This class is scheduled for 5-6:30pm on Thursdays. The first class will be on February 2nd. It will be online for the first 2 weeks, then when we shift to in-person, classes will be held in Dwinelle 242.

We depend on energy to fuel our cars and airplanes, grow and transport our food, light our cities, warm our homes, cook our food, and power our machinery, appliances, and electronics. This course will give an introduction to energy topics and explore the social, environmental and economic impacts of our carbon-based economy.

As we continue to deplete our resources (and pollute our air and water in the process), the challenge to satisfy our energy needs continues to mount. How will our generation respond? We will use guest speakers, in-class discussions, fun projects, involved debates, and films to explore the energy cycle - tracing its origins, distribution, consumption, and waste. This class is tailored to all majors and backgrounds, as it assumes no prior technical or political/economic experience. It aims to provide students with the tools to analyze alternative paths to a sustainable future as well as a broad range of perspectives in the energy field.

Learning Objectives
At the end of the semester, students will have a better understanding of the wide variety of energy resources, utilities and energy policy in California and the U.S., and what lies in store for the future of energy use and distribution. Final projects will allow students to gain deeper insight into specific topics of choice. Through the speakers and fellow classmates, students will also build a network in the broad field of sustainability which will allow them to connect and continue work in the area from any angle they would like, depending on their interests and skills.

Ground Rules
1. If you do not attend the first, second and third week of class, you will be dropped.
2. If you plan to drop the class, you must do so before the third week of classes or you will receive a NP.
3. You must enroll in the DeCal for 1 unit, P/NP only.
4. Be respectful to your fellow classmates and guest lecturers.
5. If you need to leave early before class ends or during a guest lecture, please let us know beforehand.
6. Please avoid phone use during class. Active participation and engagement with our guest speakers is key to a great semester.

Attendance
Up to 2 unexcused absences are allowed, but not for the first three weeks of class. Being more than 15 minutes late to class or leaving class 30 minutes early will count as an absence. If you believe your attendance was incorrectly recorded, be sure to reach out to the teaching assistants.

Make-Up Opportunities: If you miss more than 2 classes, you may make up your third absence by either attending a campus sustainability event or participating in another opportunity approved by the facilitators. The make-up assignment must be accompanied by a 300-500 word reflection about what you learned or found interesting, and how it connects to course content. Remember that our class follows UC Berkeley’s plagiarism policy. A maximum of 1 makeup assignment is allowed, meaning 4 absences or more will lead to a NP.

Assignments
Assignments turned in late will be penalized.

Readings
Readings will be assigned weekly and are critical for maintaining conscious attendance and discussion participation. After completing each week’s reading, you will be required to submit a question, quote, or image directly from or relating to the reading, and explain why you picked your submission. Your QQI submission is due at 3pm pacific time each Wednesday, but can be completed anytime before then during the week. The QQI submissions are on Bcourses. The QQI can be about the required readings, the optional readings, or pertain to that week’s guest speaker.

Final Presentations
In past semesters, students have formed groups and from there were able to choose a topic of interest to research and present on. The specific guidelines for final presentations will be shared in the coming weeks.

Grading Evaluation
Grading for this course is arranged on a “Pass / Not Pass” basis. ("Pass" is 70% or higher). All assignments must be completed to pass the course, regardless of grade.

30% Attendance
30% Participation (QQIs & classroom discussions)
20% In Class Activities
20% Final Presentation