This asynchronous course explores the historical relationship between human societies and energy. Today, the United States make up some 5 percent of the world’s population but account for a quarter of the world’s energy consumption. Why? Is there something in American society that predisposes it to high energy consumption, or did the high consumption make American society? And what does the relationship between politics, culture, and energy look like in other parts of the world?

Over the course of the semester, we will examine the history of energy production, distribution, and consumption around the world, and how it has impacted the world we live in. We will grapple with questions of whether certain technologies make certain societies inevitable, or whether perhaps it is the other way around. Each week, we will explore one or two sources of energy, and look at their impact on the societies and people involved in its generation, distribution, and consumption. We will see how energy can shed light on topics as varied as geopolitical power relations, war, labor organizing, gender roles, leisure activities, and the climate.