025)
• Claude Code Overview

After Class

• Claude Code Best Practices
• Course PRD Template

---

Lab Exercise

Objective

Write a PRD and build a simple greeting CLI using Claude Code.

Deliverables

1. Completed PRD for greeting CLI
2. Working CLI that:
   • Accepts a name as input
   • Returns a personalized greeting
   • Handles edge cases (empty name, special characters)
3. Screenshot of successful Claude Code session

Time Allocation

• PRD writing: 20 minutes
• Claude Code implementation: 25 minutes
• Testing and refinement: 15 minutes

---

Resources

Documentation

• Claude Code Documentation
• Installation Guide

Templates

• PRD Template
• CLAUDE.md Template

Support

• Office hours: TBA (announced during the first week)
• Course Discord: TBA (shared in class)

---

Key Takeaways

1. Vibe coding is a legitimate development paradigm when practiced with discipline
2. PRDs are essential - AI cannot infer your intentions from omission
3. Non-goals are critical - Explicitly state what you're NOT building
4. Environment setup is foundational - Get it right from day one

Week 1 of 12 | Vibe Coding 101