Entry requirements

General entry requirements

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course, the student is expected to be able to:

• Explain the causes behind historical energy transitions since the Industrial Revolution.
• Analyse the relationship between economic, environmental- and climate policy developments and technological change since the 1960s.
• Analyse the ongoing green transition based on its historical conditions.

Content

This course examines the historical conditions for a green transition. The concept of a green transition lacks a single, clear definition but generally refers to a societal transformation aimed at achieving independence from fossil fuels to mitigate global warming. In this course, the driving forces and conditions for the green transition in Sweden and globally are identified and critically analyzed from historical, economic, and technological perspectives. The course focuses on large-scale energy transitions since the Industrial Revolution, exploring how the world became dependent on fossil energy-first coal, then oil. It then examines attempts to develop renewable energy solutions in the 1970s, the growing significance of climate issues from the 1980s onward, and the ongoing process of electrification today. The analysis emphasises the interplay between the state, market actors, and technological change.

Instruction

Teaching mainly consists of self-studies and correspondence with the teachers via the learning platform. There are no physical meetings.

Assessment

The course is examined through written exams submitted on-line.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the University's disability coordinator.