The development of new energy sources has had a major
impact on the development of both human societies and the environment.
This course will provide a broad survey of past and current
achievements, along with failures and controversies, regarding the use
of various forms of energy. Understanding of technical terms, physical principles,
creation of resources and trade-offs will be emphasized as a basis for
discussions about energy options. The local and global dimensions of the
economics and politics surrounding the world's energy resources will be
recurring concerns in this course.
Mandatory
Readings
Course Objectives
The course has three main objectives:
• To cover the basic
physical, technical and economic issues related to energy use;
• To cover broadly the history of energy development and use;
• To introduce students to past debates and current controversies.
Texts
There is no textbook or reading package for this
class. Most of the readings are freely available on the web and links
are provided on the course’s webpage. Suggested readings are not
mandatory, but students who will write term papers on topics covered in
these texts are expected to be familiar with them.
Most of the
suggested readings are freely accessible from anywhere. Some of them,
however, may require you to use a UofT terminal or user code.
Please read the course syllabus before e-mailing a question or expect a
one line answer telling you to look it up if the answer is already there.
Always use your University of Toronto e-mail address (@utoronto.ca) for
all course-related communications. E-mails from other domains (e.g.,
hotmail, Rogers, gmail, yahoo, etc.) may be filtered as spam and will at
any rate be ignored. Always include the course code (e.g., GGR333) as
part of your subject line, along with your full name and student number
in the body of the e-mail. E-mails will be answered during office hours
as promptly as possible. Please note that I do not open attachments and
will not answer during week-ends.
The first person that you should e-mail concerning department- or
program-related queries or to submit documentation regarding a missed
assignment, quiz, or test is the Academic Counsellor for Geography/Environment,
Sabrina Ferrari (sabrina.ferrari@utoronto.ca).
E-mail should NOT be viewed as an alternative to meeting with the TA or
professor during office hours. Nor should e-mail be used as a mechanism
to receive private tutorials (especially prior to tests) or to explain
material that was covered in missed lectures. Not receiving replies to
e-mails from the TA or professor, or not receiving them in time, will
not be an acceptable excuse for pleas for extensions to assignment or
exam deadlines.
Students are advised to consult
www.enough.utoronto.ca for information on university policy
concerning the appropriate use of information and communication
technology.
ASSIGNMENTS
% OF GRADE
DATE DUE
1) Proposal for Term Paper
2) Term Test
3) Term Paper
4) Final Exam
5%
20%
40%
35%
October 3
October 17
November 28, 5PM
Fri., Dec. 16th (12 pm to 2 pm) DV Cafe A
As per the University Grading Practices
Policy, please note that "after the methods of evaluation
have been made known, the instructor may not change them or
their relative weight without the consent of at least a
simple majority of the students enrolled in the course. Any
changes shall be reported to the division or the department."
How to Query or Challenge a Mark
Please note that you have two weeks from the date an
item is returned in class to ask for the item to be remarked.
Contact the Course Instructor for all queries about course
marks, or if you wish to challenge a mark. Absolutely no
item will be remarked after the two-week period has passed.
Material submitted for remarking must be accompanied by a
brief written explanation detailing your reasons for
dissatisfaction with the original mark (such as an addition
error or something you think the marker may have missed). A
request for a remark without a written explanation will not
be acted upon.
Please note that you are allowed two questions where you and
the instructor can agree to disagree (meaning you believe
that you are entitled to a higher mark, but your instructor
disagrees) without penalty. Beginning with the third
question where you and your instructor disagree, one point
will be taken off your final mark by question for which a
revised mark was requested by you and denied by the
instructor.
Tests
A set of questions will be given in advance. Students
will be asked to answer a number of these during the test. Note that
Power Point slides presented during the lectures WILL NOT be posted
online. No documentation is allowed during the tests.
Students will be asked to write a 15 page essay on a
topic of their choice. The essay can also be a 15 page review essay of a
book dealing with topics covered in class. The choice of topic or book
must be approved by the instructor. Team work is allowed for term
papers, but not for book reviews. Papers should follow the
Standard
Documentation Formats.
The papers are
due by November 28, 5 PM. There will be a drop-off box in front of Room
Davis 3284.
Your choice of topic or book must be approved by the
instructor before turning in your proposal. Those of you who would like
to submit a book suggestion are asked to provide a link to the
publisher's webpage devoted to the book or, if no such thing exists, to
the Amazon or another large bookseller webpage devoted to the book.
