| Course Title: Conference Courses in Environmental Studies: 'Petrocultures and Energy Humanities' |
| Start Date: 01/27/2026 End Date: 05/12/2026 |
| Term: Spring Semester 2026 |
| Description: Contemporary life is profoundly shaped by fossil fuels, from the infrastructures that sustain daily routines to the cultural values that define progress. Yet this dependence often coexists with an "energy unconscious" in the U.S. cultural imagination. This course introduces the field of energy humanities, focusing on petroculture: i.e, how petroleum structures social, political, and cultural life. Through literature, film, art, and theory, we will examine the global entanglements of energy, environment, and power, addressing questions of climate change, resource dependence, and transition while developing critical tools to imagine more just and sustainable futures. |
| Distribution(s): III - Social Sciences , MP - Multicultural Perspectives , TP - Topics Course |
| Academic Level Of Course: Undergraduate | Credits:4.00 |
| Faculty | Phone | Email address |
| Thakshala Tissera | ttissera@mtholyoke.edu |
| Meeting Dates | Method | Meeting days | Meeting times | Building name | Room | Frequency |
| 01/27/2026 - 05/12/2026 | Seminar | Thursday | 01:30PM - 04:20PM | TBA | TBA | Weekly |
| Requisite Courses | ||
| None |
| Comments |
| Additional Comments |
| Course Tags | ||
| ENVST-CRSE | ENVST-EL: Env Studies Electives | This course is an approved elective for the Environmental Studies major and minor. |
| ENVST-SS | ENVST-SS: Env Studies pre-2024 Minor - Social Science | This course has been approved to count towards the Environmental Studies minor Social Science area. |
| Cross-listed Sections |
| None |
| Course Availability | ||||
| Section status: Open | Capacity: 18 | Enrollment: 14 | Available: 4 | Waitlist: 0 |
BOOK INFORMATION
| Book List | Required | Publisher Full Price |
| To be determined. |
| Additional Book Comments |
| This is NOT the complete book list for this class. |