Energy and Resources

University of California, Berkeley

This is an archived copy of the 2015-16 guide. To access the most recent version of the guide, please visit http://guide.berkeley.edu.

About the Program

Minor

The Energy and Resources Group (ERG) is an aca­d­e­mic unit within the Uni­ver­sity of Cal­i­for­nia, Berke­ley. Our vision is a future in which the twin goals of human well-being and a healthy envi­ron­ment are mutu­ally and sus­tain­ably sat­is­fied. ERG’s mis­sion is to develop and trans­mit the crit­i­cal knowl­edge needed to make such a future pos­si­ble. We view soci­ety and the envi­ron­ment as an inex­tri­ca­bly cou­pled sys­tem. ERG research, there­fore, empha­sizes (1) science-based knowl­edge of the envi­ron­men­tal con­se­quences of resource use; (2) ana­lyt­i­cal tools that pro­mote effi­ciency, con­ser­va­tion, afford­abil­ity and equity in energy and resource use pat­terns; and (3) a deep under­stand­ing of the social and insti­tu­tional con­texts in which resource and envi­ron­men­tal prob­lems arise, and in which cre­ative and eth­i­cal solu­tions can be sus­tained. It is this syn­the­sis of basic sci­ence, prac­ti­cal problem-solving and con­struc­tive social cri­tique that defines ERG.

The ERG Minor offers under­grad­u­ates the oppor­tu­nity to develop basic knowl­edge and skills to help them address the com­plex and inter­de­pen­dent issues asso­ci­ated with the inter­ac­tion of social, eco­nomic, polit­i­cal, tech­ni­cal, and envi­ron­men­tal fac­tors. Though it is primarily designed to com­ple­ment majors in the nat­ural sci­ences and engi­neer­ing, stu­dents in any major with the appro­pri­ate pre­req­ui­sites may pur­sue the ERG minor. Based on a six-course set of prerequisites in mathematics and natural sciences, the minor is satisfied by completing five upper division courses, including two core courses and three electives.

The Energy and Resources Group is respon­si­ble for mon­i­tor­ing the minor pro­gram and will des­ig­nate one fac­ulty mem­ber as the head ERG minor adviser. It is The under­grad­u­ate staff advi­ser who will be charged with cer­ti­fy­ing com­ple­tion of the minor.  All core fac­ulty mem­bers will par­tic­i­pate in advis­ing stu­dents in the minor, just as they do grad­u­ate students.

Declaring the Minor

Students interested in pursuing the ERG minor should submit an Intent to Declare the ERG Minor form the semester in which upper division ERG minor coursework is started. The department maintains a list of students pursuing the minor to keep students informed about any ERG-related opportunities or course offerings that arise. Students completing the ERG minor are also given a special mention during the ERG commencement ceremony in May.

For information on how to submit your intent to pursue the minor,  review how the lower division prerequisites may be completed with AP, IB, or A-Level exams, and declare the minor once completed, please visit the ERG website .

Visit Group Website

Minor Requirements

Students who have a strong interest in an area of study outside their major often decide to complete a minor program. These programs have set requirements and are noted officially on the transcript in the memoranda section, but they are not noted on diplomas.

General Guidelines

  1. All courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements below must be taken for graded credit.

  2. A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required for courses used to fulfill the minor requirements.

  3. No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.

Lower Division Prerequisites

Some of the lower division prerequisites for the ERG minor can be satisfied with Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and other transfer credit. Please visit the ERG Minor Website for more information.

Lower division prerequisites (six courses):
CHEM 1AGeneral Chemistry Chem 1AL not required3-4
or CHEM 4A General Chemistry and Quantitative Analysis
BIOLOGY 1BGeneral Biology Lecture and Laboratory Biology 11L not required4
Select one math sequence from the following:
Analytic Geometry and Calculus
   and Analytic Geometry and Calculus
Calculus
   and Calculus
Select one physics sequence from the following:
Introductory Physics
   and Introductory Physics
Physics for Scientists and Engineers
   and Physics for Scientists and Engineers

Upper Division Requirements

Upper division requirements (five courses):
Two core courses:
Energy and Society
Quantitative Aspects of Global Environmental Problems
Three upper division electives, approved by the ERG faculty (see below):
At least one course must be in the social sciences
At least one course must be in the natural sciences or engineering
At one of the three upper division electives must be from the ERG department

Electives

The choice of electives should be made with two goals in mind: exploring the range of approaches available to address energy and resource issues and complementing the student's major. The latter can be achieved by adding relevant depth in closely related areas or by exploring methods and approaches that contrast with the tools and knowledge base employed in the major. Students are encouraged to discuss their program with the ERG faculty.

The following courses have been approved, but students should contact the the head ERG minor adviser to request approval of alternate courses. At least four upper division courses must be taken at Berkeley.

