Special Topics in Environmental Policy and Culture (390-0-24)
Topic
The World That Fossil Fuels Made
Instructors
Keith Mako Woodhouse
847/467-3776
Harris Hall 215
Meeting Info
Harris Hall L05: Mon, Wed 3:30PM - 4:50PM
Overview of class
This course will examine energy use in American history, ranging from the use of wood and water in colonial times, to animal-derived oils and fossil fuels in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, to nuclear in the late-twentieth century, and finally to the search for alternative sources in recent decades. We will consider not only how human use of various forms of energy has affected the non-human environment but also what particular energy regimes have meant for the social, political, and material lives of Americans at different points in history.