Normally, students will be required to submit their course essays
to Turnitin.com for a review of textual similarity and detection of
possible plagiarism. In doing so, students will allow their essays to be
included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database,
where they will be used solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism.
The terms that apply to the University's use of the Turnitin.com
service are described on the Turnitin.com web site.
> Full legal statement
Students are permitted, under our conditions of use, to opt-out of using
Turnitin. If a student chooses not to submit an assignment through
Turnitin, the instructor will need to find alternative arrangements to
check their work as rigorously. Students will not be penalized for
choosing to opt out, but they will be asked to have a short meeting with
the instructor and be asked questions about their research methodology
and work.
You are required to submit a hard copy of the assignment as
instructed in the syllabus for the TAs to grade and annotate Electronic
copies will be submitted by students through Turnitin.
Please not that submitting your paper through
Turnitin.com or making alternative arrangements before the deadline with
your professor is not optional. Failure to do so will result in a grade
of 0 for your term paper. Failure to submit your paper on turnitin.com
before the deadline will result in the same late penalty as if you had
not submitted your hard copy.
Department of Geography Late assignment/Missed
Test Policy
This is the departmental policy for late assignments and
missed tests. Please note that the penalty related to your
proposal is different. In this particular case, I apply my own
policy as specified on the syllabus.
Missed Term Work (Assignment/Lab - as per Department of
Geography policy): Late assignments will be subject to a
late penalty of 10% per day (including weekends) of the total
marks for the assignment. Assignments submitted five calendar
days beyond the due date will be assigned a grade of zero.
Academic accommodation can be made when an assignment is late or
a student is unable to write a term test/quiz for University.
Missed Term Work (Quiz/Test - as per Department of Geography
policy): In courses with final exams, there will be no
re-writes or make-ups for term tests/quizzes missed for
University-accepted, verifiable reasons. Instead the final exam
will be re-weighted by the value of the term test/quiz. In
courses with no final exam, re-writes may be scheduled at the
discretion of the instructor.
Informing Your Professor and Submitting Appropriate
Documentation:
1. The following steps must be completed in order
to be considered for academic accommodation for any course work such
as missed tests or late assignments:
2. Students must inform their professor in writing (e-mail is
acceptable) within 24 hours of a test date/assignment due date of
any circumstances that prevent them from writing a test or
submitting an assignment on time.
3. Students must submit a University-accepted documentation (e.g.,
U of T Student Medical Certificate) within one week of a missed
assignment due date or test date. Failure to submit appropriate
documentation will result in a grade of zero. Please submit original
documentation in person to Sabrina Ferrari (Academic Counsellor,
Room DV-3282 Department of Geography). Medical Certificates MUST
include the following statement: "This student was unable to write
the test on [date(s)] for medical reasons." Documentation must show
that the physician was consulted within one day of the test or
assignment due date. A statement merely confirming a report of
illness made by the student is not acceptable (such as, "This
patient tells me that he was feeling ill on that day."). Failure to
comply with this policy will result in a grade of zero for the test
or assignment in question.
4. A petition for academic accommodation must be completed and
submitted along with the University-accepted documentation (#3,
above) within one week of a missed assignment due date or test date.
Petition forms are available in person from Sabrina Ferrari, Rm.
DV-3282.
Please note that the written explanation and
documentation that you submit represents an appeal from you, requesting
the opportunity to account for that portion of your grade in some other
manner. If an appeal is not received, or if the appeal is deemed
unacceptable, you will receive a grade of zero for the item you missed.
If the appeal is granted - that is, your reason for missing the item is
considered acceptable by the committee - then a mechanism for accounting
for the grade value of the missed item will be discussed.
Once all documentation has been received, the petition for academic
accommodation will be reviewed by a Departmental Committee. Students
will be informed of the Committee's decision within 2 weeks. Note that
holidays and pre-purchased plane tickets, family plans (unless critical,
such as death of an immediate family member), your friend's wedding,
lack of preparation, or too many other tests are not acceptable excuses
for missing a quiz, a test, or an item of term work.
Expectations/Classroom Behaviour/Behaviour in
the Academic Setting
Our expectation of you is that you will show respect to the
Course Instructor, TAs, other faculty, staff, and fellow
students. This includes arriving on time and staying for the
entire class (so you don't disturb others by your late entry or
early departure); listening quietly (so you don't disturb others
by your chatting or online activities); approaching your course
work with an open, honest spirit and enthusiasm; and otherwise
adhering to the Code.
In turn, you can expect the Course Instructor, staff, and TAs to
show respect to you and your fellow students; to deliver the
best course that they possibly can; to communicate their
enthusiasm for the material; to maintain fairness in all aspects
of course delivery and assessment; and otherwise to adhere to
the University's Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters.
