3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

Many energy, climate, and environmental issues are inherently human problems, yet many natural scientists and policymakers attempt to conduct and review social science research without training or experience in the social sciences. This course is designed to teach students the proper protocol of social science methods like case studies, narratives, interviews, focus groups, ethnographies, oral histories, and mixed methods as they apply to energy and environmental issues and policy. Students will also do an in-depth exploration of survey design, validation, deployment, and data collection. Part of the course involves an investigation of examples for each methodology in the energy, climate, and environmental science and policy sphere. The other part of the course is largely hands-on, giving students the opportunity to practice collecting and/or working with qualitative and quantitative social science data within the different methodologies. Weaved throughout the course is a discussion regarding the ethical concerns of human subject research, informed consent, and the Institutional Review Board (IRB) process. By the end of this course, students planning capstone or independent research in the energy, climate, or environmental sciences will have a working research plan that includes social science methodology or mixed methods to address their problem of practice. Prerequisites: must have taken at least one core course in either the EPC program or the ESP program. Prerequisites: must have taken at least one core course in either the EPC program (425.601, 425.602, 425.603, 425.604, 425.605) or the ESP program (420.601, 420.603, 420.604, 420.608, 420.611, 420.614).