This is a graduate-level seminar course in which everyone should participate. Before each class, everyone should read the weekly readings carefully and be ready for class discussion. In addition to readings, each student is expected to present and discuss one of the weekly required readings twice during this semester (one in the first half of the semester and the other second half). The presenter should read the article thoroughly and prepare a 20-25 minute presentation (including 5-10 minute discussion). The presentation can cover the following four things: (1) the research question in this article, (2) the authors’ argument/theory/hypothesis, (3) the evidence provided by the authors (no need to emphasize the methods/statistics), and (4) your critiques, although you can have your own structure. The only requirement is that in the end of the presentation you need to raise at least one question for class discussion. I will also provide one discussion question for each reading in advance, and you need to include my question in your presentation slides and lead the discussion. Everyone other than the presenter is expected to respond to these questions, and this is taken into account for the class participation.

Each student should also write a literature review paper which is no longer than 1,500 words in lengths and provide a critical review for any topic heading in Weeks 2-14, except the ones for which you have class presentations. The paper needs not to cover all the readings for that week, but should deal with more than one (including both the required and supplementary readings). The paper should include: (1) a brief review of the readings; (2) comments and criticisms of the theories/arguments; (3) comments and criticisms of the empirical analysis; and (4) some suggested changes. The literature review paper is due on Week 16, Thursday, December 31, 5pm via uploading to Moodle.

Distribution of final grade:

Class attendance and participation: 10%; Class presentation: 30% (15% from each); Literature review paper: 25%; Final exam: 35%

Required readings:

1. Brown, Marilyn A., Yu Wang, Benjamin K. Sovacool, and Anthony Louis D’Agostino. 2014. "Forty Years of Energy Security Trends: A Comparative Assessment of 22 Industrialized Countries." Energy Research & Social Science 4: 64-77.


2. Winzer, Christian. 2012. “Conceptualizing Energy Security.” Energy Policy 46: 36–48.


3. Bielecki, J. 2002. “Energy Security: Is the Wolf at the Door?” Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance 42: 235–250.


4. Odgaard, Ole and Jørgen Delman. 2014. "China's Energy Security and Its Challenges towards 2035." Energy Policy71: 107–117.


5. Harris, Stuart. 2010. “Global and Regional Orders and the Changing Geopolitics of Energy.” Australian Journal of International Affairs 64(2): 166–185.


6. Colgan, Jeff D. 2013. “Fueling the Fire: Pathways from Oil to War.” International Security 38(2):147–180.


7. Ross, Michael L. 2004. “How Do Natural Resources Influence Civil War? Evidence from Thirteen Cases.” International Organization 58(1):35–67.


8. Lee, Chia-yi. 2018. “Oil and Terrorism: Uncovering the Mechanisms.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 62(5): 903–928.


9. Ross, Michael L. 1999. “The Political Economy of the Resource Curse.” World Politics 51(2):297–322.


10. Ross, Michael L. 2001. “Does Oil Hinder Democracy?” World Politics 53(3):325–361.


11. Sovacool, Benjamin K and Scott Victor Valentine. 2010. “The Socio-political Economy of Nuclear Energy in China and India.” Energy 35(9): 3803–3813.


12. Fuhrmann, Matthew. 2012. “Splitting Atoms: Why Do Countries Build Nuclear Power Plants?” International Interactions 38(1): 1–28.


13. Geoffrey Heal. 2010. “Reflections—The Economics of Renewable Energy in the United States.” Review of Environmental Economics and Policy 4(1): 139–154.


14. Lipp, Judith. 2007. ‘‘Lessons for Effective Renewable Electricity Policy from Denmark, Germany and the United Kingdom.’’ Energy Policy 35 (11): 5481-95.


15. Busby, Joshua. 2008. “Who Cares about the Weather?: Climate Change and US National Security.” Security Studies17(3): 468–504.


16. Bailer, Stefanie and Florian Weiler. 2015. “A Political Economy of Positions in Climate Change Negotiations: Economic, Structural, Domestic, and Strategic Explanations.” Review of International Organizations 10(1): 43–66.


17. Dinar Shlomi. 2009. "Scarcity and Cooperation along International Rivers." Global Environmental Politics 9(1): 109–135.


18. Nel, Philip and Marjolein Righarts. 2008. “Natural Disasters and the Risk of Violent Civil Conflict.” International Studies Quarterly 52(1): 159–185.


19. Li, Quan, and Rafael Reuveny. 2006. "Democracy and Environmental Degradation." International Studies Quarterly50 (4): 935–56.


