HIST5404 · History
Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences
Daily lives depend on oil, gas, and electricity, and yet many of us know little of how energy arrives at homes and businesses or why our energy systems function as they do. This Senior Colloquium focuses on the history of energy sources and technologies, the networks that transport power, and the diverse communities and sprawling companies that purchase, use, and fight over energy supplies. We will anchor in US history but reach out to histories of other countries. We will read and discuss recent exciting books and articles. Students will compose several short analysis papers and write a final comparative analysis involving two books of their own choosing. Main skills: keen writing, sharp analysis, clear oral presentation, useful collaboration, efficient research.
Course experience
Averages use the original five-point historical evaluation scale.
Organization
4.8 / 5
How well the course was organized
Challenge
4.6 / 5
How intellectually challenging students found it
Attendance
4.9 / 5
How necessary attendance was
Assignments
4.8 / 5
How helpful assignments were
Weekly effort
~5
hours per week
Estimated from the original workload response buckets. Individual sections may differ.
Instructor options
Ratings below reflect only recovered evaluations connected to this course.
Across time
Section-level results available in the recovered archive.
Spring 2025
1 sectionSpring 2023
1 section