Skip over navigation

Course Offerings

Course Details

Spring 2010-2011
* NES 266 / ENV 266 (SA)  

Oil, Energy and The Middle East

Eckart Woertz

An overview of the issues surrounding global energy supplies, oil's unique economic properties, and its role in shaping the political economy of the Middle East and U.S. strategic interests in the region. We will begin by discussing the basic science and availability of energy sources, the state of technology, the functioning of energy markets, the challenges of coping with global climate change and the key role of the oil reserves in the Middle East. The second part of the course will focus on the history of oil in the Middle East and its impact on societies in the region.

Sample reading list:
International Energy Agency/ World Energy Outlook 2010: www.
Daniel Yergin, The Prize. The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power (New York
Leonardo Maugeri, The Age of Oil: The Mythology, History, and Future of the Wo
Matthew R. Simmons, Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the W
Robert Mabro, Oil in the 21st Century: Issues, Challenges and Opportunitie
Steffen Hertog, Princes, Brokers, and Bureaucrats. Oil and the State in Saud

Reading/Writing assignments:
Approximately 100-150 pages of reading a week, and one 15-page paper.

Requirements/Grading:
Mid Term Exam - 35%
Final Exam - 40%
Class/Precept Participation - 20%
Other (See Instructor) - 5%

Schedule/Classroom assignment:

Class numberSectionTimeDaysRoomEnrollmentStatus
41363 L01 1:30 pm - 2:20 pm T Th   Frist Campus Center   302   Enrolled:45 Limit:100
P01 3:30 pm - 4:20 pm T   Frist Campus Center   309   Enrolled:16 Limit:25
P02 3:30 pm - 4:20 pm Th   Frist Campus Center   309   Enrolled:17 Limit:25
P04 11:00 am - 11:50 am F   Frist Campus Center   208   Enrolled:12 Limit:13