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Course Offerings

Course Details

Spring 2011-2012
* 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
Daniel Yergin, The Prize. The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power
Leonardo Maugeri, The Age of Oil: The Mythology, History, and Future
Matthew R. Simmons, Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock
Robert Mabro, Oil in the 21st Century: Issues, Challenges
Steffen Hertog, Princes, Brokers, and Bureaucrats. Oil and the State

Reading/Writing assignments:
100-150 pages of reading a week. Midterm and final exams are 500-word essays about a current topic. Co-precept: Summary of a week's course readings.

Requirements/Grading:
Take Home Mid term Exam - 30%
Take Home Final Exam - 40%
Class/Precept Participation - 30%

Schedule/Classroom assignment:

Class numberSectionTimeDaysRoomEnrollmentStatus
40535 L01 1:30 pm - 2:20 pm T Th   Frist Campus Center   302   Enrolled:105 Limit:100 Closed
P01 9:00 am - 9:50 am T   Frist Campus Center   234   Enrolled:24 Limit:23
P02 3:30 pm - 4:20 pm Th   Frist Campus Center   307   Enrolled:20 Limit:23
P03 3:30 pm - 4:20 pm T   McCosh Hall   60   Enrolled:20 Limit:23
P04 3:30 pm - 4:20 pm T   Frist Campus Center   307   Enrolled:22 Limit:23
P05 3:30 pm - 4:20 pm Th   Frist Campus Center   309   Enrolled:19 Limit:23