Academic Integrity/Honesty or Academic Offenses
It is your responsibility as a student at the University of
Toronto to familiarize yourself with, and adhere to, both the
Code of Student Conduct and the Code of Behaviour on Academic
Matters.
This means, first and foremost, that you should read them
carefully.
The
Code of Student Conduct is available from the U of T Mississauga
website (Registrar > Academic Calendar > Codes and Policies) or in
your print version of the Academic Calendar.
The
Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters is available from the U of
T Mississauga website (Registrar > Academic Calendar > Codes and
Policies) or in your print version of the Academic Calendar.
Further Thoughts on Academic Honesty:
The Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters states that:
"The University and its members have a
responsibility to ensure that a climate that might encourage, or
conditions that might enable, cheating, misrepresentation or
unfairness not be tolerated. To this end all must acknowledge that
seeking credit or other advantages by fraud or misrepresentation, or
seeking to disadvantage others by disruptive behaviour is
unacceptable, as is any dishonesty or unfairness in dealing with the
work or record of a student." ―University of Toronto Mississauga
Academic Calendar
This summarizes what we are all trying to
achieve through the implementation of this Code―both students and
faculty. We are trying―together―to create an atmosphere of fairness and
honesty, in which people can learn and receive appropriate credit for
work that they have done. Note that the Code refers specifically
to expectations for faculty members, not just for students. It is my
responsibility, as a member of the faculty of the University of Toronto,
to be familiar with these expectations and adhere to them. There are
many additional academic requirements that we are expected to meet with
regard to the integrity of course materials, returning of marked work to
students, maintenance of student privacy, fairness, grading practices,
and others. My TAs and I will make every possible effort to meet these
expectations.
Accessibility
U of T Mississauga and the AccessAbility Resource Centre
are committed to the full participation of students with
disabilities in all aspects of campus life. The AccessAbility
Resource Centre provides academic accommodations and services to
students who have a physical, sensory, or learning disability,
mental health condition, acquired brain injury, or chronic
health condition, be it visible or hidden. Students who have
temporary disabilities (e.g., broken dominant arm) are also
eligible to receive services. All interested students must have
an intake interview with an advisor to discuss their individual
needs.
Students who require accommodation are advised to visit the
AccessAbility Resource Centre as early as possible to
have their needs assessed, as it may take some time to process
the application.
Lecture 1 (September 12): Introduction
Lecture 2 (September 19): Concepts and the Big Picture
Lecture 3 (September 26): Fire and Carbon-Fuelled Civilizations 1 Lecture 4 (October
3): Carbon-Fuelled Civilizations 2 (Deadline for Term Paper proposal) Lecture 5 (October
10): Thanksgiving - University Closed Lecture 6 (October
17): Term test Questions
Lecture 7 (October 24): Electricity (Hydro and Nuclear)
Lecture 8 (October 31): Renewables and Alternatives
Lecture 9 (November 7): The Perennial Energy Debate
Lecture 10 (November 14): The Curse of Natural Resources
Lecture 11 (November 21): The Future of the Automobile
Lecture 12 (November 28): Ontario's Energy Dilemma Final exam:
Fri., Dec. 16th (12 pm to 2 pm) DV Cafe A
Lecture 1 (September 12): Introduction
Mandatory readings
Guest lecture by UTM Geography,
GIS and Data librarian
Andrew Nicholson
Bradley, Robert L and Richard W. Fulmer. Energy: The Master Resource,
Kendall Hunt Publishing Company, 2004,
Chapter 2: Using Energy, pp. 19-20, 25-29, 30-31, 45-48.
Stevens, Paul J. 2002. "'Resource
Curse' and Investment in Oil and Gas Projects: The New Challenge."
Internet Journal (The Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral
Law and Policy) June. (later published as "Resource Impact: curse or
blessing? A literature survey." Journal of Energy Literature Vol
IX No 1 June 2003 Pp. 3-42)
(Not mandatory reading , but for full report see Sierra Club Canada.
2011. The Real Truth about Wind Power. A Literature Review on Wind
Turbines in Ontario (Conclusion).
Back in the days where I use to give 13
lectures in this course, I used to cover the topics of air
pollution from energy use and energy use and climate change.
I do not anymore, but I have kept a number of links on both
issues for those who might be interested. No questions will
be asked on this material.
Most of the
suggested readings are freely accessible from anywhere. Some of them,
however, may require you to use a UofT terminal or user code.