UCOR-3800 : Energy and Society

The production of energy that powers human society presents one of the most critical and complex challenges facing the world today. Increasing amounts of energy will be needed as the world's population grows and as the standard of living for billions of the world's poorest people improves. Meanwhile, many energy sources we rely on today are limited, and many cause environmental harm in the form of pollution, hazardous waste, and global warming. Students in this course learn skills to evaluate current and future energy sources based on their technological, economic, and environmental merits and limitations. They use tools and knowledge from physics as the primary, but not unique, mode of inquiry. They emerge as well-informed participants in the civic discussion about our local, national, and global energy future.