ECON 3391 Economics of Energy and the Environment

This course provides an overview of recent research in energy and environmental economics, with an emphasis on connecting policy questions of interest to available data and econometric methods. In the context of specific markets, we will first review the theoretical justifications for government intervention. We will then turn to the empirical evidence to see what recent economic scholarship has to say about a variety of energy policy questions, including: Should we ban fracking? Do oil pipelines reduce property values? What is the best way to promote renewable energy? Should we be more energy efficient? Students will be required to read and discuss academic articles each week, as well as write an empirical term paper.

Course overview

Department
Economics
School
MCAS
Credits
3
Level
Undergraduate
Offered
Every Spring

Catalog details

Prerequisites
ECON2201 and ECON2228

Catalog text is imported from the reviewed Boston College course snapshot. Confirm eligibility in EagleApps.

Requirements fulfilled

  • Environmental Geoscience B.S.: (C) Electives: approved non-EESC courses (up to 6 credits of the 18 elective credits) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Environmental Studies: Concentration — Climate Change and Societal Adaptation: Two Upper-Level Social Sciences or Humanities Courses (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Environmental Studies: Concentration — Environmental Entrepreneurship: Two Environmental Economics Courses (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
  • Economics B.A.: Economics elective options (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)

Requirement eligibility can vary by school, cohort, and section. Confirm the selected section in EagleApps or with an advisor.

Official evaluation summary

4.29 / 5

Based on 155 aggregate responses from BC Avalanche/Blue evaluations.

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-08-02. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors

  • Richard Sweeney
    Fall 2026, Fall 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022 · Official rating 4.45/5

Sections

  • Section 01
    Fall 2026 · Richard Sweeney · Gasson Hall 304 TuTh 09:00AM-10:15AM · Offered
  • Section 02
    Fall 2026 · Richard Sweeney · Gasson Hall 304 TuTh 10:30AM-11:45AM · Offered