20. Kelemen, R. Daniel and David Vogel. 2010. "Trading Places: The Role of the United States and the European Union in International Environmental Politics." Comparative Political Studies 43(4): 427–456.


21. Jenkins, J. Craig and Stephen Scanlan. 2001. “Food Security in Less Developed Countries, 1970–1990.” American Sociological Review 66 (5): 718–744.


22. Kurzer, Paulette and Alice Cooper. 2007. “What‘s for Dinner? European Farming and Food Traditions Confront American Biotechnology.” Comparative Political Studies 40(9): 1035–58.

Supplementary readings:

23. Pollack, Jonathan D. 2008. “Energy Insecurity with Chinese and American Characteristics: Implications for Sino–American Relations,” Journal of Contemporary China 17(55): 229–245.


24. Colgan, Jeff D., Robert O. Keohane and Thijs Van de Graaf. 2012. “Punctuated Equilibrium in the Energy Regime Complex.” Review of International Organizations 7(2): 117–143.


25. Brown, Stephen PA, and Hillard G. Huntington. 2015. "Evaluating U.S. Oil Security and Import Reliance." Energy Policy 79: 9-22.


26. Pollack, Jonathan D. 2008. “Energy Insecurity with Chinese and American Characteristics: Implications for Sino–American Relations,” Journal of Contemporary China 17(55): 229–245.


27. Peters, Susanne. 2004. “Coercive Western Energy Security Strategies: 'Resource Wars' as a New Threat to Global Security,” Geopolitics 9(1): 187–212.


28. Hughes, Llewelyn, and Austin Long. 2015. "Is There an Oil Weapon?: Security Implications of Changes in the Structure of the International Oil Market." International Security 39 (3): 152–189.


29. Fearon, James D. 2005. “Primary Commodity Exports and Civil War.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 49(4): 483–507.


30. Lujala, Pa?ivi, Nils P Gleditsch and Elisabeth Gilmore. 2005. “A Diamond Curse?: Civil War and a Lootable Resource.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 49(4):538–562.


31. Kurtz, Marcus J. and Sarah M. Brooks. 2011. “Conditioning the “Resource Curse”: Globalization, Human Capital, and Growth in Oil-Rich Nations.” Comparative Political Studies 44(6):747–770.


32. Morrison, Kevin M. 2009. “Oil, Nontax Revenue, and the Redistributional Foundations of Regime Stability.” International Organization 63(1):107–138.


33. Sovacool, Benjamin. 2010. “A Critical Evaluation of Nuclear Power and Renewable Electricity in Asia.” Journal of Contemporary Asia 40 (3): 369–400.


34. Wu, Shang-Su. 2016. “Nuclear Disaster in Taiwan: A Multidimensional Security Challenge.” Global Change, Peace & Security 28 (3): 289–305.


35. Cheon, Andrew and Johannes Urpelainen. 2012. “Oil Prices and Energy Technology Innovation: An Empirical Analysis.” Global Environmental Change 22(2): 407–417.


36. Lo, Kevin. 2014. “A Critical Review of China's Rapidly Developing Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Policies.” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 29: 508–516.


37. von Stein, Jana. 2008. “The International Law and Politics of Climate Change: Ratification of the United Nations Framework Convention and the Kyoto Protocol.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 52(2): 243–268.


38. Hall, Nina, and Åsa Persson. 2017. “Global Climate Adaptation Governance: Why Is It Not Legally Binding?” European Journal of International Relations.


39. Slettebak, Rune T. 2012. “Don’t Blame the Weather! Climate-related Natural Disasters and Civil Conflict.” Journal of Peace Research 49(1): 163–176.


40. Enia, Jason S. 2008. "Peace in Its Wake? the 2004 Tsunami and Internal Conflict in Indonesia and Sri Lanka." Journal of Public & International Affairs 19: 7-27.


41. Aklin, Michaël and Johannes Urpelainen. 2014. “The Global Spread of Environmental Ministries: Domestic–International Interactions.” International Studies Quarterly 58(4): 746–780.


42. Cao, Xun and Prakash, Aseem. 2010. “Trade Competition and Domestic Pollution: A Panel Study, 1980- 2003.” International Organization 64 (3): 481–503.


43. Dithmer, Jan, and Awudu Abdulai. 2017. "Does Trade Openness Contribute to Food Security? A Dynamic Panel Analysis." Food Policy 69: 218–230.


44. Young, Alasdair R. 2003. “Political Transfer and 'Trading Up'? Transatlantic Trade in Genetically Modified Food and U.S. Politics.” World Politics 55(4): 457–484.