Course Information

ERG course schedule information often changes prior to or during the first part of the semester.  Verify all course offerings, day/time, and location of courses on the UC Berkeley online schedule.

ER24 – FRESHMAN SEMINAR

California experiences the nation's worst air quality. Its innovative regulatory program is a model for the nation and the world. This seminar examines current California air pollution issues including health based air quality standards and their attainment, which did kill the electric car, growth eroding emissions reduction, motor vehicles that clean the air, and California's role in addressing global warming. The seminar will meet for two hours on six Fridays plus two field trips, dates to be determined. The seminar requires short paper and presentation.                    

ER 102 - QUANTITATIVE ASPECTS OF GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT

Application of basic principles of natural science to the analysis of human influence on environmental conditions and processes at continental to global scale. Topics covered include dimensions of the physical world and of human modifications of it; techniques of estimation and back of the envelope calculation; box models of environmental stocks and flows: equilibrium and feedback; chemical equilibria in the environment; nutrient cycles and their disruptions; acid deposition and its consequences; climate change and its consequences; stratospheric ozone depletion; sources, fate and effects of toxic substances in the global environment; radioactivity and radiation; epidemics; biodiversity and its diminution; carrying capacity and human population growth.            

ER C180 - ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT (cross listed with EnvEcon C180 and Roomshare with ER280)

Economists through history have explored economic and environmental interactions, physical limits to growth, what constitutes the good life, and how economic justice can be assured. Yet economists continue to use measures and models that simplify these issues and promote bad outcomes. Ecological economics responds to this tension between the desire for simplicity and the multiple perspectives needed to understand complexity in order to move toward sustainable, fulfilling, just economies       

NEW COURSE!

ER190-001 – CALIFORNIA WATER

ER 280 – ENERGY ECONOMICS (Roomshare with ER C180 and EnvEcon C180)

This course explores input-output and cost benefit analysis applied to energy; exhaustion theory and economics of energy supply; patterns of energy use; trade-offs in energy conservation; the effect of energy policy on supply and demand; projecting future energy and resource supply and use. Prerequisites: Economics 100A or equivalent; basic calculus or linear algebra.

ER C283 – Information and Communications Technology for Development
(Cross-listed with School of Information, INFO 283)

MBA 212.1 - ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MARKETS (There will be seats reserved for ERG students only)

In the past 30 years, some of the largest industries have transitioned from regulated to market-based paradigms.  Managers in many transportation, information technology, and energy companies have had to devise strategies to cope with changes in economic and environmental regulations and the evolution of new markets and trading platforms.  The energy industries feature a complex mix of regulation and market-driven incentives.  Over the last decade, industries that had previously been viewed as staid and conservative have been rocked by deregulation initiatives, the California electricity crises, the Enron scandal, rising commodity prices, and now the challenge to reduce greenhouse gases.  Drawing on the tools of economics and finance, we study the business and public policy issues that these changes have raised in energy markets. Topics include the development and effect of organized spot, futures, and derivative markets in energy; the political economy of deregulation; climate change, environmental impacts and policies related to energy production and use; privatization of publicly owned energy assets; market power and antitrust; and the transportation and storage of energy commodities. We examine the economic determinants of industry structure and evolution of competition among firms in these industries; investigate successful and unsuccessful strategies for entering new markets and competing in existing markets; and analyze the rationale for and effects of public policies in energy markets.

ER 291-001 – SCIENCE AND REGULATORY POLICY (enrollment limited to ERG students only) Course is co-listed with Law 271.6.

This seminar will examine the use, misuse, and abuse of the scientific process and scientific information in regulatory decisions. Topics covered will include the role and limits of science, use of scientific information in the regulatory process, identifying and controlling improper political interference, and judicial review of science-laden agency decisions. Many examples will be drawn from environmental and natural resource regulation, but the course will range well beyond those topics.

ER 291 – 002 – CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS AND ADAPTATION

The course will emphasize the consequences of climate change and actions that people can take to minimize its impacts. The course will consider specific impact scenarios and create detailed impact scenarios for a given region. It will describe response actions and evaluate their technical potential in the short- and long-term, their cost and unintended consequences. 

ER 292C -  MASTER’S PROJECT SEMINAR (for ERG students only)

Required of second-year ERG Master's candidates. Topics include the adoption of a research project, research design, presentation of work, statistical analyses. Students will apply the interdisciplinary methods, approaches, and perspectives learned in the core curriculum. Sequence begins fall each year. Credit and grade to be awarded upon completion of the full sequence.

ER 295 - COLLOQUIUM 

Presentations of research in energy issues by faculty, students, and visiting lecturers. Master's degree students required to enroll for three semesters.

ER298N – DIRECTED GROUP STUDIES (1-3 S/U)

Informal group studies of special problems in energy and resources.  Prerequisites: Graduate standing and consent of instructor.  Must be taken S/U.

ER 301 – GRADUATE STUDENT INSTRUCTOR PRACTICUM

ERG students only - employed as Graduate Student Instructors. Permission of instructor before enrolling.

ER 602 – INDEPENDENT STUDY DOCTORAL STUDENTS – variable 1-8 units

To be used by those preparing for qualifying exams.

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ER C100– ENERGY AND SOCIETY – undergraduate course (room share with ER C200 and Pub Pol C184/C284)

ER 170/270 – ENVIRONMENTAL CLASSICS

Three hours of seminar per week. Prerequisites: 170 Upper division standing / 270 graduate standing. Motivation: What is the history and evolution of environmental thinking and writing? How have certain "environmental classics" shaped the way in which we think about nature, society, and development? This course will use a selection of 20th-century books and papers that have had a major impact on academic and wider public thinking about the environment and development to probe these issues. The selection includes works and commentaries related to these works that have influenced environmental politics and policy in the U.S. as well as in the developing world. Through the classics and their critiques, reviews, and commentaries, the class will explore the evolution of thought on these transforming ideas.

