Special Topics in Environmental Policy and Culture (390-0-20)
Topic
Contemporary Issues in Energy
Instructors
William Charles Geoffrey Burns
650.281.9126
1808 Chicago Avenue
Office Hours: call or email
Meeting Info
Parkes Hall 224: Tues, Thurs 11:00AM - 12:20PM
Overview of class
Contemporary Issues in Energy
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.