This course is available for in-person and remote (online) learning.
This course provides a critical understanding of energy security - its various conceptualisations, its relationship to other forms of security, and its embeddedness in the structures of the modern state. In the format of an intensive unit, this course examines energy security in terms of supply, demand, critical infrastructure, environment, as well as the flow on effects for the political, economic, commercial and military realms. It considers a range of potential threats from geostrategic tensions to the destabilising consequences of global climate change.
The course examines energy security from the perspective of diverse states, and traces their divergent paths to achieve it. Topics may include the oil price war, the Iran nuclear deal, Russia’s gas pipeline diplomacy, the US shale revolution, rentierism in the Middle East, the global Coal Divestment movement, or other contemporary issues. Throughout, students will engage in analysis of contemporary energy security challenges and the implications for national and international security. The focus of the readings, lectures, class conversations and projects will be more political, economic and strategic than technical in nature. The course will engage with practitioner perspectives alongside academic insights. Schedules permitting, this class will take advantage of participation by policy practitioners and international experts in the annual ANU Energy Update, including speakers from the International Energy Agency, Australian government agencies and the energy industry.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of the contemporary evolution of energy securitisation
- Explain the energy-economic security nexus from both consumer state and producer state perspectives, using global case studies
- Critically analyse and evaluate the national security challenges posed by contemporary energy trends in Australia, the region and globally
- Communicate ideas and analysis related to energy security for professional and scholarly audiences.
Indicative Assessment
- Presentation: Policy Recommendation with Public Information Campaign (50) [LO 1,2,4]
- Academic Essay (50) [LO 1,2,3]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
Contact hours: 12 Contact Hours across intensive 3 week instruction.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
A list of readings will be provided in lieu of a prescribed text.
Preliminary Reading
Patrick Gasser, “A review of energy security indices to compare country performances” Energy Policy (April 2020).
Victor, David G. and Kassia Yanosek. “The Next Energy Revolution: The Promise and Peril of High-Tech Innovation” Foreign Affairs (July/August 2017): 124-131.
Daniel Yergin, “The Oil Collapse” Foreign Affairs, April 2020.
Meghan O’Sullivan. “The Entanglement of Energy, Grand Strategy and International Security” in The Handbook of Global Energy Policy, edited by Andreas Goldthau (John Wiley & Sons, 2013), pp. 30-47.
Karen Stegen. "Deconstructing the energy weapon: Russia's threat to Europe as a case study" Energy Policy 39 (2011): 6505-6513.
Christian Winzer, “Conceptualising Energy Security” Energy Policy 46 (2012): 36-48.
Klare, Michael T. “There Will be Blood: Political Violence, Regional Warfare, and the Risk of Great-Power Conflict over Contested Energy Sources,” in Energy Security Challenges in the 21st Century, ed. Gal Luft and Anne Korin (Santa Barbara: Praeger Security International, 2009): 44-65.
Fettweis, Christopher J. “No Blood for Oil: Why Resource Wars Are Obsolete,” in Energy Security Challenges in the 21st Century, ed. Gal Luft and Anne Korin (Santa Barbara: Praeger Security International, 2009): 66-77.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 3 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 3.00 | 0.06250 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $2055 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2021 | $2940 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