ER 198 – Directed Group Study (TOOLS OF THE TRADE) - ERG Students Only

Quantitative methods for energy and resource analysis. Topics include linear algebra, differential equations, statistical methods, chemical equilibrium theory, and thermodynamics.

ER C200 – INTERDISCIPLINARY ENERGY ANALYSIS (room share with ERC100 and Public Policy C184/284)

Four hours of lecture per week. Energy sources, uses, and impacts: an introduction to the technology, politics, economics, and environmental effects of energy in contemporary society. Energy and well-being: energy international perspective, origins, and character of the energy crisis. 

ER 201 – INTERDISCIPLINARY ANALYSIS IN ENERGY AND RESOURCES

Introduction to interdisciplinary analysis as it is practiced in the Energy and Resources Group (ERG).  Most of the course consists of important perspectives on energy and resources issues introduced through a particularly influential book or set of papers.  The course also provides an introduction to the current research activities of the ERG faculty and practical knowledge and skills necessary to successfully complete graduate school in an interdisciplinary program.

Open to ERG graduate students only.

ER C202 – MODELING ECOLOGICAL AND METEOROLOGICAL PHENOMENA

Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: 102 or consent of instructor. Modeling methods in ecology and meteorology; stability analysis; effects of anthropogenic stress on natural systems. Also listed as Integrative Biology C271 and ESPM C211. 

ER C205 – QUANTITATIVE METHODS FOR ECOLOGICAL & ENVIRONMENTAL MODELING

Three hours of lecture per week. This course will review the background mathematical and statistical tools necessary for students interested in pursuing ecological and environmental modeling. Topics include linear algebra; difference equation, ordinary differential equation, and partial differential equation models; stochastic processes; parameter estimation; and a number of statistical techniques. This course will be recommended as a prerequisite for advanced modeling courses in Integrative Biology (IB), Energy and Resources Group (ERG), and Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (ESPM).  Also listed as IB C205 and ESPM C205.

ER 270 – ENVIRONMENTAL CLASSICS – (see ER170/270 above)

Graduate standing.

ER290-002 RELIGION, SCIENCE, AND THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS IN POSTMODERN AMERICA

Religious fundamentalism is on the rise; science is being ignored and denigrated by political leaders; democracy is threatened by crony capitalism and free market fundamentalism. Meanwhile we face climate change, continued ecosystem transformation, and biodiversity loss. This course addresses the historic and now shifting ground between science, religion, and environmental governance with the aim of re-establishing constructive relationships.

ER 291-001 – Electric Energy Systems

This course deals with the physics, design and operation of the grid with an emphasis on the underlying engineering principles. We will begin with an introduction to the basic concepts and mathematical frameworks required to understand electric and magnetic circuits and electricity generation. We will then cover (1) the basic constituents of electric power systems, including generation technologies (such as coal, natural gas, wind and hydropower), transmission and distribution, electricity loads, transformers and safety equipment, (2) power system operation and control (including generator dispatch and ancillary services), (3) power system planning (including integrated resource planning and reliability) and (4) emerging technical issues in the electricity industry (including grid integration of renewables, electric vehicles and the “smart grid”). Although we will cover several corners of power and energy engineering in detail, the course is meant to be self-contained and accessible to those students with a strong quantitative background.

Prerequisites: ER100, a college-level calculus-based physics class and graduate student standing, or consent of instructor.

Materials: The recommended text for this class is Alexandra von Meier’s “Electric Power Systems: A Conceptual Introduction.” However materials will be distributed via bSpace, and class notes will be detailed.

ER 291-0002 – Transportation Sustainability (co-listed with CEE256) – ERG students only

As a major user of fossil fuels, the transportation sector in the U.S. is becoming increasingly unsustainable and is a leading contributor to the atmosphere of carbon dioxide and other
greenhouse gas emissions from human activity. Transportation accounts for approximately 14 percent of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions globally, 27 percent in the U.S., and 40 percent in California. The U.S. uses approximately 25 percent of the petroleum used in the world but only has about five percent of the world's population. Transportation technologies, demand management, and land use strategies are emerging that can help to meet the climate and energy security challenges.

This multi-disciplinary course is intended to introduce students to the fundamentals of sustainable transportation, with an emphasis on: 1) current trends, climate and energy science, and the policy context; 2) methodological and analysis techniques; 3) vehicle technology, fuels, and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) solutions (supply side); and 4) land use, public
transportation, and demand management. The key question motivating this course is how to address auto and oil dependency in light of resource constraints and growing evidence of climate change.

It is a graded course. The course is open to graduate students or by consent of instructor. ER 100/200 (also listed as Pub Pol 184/284) is recommended prior to taking this course.

ER 292D – MASTER’S SEMINAR (for ERG students only)

Required of second-year Energy and Resources Master’s candidates.  Topics include the adoption of a research project, research design, presentation of work, statistical analyses.  Students will apply the interdisciplinary methods, approaches and perspectives learned in the core curriculum. Sequence begins spring each year. Credit and grade to be awarded upon completion of the full sequence. 

ER 295 - COLLOQUIUM 

Presentations of research in energy issues by faculty, students, and visiting lecturers. Master's degree students required to enroll for two semesters.

Course may not be offered weekly; check ERG website for Colloquium dates.

ER296 - PhD SEMINAR

ER299 – INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH – variable 1-12 units

ER 301 – GRADUATE STUDENT INSTRUCTOR PRACTICUM (ERG Students Only)

ER 602 – INDEPENDENT STUDY DOCTORAL STUDENTS – variable 1-8 units (ERG Students Only)

To be used by those preparing for qualifying exams.