ASI 320 – Cities and Energy
A VTS Cluster
and Honors Course offering in the History Domain
Class Meeting: MW 3:00-4:15 p.m., HM 125
Instructors: Dr. Janet R. Bednarek, Department of History
Dr. Robert Brecha, Department of Physics
Dr. Rebecca Potter, Department of English
Offices:
Dr. Bednarek – HM 464 (9-2824)
Janet.Bednarek@notes.udayton.edu
Dr. Brecha – SC 25 (229-2727)
Dr. Potter – HM 215 (9-3440)
Rebecca.Potter@notes.udayton.edu
Office Hours:
Dr. Bednarek, MW 1:00-2:45, and by appt.
Dr. Brecha, M W 1:00 – 2:45; T TH 9:30 – 10:15; by appt.
Dr. Potter, MF 2-3; M 4:30-5:30; W 12-1; and by appt.
Texts:
David E. Nye, Consuming Power:
A Social History of American Energies (2001)
Adam Rome, The Bulldozer in the Countryside: Suburban Sprawl and the Rise of American Environmentalism (2001)
Charles Dickens, Hard Times
Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep
Philip K.
Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric
Sheep?
Additional materials on e-reserve and through Isidore
Grades: The final grade for this course will be based on two in-class exams (mid-term and final), two short papers, and other short assignments (quizzes, reflections papers, etc.). Additionally, attendance can influence your final grade: if you miss more than 3 classes, one letter grade will be deducted from your grade; if you miss more than 6 classes, a two letter grade deduction will take place. Grade averages may be influenced by such factors as trends over the time of the course; for example, how you finish is far more important than how you start. Policies for exams strictly follow History Department Guidelines (see attached) and make-ups will only be offered with a valid, documented excuse.
Attendance: Attendance at lectures is crucial if you are to expect a good grade in the course. On many occasions material presented is not covered in the readings. Your attitude and what you bring to the classroom can make the difference between a mediocre offering and a most positive educational experience.
Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated and offenses will be punished accordingly. A first offense will result in a failing grade for the exam or other assignment in question; a second offense will result in a failing grade for the course. Penalties are subject to faculty discretion. Further, it is totally unacceptable to hand in a paper that is the result of work in another class.
Course Purpose: This course was developed as part of an initiative to explore cities in an interdisciplinary way. An interdisciplinary team of faculty will delve into historical relationships, both idealized and real, between the country and the city. Energy transitions over time will be examined that center on the changing reliance on human and animal power, water, fossil fuel, and nuclear sources. We will look at the role of energy in each environment and particularly at the growth of cities since the Industrial Revolution, their dependence on an unprecedented abundance of energy, a wide range of positive and negative effects of the phenomenon, and how an inevitable change in energy resources may affect human life in a future that is increasingly focused in cities. Currently there is not more important issue than that of our dependence on non-renewable sources of energy.
Grading and Scale:
In-Class Exams 100 points each 200 points total
Short papers 50 points each 100 points total
Other (quizzes, etc.) 60 points total
360 points total
A (331-360); A- (324-331); B+ (313-323); B (298-312); B- (288-297); C+ (277-287); C (262-276); C- (252-261); D+ (241-251); D (226-240); D- (216-225); F (000-215).
I understand that as a student of the
Complete all assignments and examinations by the guidelines given to me by my instructors;
Avoid plagiarism and any other form of misrepresenting someone else's work as my own;
Adhere to the Standards of Conduct as outlined in the Academic Honor Code.
In doing this, I hold myself and my community to a higher standard of excellence, and set an example for my peers to follow.
Schedule of
Lectures and Assignments
M 4 Jan Introduction
W 6 Jan What is a City? (Bednarek)
M 11 Jan
What is Energy? (Brecha) –
W 13 Jan Energies of Conquest (Bednarek)
M 18 Jan
Martin Luther King, Jr., Holiday
W 20 Jan Cities and the Industrial Revolution (Bednarek)
M 25 Jan Cities and the Industrial Revolution (Bednarek)
W 27 Jan Romantic Legacy (Potter)
M 1 Feb Dickens, Hard Times (Potter)
W 3 Feb Dickens, Hard Times (Potter)
M 8 Feb Dickens, Hard Times, (Potter)
W 10 Feb Gilded Age Cities/Changing Energy Regimes (Bednarek)
M 15 Feb Energy – Fossil fuels (Brecha)
W 17 Feb EXAM (in class essay) – based on Lectures, Nye, Chapters 1-5
M 22 Feb Progressive Cities (Bednarek)
W 24 Feb Cities, Energy and Everyday Life (Bednarek)
Nye, Consuming Power, Chapter 7
M 1 Mar
Mid-term break
W 3 Mar
Mid-term break
M 8 Mar
W 10 Mar
M 15 Mar
Energy for Transportation (Brecha) – Schäfer article + Campbell and
Laherrère article + Kolwey article
W 17 Mar Energy (Brecha)
M 22 Mar Suburbanization (Bednarek)
W 24 Mar Suburbanization (Bednarek)
M 29 Mar History and current trends in energy use for housing – are homes actually generating stations in disguise? (Brecha)
W 31 Mar Global Warming (Brecha)
M 5 Apr
Easter Break
W 7 Apr Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Potter)
M 12 Apr Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep; Tuan “Escapism” (e-reserve) (Potter)
W 14 Apr
Stander Symposium
M 19 Apr Sustainable Cities– Green cities around the world (Brecha) Beatley reading
W 21 Apr Sustainable Cities – What is the future of the city? (Brecha) Energy Policy Conundrum - Sweet
F 30 Apr:
Final Exam – 12:20 p.m. to 2:10 p.m.
Based on: Nye, chapters 6-8;
NOTE:
Due to extenuating circumstances the
above class schedule may be subject to change.