POLS 2998H — Renewable Energy Policy and Politics
Wednesdays, 4:00–6:30 pm | Hybrid (Seminar + Lab) | 3 credits
Taught by Prof. Oksan Bayulgen and Prof. Lyle Scruggs
If clean energy enjoys broad public support, why do specific wind and solar projects so often face fierce local opposition — and why do elected officials so often fail to defend them? That is the puzzle at the heart of a new Honors course we are offering this fall.
The course works the puzzle from two directions at once. Seminar discussions build a theoretical foundation drawing on classic and contemporary work across economics, political science, public policy, law, human geography, environmental psychology, and applied energy research. Lab sessions then put that theory to work. You will learn a structured coding protocol developed in the Energy and Elections Research Lab and apply it to real wind and solar siting cases — working from state regulatory dockets, hearing transcripts, local news coverage, and election returns. By the end of the term, you will have produced an original case file on a U.S. wind or solar project. The training travels well into theses, graduate work, and policy careers.
If you are interested, complete the brief interest form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSer_myt2h_Cebj-oUj33mHo_HCDEJ6hYjrxTpajLq9SIVs_HA/viewform. If selected, we will assign you a permission number.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Oksan Bayulgen (oksan.bayulgen@uconn.edu) or Lyle Scruggs (lyle.scruggs@uconn.edu)
For more information, contact: Oksan Bayulgen at oksan.bayulgen@uconn.edu