Spring 2013 - 62785 - PA388K - Advanced Topics in Public Policy

Energy Technology and Policy

This course will give upper-division undergraduate students in engineering and graduate students in engineering, energy & earth resources, business, or public affairs an overview of energy technologies, fuels, environmental impacts and public policies. Topics will be interdisciplinary and will include an introduction to quantitative concepts in energy, including the differences among fuels and energy technologies, energy policy levers, and the societal aspects of energy, such as culture, economics, war, and international affairs. This course will cover brief snippets of energy history, use real-world examples, look forward into the future, and benefit from guest speakers. The course will be interactive and lecture-oriented around current events related to energy. Class attendance and participation is required.    Students will be required to blog three times during the semester on energy topics, comment regularly on other student’s blog entries, create an original podcast on a topic that combines energy policy and technologies, conduct an individual research project, and take a final exam that covers the lectures and reading assignments.
This course is offered by Mechanical Engineering (ME 379M) and cross-listed by the LBJ School and other departments.