NatSci 169 - Energy, Technology, and Society

Generic Course Syllabus

Course Summary
This course explores the many concepts of energy: what it is, how it changes, how we (as a society) use it and what we use it for.  After you understand the current energy situation, we explore alternative fuels.  In the process you will see that there are environmental and economic problems with our standard fuels as well as challenges ahead as we move to the fuels of the next generation.

Instructor: Jim Mihal

Contact information:

E-Mail: natsci followed by @wi.rr.com (sorry but I do it this way to avoid spammers). Email me anytime. I will try to respond within 24 hours.
Cell Phone: (262) 751-6465

Prerequisites: None
Credits: 3

Text: The suggested departmental text for this course is Energy: Its Use and the Environment (4th edition) by Hinrichs (ISBN 9780495010852 or 0-495-01085-5).  This text is quite expensive ($150) but you can get it much cheaper online (about $50 used).  Another text Out Of Gas: The End of the Age of Oil by Goodstein (ISBN 9780393326475 or 0-393-32647-0) is also recommended by the department.  However, I believe you can find most of the class information and do quite well if you are willing to do independent research in the library or the internet. 

Format: This summer section is offered as an independent study course.  If you look in the course documents folder of Blackboard, you will see a list of the topics for this course as well as many questions I would expect you to research.  Since this is the first independent course I've taught, I'm open to your suggestions as to how we proceed.  I would be willing to meet with you individually or as a group to cover questions and/or evaluations.

Grading: You will be required to prepare answers to the questions I pose in the course documents folder.  To evaluate your progress, we will meet at a predetermined time and place where you would have the opportunity to give an oral presentation of the material you've learned.  You may bring supportive materials but I would like to treat this as a face-to-face discussion.  If I feel you need to research the topics further, I will offer another chance to prepare. We will break the evaluations according to the 3 course divisions with the following weights:  Part 1 - 20%  Part 2 - 40%  Part 3 - 40%.

I hope you enjoy this course.

Jim