HIST 1611: The History of Energy

Modern life is defined by our use of energy: fossil fuels, hydroelectricity, nuclear power, renewables. These forms of energy power modern economies, politics, and everyday life. They heat and cool our homes, cook our food, enable our work, and illuminate the device you are almost certainly using to read these very words. Humanity's seemingly boundless appetite for energy has also remade global climate. This course tracks the development of modern energy history from the advent of age of coal to the present day, with special attention to the intersections between social change and energy systems. Our primary focus will be on the emergence of what some scholars call "fossil fuel civilization"; its costs, benefits, and prospects. Our approach is historical rather than economical or technical. We will read primary documents, place today's news in context, and craft our own narratives of historical change.

This is an introductory course to a big topic. As such, it will demand your time and dedication. No prerequisites or specialist knowledge needed.

This course meets the "Beyond North America" History concentration requirement.