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79748-01 - Seminar: Energy Transitions? From Fossil Fuels to Renewables, 1800-2026 (3 KP)
| Semester | Herbstsemester 2026 |
| Angebotsmuster | einmalig |
| Dozierende | Corey David Ross (corey.ross@unibas.ch, BeurteilerIn) |
| Inhalt | Energy is the invisible force that powers modern life. This seminar ranges from the coal-fired factories of the nineteenth century to today’s struggles over climate change and renewable futures. Along the way, we’ll uncover how energy has shaped empires, fueled wars, transformed cities, and structured everyday life across the globe. Rather than treating energy as a purely technical issue, we’ll explore it as a deeply political and cultural force. Why did coal power the Industrial Revolution? How did oil become the lifeblood of the twentieth century? What made nuclear energy both a promise and a threat? And why are transitions to renewable energy so difficult—even today? Through case studies spanning Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, and Asia, students will examine how energy systems have been built, contested, and imagined. We will read not only historians, but also the voices of policymakers, engineers, activists, and ordinary people who lived through these transformations. By the end of the course, you’ll have a new lens for understanding some of the most urgent issues of our time—from geopolitical conflict to climate crisis—and a deeper appreciation of how the past continues to shape our energy future. |
| Lernziele | By the end of the seminar, students will be able to: explain major energy transitions since 1800 and their connections to industrialization, globalization, and environmental change: analyze energy as a historical force shaping politics, economies, and everyday life across different regions; compare different energy systems (coal, oil, nuclear, renewables) and assess their social and environmental impacts; critically evaluate narratives of “energy transition” and identify why such transitions are complex and contested; connect historical perspectives to contemporary debates about climate change, sustainability, and energy security; and develop and communicate historical arguments clearly in written and oral form. |
| Literatur | Jean-Baptiste Fressoz, More and More and More: An All-consuming History of Energy (2024) On Barak, Powering Empire: How Coal Made the Middle East and Sparked Global Carbonization (2020) Timothy Mitchell, Carbon Democracy: Political Power in the Age of Oil (2011) |
| Bemerkungen | Number of places is limited to 25 students. In case of overbooking, priority will be given to students of the Master's Program in European Global Studies and the MA/BA in History. |
| Weblink | https://europa.unibas.ch/en/ |
| Teilnahmevoraussetzungen | keine |
| Unterrichtssprache | Englisch |
| Einsatz digitaler Medien | kein spezifischer Einsatz |
| Intervall | Wochentag | Zeit | Raum |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Donnerstag | 14.15-16.00 | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
Einzeltermine
| Datum | Zeit | Raum |
|---|---|---|
| Donnerstag 17.09.2026 | 14.15-16.00 Uhr | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Donnerstag 24.09.2026 | 14.15-16.00 Uhr | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Donnerstag 01.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 Uhr | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Donnerstag 08.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 Uhr | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Donnerstag 15.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 Uhr | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Donnerstag 22.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 Uhr | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Donnerstag 29.10.2026 | 14.15-16.00 Uhr | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Donnerstag 05.11.2026 | 14.15-16.00 Uhr | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Donnerstag 12.11.2026 | 14.15-16.00 Uhr | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Donnerstag 19.11.2026 | 14.15-16.00 Uhr | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Donnerstag 26.11.2026 | 14.15-16.00 Uhr | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Donnerstag 03.12.2026 | 14.15-16.00 Uhr | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Donnerstag 10.12.2026 | 14.15-16.00 Uhr | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Donnerstag 17.12.2026 | 14.15-16.00 Uhr | Riehenstrasse 154, Hörsaal 00.015 |
| Module |
Modul: Areas: Europa Global (Master Studiengang: Europäische Geschichte in globaler Perspektive ) Modul: Epochen der europäischen Geschichte: Neuere / Neueste Geschichte (Master Studiengang: Europäische Geschichte in globaler Perspektive ) Modul: Gesellschaftstransformationen: Ökologie, Technik, Weltgesellschaft (Master Studienfach: Soziologie) Modul: Kernbereich Gesellschaftswissenschaften (Masterstudium: Sustainable Development (Studienbeginn vor 01.08.2026)) Modul: Neuere / Neueste Geschichte (Master Studienfach: Geschichte) Modul: Topics and Methods in Sustainable Development: Social Sciences (Masterstudium: Sustainable Development) Modul: Ungleichheit, Konflikt, Kultur (Master Studienfach: Soziologie (Studienbeginn vor 01.08.2026)) Vertiefungsmodul Global Europe: Umwelt und Nachhaltigkeit (Masterstudium: European Global Studies) |
| Prüfung | Lehrveranst.-begleitend |
| Hinweise zur Prüfung | Essay (70%), Oral Presentation (30%) TBD |
| An-/Abmeldung zur Prüfung | Anmelden: Belegen; Abmelden: nicht erforderlich |
| Wiederholungsprüfung | keine Wiederholungsprüfung |
| Skala | 1-6 0,5 |
| Belegen bei Nichtbestehen | nicht wiederholbar |
| Zuständige Fakultät | Universität Basel |
| Anbietende Organisationseinheit | Europainstitut |