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AK2201 Energy and Geopolitics 7.5 credits

Questions about admittance and similar, please contact kursexp@abe.kth.se

Questions about content, please contact: perho@kth.se

During the past years, questions about energy and energy policy have come to play an important role in global politics. Very few countries today have the means to secure their own energy need through national supplies, and instead long-going dependencies upon other countries have developed. A widespread international trade of crude energy material started already in the 19th century, but has increased exponentially during the second half of the 20th century. Energy trade has included everything from wooden chips, peat, and ethanol, to coal, oil, gas, and uranium. This international trade has developed as a parallel process to the growth of as well new, radical energy technologies (nuclear, large scale water-power, gas power plants, combined power and heating, etc.) and large systems for transport and distribution of energy(in the form of electricity, heat, gas and oil)through pipelines and lines. At the same time, energy politics has become more and more entangled with other political fields, such as environmental politics, research- and innovation politics and foreign politics, which makes it more difficult to understand the development within the energy field. This course aims to give a deeper understanding of energy provision from a geopolitical and historical perspective.

Information per course offering

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Termin

Course syllabus as PDF

Please note: all information from the Course syllabus is available on this page in an accessible format.

Course syllabus AK2201 (Autumn 2013–)
Headings with content from the Course syllabus AK2201 (Autumn 2013–) are denoted with an asterisk ( )

Content and learning outcomes

Course contents

During the past years, questions about energy and energy policy have come to play an important role in global politics. Very few countries today have the means to secure their own energy need through national supplies, and instead long-going dependencies upon other countries have developed. A widespread international trade of crude energy material started already in the 19th century, but has increased exponentially during the second half of the 20th century. Energy trade has included everything from wooden chips, peat, and ethanol, to coal, oil, gas, and uranium.

This international trade has developed as a parallel process to the growth of as well new, radical energy technologies (nuclear, large scale water-power, gas power plants, combined power and heating, etc.) and large systems for transport and distribution of energy(in the form of electricity, heat, gas and oil)through pipelines and lines.

At the same time, energy politics has become more and more entangled with other political fields, such as environmental politics, research- and innovation politics and foreign politics, which makes it more difficult to understand the development within the energy field. This course aims to give a deeper understanding of energy provision from a geopolitical and historical perspective. 

Some of the themes discussed during the course will include:

  • International dependencies: gas, oil, uranium
  • Transnational vulnerabilities
  • Energy and national identity in a global perspective
  • Energy and geopolitics during the cold war
  • International energy crises – old and new
  • The globalisation of energy politics and the EU as a new actor in energy politics
  • Russia’s role
  • The cybernetisation of energy systems
  • The deregulation of the energy sector
  • From national to global innovation systems in the energy area
  • The nuclear fuel cycle as a critical infrastructure
  •  Energy and international terrorism

Intended learning outcomes

After passing the course, the students should be able to:  

  • describe the complex relations between energy provision and politics in a global and historical perspective
  • describe and use the different theoretical concepts presented in the course
  • place recent events on the energy arena within a geopolitical and historical perspective
  • analyse complex chains of events within the energy field over time

Literature and preparations

Specific prerequisites

180 university credits (hp) including documented proficiency in English (English 6).

Recommended prerequisites

The equivalence of three years of advanced studies. (180 hp)

Equipment

No special equipment is required.

Literature

 Kurslitteraturen består huvudsakligen av artiklar sammanställda i ett kurskompendium. Ungefär 800 - 1000 sidor.

Examination and completion

If the course is discontinued, students may request to be examined during the following two academic years.

Grading scale

A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Examination

  • INL1 - Assignments, 7.5 credits, grading scale: A, B, C, D, E, FX, F

Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.

The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.

Other requirements for final grade

An 80 % attendance and approved written assignments (six shorter assignments and three longer ones, connected to the seminars) are required to pass the course. The written assignments will be graded on the basis of the shown ability of the student to: 

  • describe the complex relations between energy provision and politics in a global and historical perspective
  • describe and use the different theoretical concepts presented in the course
  • place recent events on the energy arena within a geopolitical and historical perspective-
  • analyse complex chains of events within the energy field over time
  • adopt a critical attitude

Opportunity to complete the requirements via supplementary examination

No information inserted

Opportunity to raise an approved grade via renewed examination

No information inserted

Examiner

Ethical approach

  • All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
  • In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
  • In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.

Further information

Course room in Canvas

Registered students find further information about the implementation of the course in the course room in Canvas. A link to the course room can be found under the tab Studies in the Personal menu at the start of the course.

Offered by

Main field of study

Built Environment

Education cycle

Second cycle

Add-on studies

No information inserted

Contact

Per Högselius, per.hogselius@abe.kth.se

Supplementary information

The course will be held in English.