ASTK18226U Geopolitics of Oil and Energy

Volume 2018/2019
Education

Bachelor student: 10 ECTS

Master student: 7.5 ECTS

 

Notice: It is only possible to enroll for one course having a 3-day compulsory written take-home assignment exam due to coincident exam periods.

Content

Oil is the single most valuable commodity traded on global markets.  This course is designed to introduce students to the international political economy and security dimensions of oil and energy.  The course explores the industry’s many impacts on politics and economics, including: the influence of oil on international warfare; Dutch disease and the resource curse; the relationship between oil, authoritarianism, and civil wars; the role of the rentier state; global energy governance (e.g., OPEC, IEA); political differences within OPEC; U.S. energy policy and energy security. The materials focus primarily on the political economy of oil-exporters, especially those in the Middle East

Learning Outcome

Knowledge:

This course is designed to introduce students to the international political economy and security dimensions of oil and energy. 

 

Skills:

Students will improve (1) their oral presentation skills, (2) their analytic reasoning, and (3) critical thinking.

 

Competences:

Students will gain compentence on oil’s impacts on politics and economics, including: the influence of oil on international warfare; Dutch disease and the resource curse; the relationship between oil, authoritarianism, and civil wars; the role of the rentier state; global energy governance (e.g., OPEC, IEA); political differences within OPEC; US energy policy and energy security.

Literature

See syllabus 

I teach using a combination of lecture, class discussion of reading materials and current events, historical simulations (e.g., oil in World War II), and student presentations.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Class Instruction
  • 28
  • Total
  • 28
Oral
Individual
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
3-day compulsory written take-home assignment
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Re-exam

- For the semester in which the course takes place: 3-day compulsory written take-home assignment

- For the following semesters: Free written assignment

Criteria for exam assesment
  • Grade 12 is given for an outstanding performance: the student lives up to the course's goal description in an independent and convincing manner with no or few and minor shortcomings
  • Grade 7 is given for a good performance: the student is confidently able to live up to the goal description, albeit with several shortcomings
  • Grade 02 is given for an adequate performance: the minimum acceptable performance in which the student is only able to live up to the goal description in an insecure and incomplete manner