Students research various options for new appliances and make purchasing decisions based not merely on purchase price, but also on energy efficiency, which has implications for the planet AND for longer-term personal finances. Students calculate the "payback period" for the more energy efficient appliance and calculate long-term savings.

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Students are read a series of two options and are asked to decide which options are more dangerous. They then learn about risk and how to prevent or reduce risk by taking precautions. Next they listen to a story about risk, where Clifford, the big red dog, helps reduce the risk of danger by taking precautions. After the story, the students complete a story sequencing activity based on Clifford’s actions. Finally, they recognize that Clifford does not exist in the real world and talk about people in their families and communities that help protect them from risk.

This course provides a broad overview of issues related to climate change, with an emphasis on those aspects most relevant to computer scientists. Topics include climate science, climate models and simulations, decision-making under uncertainty, economics, mitigation strategies, adaptation strategies, geoengineering, policy-making, messaging, and politics.The course will culminate in a presentation of a research project which might include a paper, a blog, software etc.

Instructional expert Jim Knight visits Chris Korinek to observe his social science classroom. Chris and Jim discuss scaffolding techniques, and when to use closed versus open questions.

This flash animation for the song "Closer to Free" describes the Economic Freedom of the World index, provides a summary of countries with high and low values of the index, and highlights the importance of economic freedom in a country's standard of living.

This activity addresses climate change impacts that affect all states that are part of the Colorado River Basin and are dependent on its water. Students examine available data, the possible consequences of changes to various user groups, and suggest solutions to adapt to these changes.

In this activity, students collect data and analyze the cost of using energy in their homes and investigate one method of reducing energy use. This activity provides educators and students with the means to connect 'energy use consequences' and 'climate change causes.' Through examining home energy use and calculating both pollution caused by the generation of electricity and potential savings, students can internalize these issues and share information with their families.

This series of slides presents the production possibilities frontiers for Alphatown and Omegaville and illustrates their comparative advantage in the production of apples and potatoes, leading to specialization and trade.

This assignment exposes students to data on economic growth and development as commonly measured by per capita GDP and the Human Development Index (HDI) for 100 countries of the world. There is a big debate about how good an indicator HDI is compared to GDP per capita as a measure of development.

Competition in Telecommunications provides an introduction to the economics, business strategies, and technology of telecommunications markets. This includes markets for wireless communications, local and long-distance services, and customer equipment. The convergence of computers, cable TV and telecommunications and the competitive emergence of the Internet are covered in depth. A number of speakers from leading companies in the industry will give course lectures.

Do you think that a majority vote is always the fairest way to reach a consensus? Think again! In this video, Professor Diana Thomas of Creighton University explains that it is very easy for a savvy politician to dictate the winner of a vote using Condorcet’s Paradox.

Context Rich Problem on demand shifters and the implications of such a shift.

In this context rich problem, students are asked to analyze the effects of a price ceiling.

In this edition, UC Berkeley's Harry Kreisler talks with Laura D'Andrea Tyson, the Class of 1939 Professor of Economics and Business at UC Berkeley. They discuss her research in international economics, her service in the Clinton administration, and the interaction between national economic policy and the international economy. (55 min)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Yale Professor James Gustave Speth for a discussion of his career in the environmental movement. Professor Speth traces his changing perspective on the appropriate response to the environmental crisis. Concluding that only a radical transformation of capitalism will save the planet for future generations, he outlines the changes in consciousness and in the political agenda that will be required. (54 minutes)

Conversations with History and host Harry Kreisler welcome Harold Wilensky, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at UC Berkeley, to talk about his recently published book, Rich Democracies: Political Economy, Public Policy, and Performance. In this landmark work, Wilensky compares rich democracies and explores what makes these modern societies distinct and what makes them alike. (55 min)

Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Professor J. Bradford DeLong of Berkeley's Economics Department for a discussion of economics and public policy. Reflecting on his work as deputy assistant secretary in the Treasury Department in the Clinton administration, Professor DeLong discusses the dilemma posed by the breakdown of the political center, the strengths and weaknesses of the NAFTA agreement, and Alan Greenspan’s record at the Federal Reserve. He also reflects on the quality of public discussion of economic issues. (55 minutes)

In this edition, Nigerian attorney and environmental activist Oronto Douglas, talks about political activism and cultural identity in the context of globalization, the international oil economy, and the domestic politics of Nigeria. (55 min)

Host Harry Kreisler welcomes The Right Honorable Lord Patten of Barnes CH for a discussion of the European UnionŐs common foreign and defense policy, relations between Europe and the United States, and the challenges posed by the emergence of the economies of China and India. Lord Patten also offers his reflections on diplomacy, enlargement, and the power of ideas in politics. (53 min)

Jari Vilen, Finland's Minister for Foreign Trade, joins UC Berkeley's Harry Kreisler for a conversation on the challenges facing a small country as it adapts to the information age and the global economy. (29 min)