Social science electives
ENE,RES 175Water and Development4
ENE,RES C180Course Not Available
ENE,RES 273Research Methods in Social Sciences3
ECON/ENVECON C102Natural Resource Economics4
ECON C171/ENVECON C151Economic Development4
ESPM 102DClimate and Energy Policy4
ESPM 155Course Not Available4
ESPM 160ACAmerican Environmental and Cultural History4
ESPM 161Environmental Philosophy and Ethics4
ESPM 168Political Ecology4
ESPM 169International Environmental Politics4
Natural science and engineering electives
ENE,RES 101Ecology and Society3
CIV ENG 103Introduction to Hydrology3
CIV ENG 107Climate Change Mitigation3
CIV ENG 111Environmental Engineering3
CIV ENG 114Environmental Microbiology3
CIV ENG 115Water Chemistry3
EPS 117Geomorphology4
ESPM 111Ecosystem Ecology4
ESPM 112Microbial Ecology3
ESPM 120Soil Characteristics3
ESPM/EPS C129Biometeorology3
ESPM 131Soil Microbial Ecology3
ESPM 140General Entomology4
ESPM/EPS C180Air Pollution3
INTEGBI 106APhysical and Chemical Environment of the Ocean4
INTEGBI 152Environmental Toxicology4
INTEGBI 153Ecology3
INTEGBI 157LFEcosystems of California4
Other electives
ENE,RES 170Course Not Available
ENE,RES 190Seminar in Energy and Resources Issues3
CY PLAN 119Planning for Sustainability3
EPS 170ACCourse Not Available4
ESPM 118Agricultural Ecology3

Courses

Energy and Resources

ENE,RES 24 Freshman Seminar 1 Unit

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
The Freshman Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Freshman Seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics may vary from department to department and semester to semester.

ENE,RES 39A Freshman and Sophomore Seminar: Complex Systems, Information Theory, and Big Data 2 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016
Freshman and sophomore seminars offer lower division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester. Enrollment limits are set by the faculty, but the suggested limit is 25.


ENE,RES 98 Directed Group Study for Lower Division Students 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016
Lectures and small group discussions focusing on topics of interest that vary from semester to semester.

ENE,RES 99 Supervised Independent Studies for Freshmen and Sophomores 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016
Supervised research on specific topics related to energy and resources.

ENE,RES C100 Energy and Society 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Summer 2017 8 Week Session, Fall 2016
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 in international perspective, origins, and character of energy crisis.

ENE,RES 101 Ecology and Society 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Summer 2017 8 Week Session, Fall 2016
This course introduces students to the many ways in which our lives are intertwined with the ecosystems around us. Topics will include ecological limits to growth, climate change and other threats to biodiversity, the value of ecosystem goods and services, the ecology of disease, ecotoxicology, the evolution of cooperation in ecosystems, industrial ecology, and the epistemology of ecology.

ENE,RES 102 Quantitative Aspects of Global Environmental Problems 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2017, Spring 2016, Spring 2015
Human disruption of biogeochemical and hydrological cycles; causes and consequences of climate change and acid deposition; transport and health impacts of pollutants; loss of species; radioactivity in the environment; epidemics.

ENE,RES 175 Water and Development 4 Units

Terms offered: Spring 2016, Spring 2015, Spring 2014
This course introduces students to water policy in developing countries. It is a course motivated by the fact that over one billion people in developing countries have no access to safe drinking water, three billion do not have sanitation facilities, and many millions of small farmers do not have reliable water supplies to ensure a healthy crop. Readings and discussions will cover: the problems of water access and use in developing countries; the potential for technological, social, and economic solutions to these problems; the role of institutions in access to water and sanitation; and the pitfalls of the assumptions behind some of today's popular "solutions."

ENE,RES C176 Climate Change Economics 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016
This course is a self-contained introduction to the economics of climate change. Climate change is caused by a large variety of economic activities, and many of its impacts will have economic consequences. Economists have studied climate change for more than two decades, and economic arguments are often powerful in policy decisions. The course will familiarize students with these arguments and equip them with the tools to participate in discussions of climate change policy through an economic lens.

ENE,RES 180 Ecological Economics in Historical Context 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Fall 2016, Summer 2016 8 Week Session
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, and just economies.

ENE,RES 190 Seminar in Energy and Resources Issues 3 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session, Spring 2017
Critical, cross disciplinary analysis of specific issues or general problems of how people interact with environmental and resource systems. More than one section may be given each semester on different topics depending on faculty and student interest.

ENE,RES 198 Directed Group Studies for Advanced Undergraduates 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2016
Group studies of selected topics.

ENE,RES 199 Supervised Independent Study and Research 1 - 4 Units

Terms offered: Fall 2017, Summer 2017 8 Week Session, Spring 2017
Individual conferences.

Contact Information

Energy and Resources Group

310 Barrows Hall

Phone: 510-642-1640

Fax: 510-642-1085

ergdeskb@berkeley.edu

Visit Group Website

Group Chair

Professor Harrison Fraker

310 Barrows Hall

Phone: 510-642-1640

fraker@berkeley.edu

Group Manager

Megan Amaral

310 Barrows Hall

Phone: 510-642-1760

megana@berkeley.edu

Adviser for GSI Affairs and Head ERG Minor Adviser

Professor John Harte

310 Barrows Hall

Phone: 510-642-1640

jharte@berkeley.edu

Undergraduate Academic Adviser

Carina Galicia

260 Mulford Hall

Phone: 510-643-9479

ccgalicia@berkeley.edu

Graduate Student Affairs Officer

Kay Burns

310 Barrows Hall

Phone: 510-642-8859

kayb@berkeley.edu

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