History of Oil (HIST 4535/5535)
Instructor: Dr. Phil Roberts Place: History Lounge
Offices: 356 History Bldg., 766-5311 or 5101, Time: Wed., 7-9:25 p.m. .
Office hours:TBA E-mail: philr@uwyo.edu
Course Objective: This course will require extensive reading although none of the required common readings are particularly difficult. In studying the history of oil, a “modified” comparative approach will be used, recognizing that while there may be similarities and parallels, the social, political and cultural aspects are quite different for each region. It should be emphasized that this course will NOT be entirely geographically specific, although students may notice some comparative emphasis with the history of the American West and the Caspian region, given the professor’s experience with oil and historical expertise. Neither will the course be taught in strictly chronological fashion. We will focus on recurring themes such as “boom-and-bust” conditions, the “colonial” aspects, corporate consolidation, nationalism, globalization, and environmental issues. Consequently, we will analyze oil issues, borrowing factors that can be compared and trying to understand other factors that can not. Throughout, the petroleum histories of each region will be considered in the context of important world events and issues.
Required Books, Common Readings:
Daniel Yergin. The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power. (New York: Simon/Schuster, 1991) ISBN: 978-0671799328 (paper)
Kenneth S. Deffeyes. Beyond Oil: The View from Hubbert’s Peak. Hill and Wang, 2006). ISBN: 978-0809029570 (paper)
Alison Fleig Frank, Oil Empire: Visions of Prosperity in Austrian Galacia. (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2005). ISBN: 978-0674025417 (paper)
John Ghazvinian, Untapped: The Struggle for Africa’s Oil. (Orlando: Harcourt, 2007). ISBN 978-0151011384 (prefer paper, if available)
Marshall I. Goldman, Petrostate: Putin, Power and the New Russia. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008). ISBN: 978-0195340730 (prefer paper if available)
Terry Lynn Karl,. The Paradox of Plenty: Oil Booms and Petro-States. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997). ISBN: 978-0520207721 (paper)
Steve LeVine, The Oil and the Glory: The Pursuit of Empire and Fortune on the Caspian Sea. (New York: Random House, 2007). ISBN: 978-0375506147
Abdelrahman Munif, Cities of Salt. (New York: Random House, 1987). ISBN: 978-0394755267 (paper). Even though this work is fiction, it paints a very accurate picture of Middle East oil company towns in the post-war years.
Svetlana Tsalik and Anya Schiffrin, eds. Covering Oil: A Reporter’s Guide to Energy and Development. (New York: Open Society Institute, 2005). ISBN: 978-1891385452 (paper)
Individual Assignments: Other books and articles will be assigned on an individual basis (see listings for each week on the schedule of classes). Beyond the common reading, each student will be assigned to read one additional book from the list. (Graduate students will be assigned three additional books). The additional readings will be due on the date that the class discusses the relevant topic. Throughout the semester, all students will be assigned occasional articles from journals (generally available on-line through the library reserve page). Further, at the beginning of the semester, each student will be assigned a specific geographical area. The student will be expected to keep up with current events and bring to the attention of the class any developments occurring in the petroleum field in his/her respective assigned geographical region.
Please note that throughout the semester, class discussions will not always be recapitulations of the contents of the readings. The common reading, however, is essential for background and students are expected to have read the assignments by the date indicated on the schedule below.
We will begin with today’s news and an overview of the petroleum industry terminology. We will develop an understanding of where the oil industry is today, and in the first class, we will consider contemporary issues involving globalization, world politics, corporate growth, nationalism, and environmental standards as well as world and regional economics. Throughout the semester, students will be expected to stay abreast of current developments in the news.
Informal “Briefs”: From time to time, students will be assigned questions about the history of oil in the particular region under discussion. Class discussions may emanate from your researching and thinking about the topics under consideration. Each student will be asked to write brief, informal, 1-2 page (typed, double-spaced) reports on the particular topic under discussion. I emphasize that there is no expectation that the “briefs” follow any particular form or format. The key factor is to challenge each student to think about the issues and do some research on the topics. Additional details will be provided during the introduction on the first day of class. Is this “history”? In terms of the rapid developments, events from last month well may be so classified.
Exams: A mid-term exam will be worth 25 percent of the final course grade. It will be “take-home” in style. The final exam, to be taken in class during final exam week, will be worth 30 percent of the grade. It will be essay-style with students expected to understand the broader concepts we discuss during the semester.
Grading: Oral/written review of the individually assigned book: 10% Informal exercises, occasional quizzes over common readings: 25% Mid-term exam: 25%. Final exam: 30%. Class participation:10%. Students are reminded that “participation” is not possible without attending and keeping up with the common readings. Relentless attendance is expected. At the conclusion of the class, students will be expected to understand the major issues in the development of world oil, understand the historical context in which these developments occurred, and demonstrate, both in writing and in oral discussion, the ability to analyze complex questions of oil, diplomacy, technology, nationalism, and colonialism.
Class Conduct: Your class grade will be based on your own work and not “curved” from what others will do in the class. Consequently, it is expected that we will treat one another collegially and with respect. Deviations from this dictum will not be tolerated. Students are reminded that distractions in the form of cell phone calls, individual conversations, and other disruptions are not acceptable and the professor will consider violations while assessing the final grades. The university’s rules on plagiarism and academic dishonesty will be strictly enforced.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Formal Paper: Graduate students will be expected to read the common assigned works and the additional individual readings. Additionally, for graduate students, a significant part of the semester will be used to formulate, research and write a paper which may take the form of a formal term paper, a scholarly article or some other substantial piece of writing relating to the topic and the student’s specific interest. Students will choose the topics in consultation with the instructor. Each graduate student will complete a formal term paper (12-20 pages, typed, double-spaced) or publishable article (length to be determined in consultation with the instructor). It is expected that the paper will be the result of careful reading of existing works on the topic as well as sound, careful, original research. Ideally, the American Heritage Center will contain holdings of value for the work. The final product, due no later than the final exam day, should conform to the Chicago Manual of Style or another recognized style guide.
Outline of Topics, Meetings and Assignments
Week 1: (Aug. 27) Introduction.
Distribution of the syllabus.
Lecture: “Oil in Ancient Times through the Middle Ages”
Week 2: (Sept. 3) Early Petroleum History and Technical Aspects of the Industry.
Common Readings:
Svetlana Tsalik and Anya Schiffrin, eds. Covering Oil: A Reporter’s Guide to Energy and Development. (New York: Open Society Institute, 2005). The book provides significant background on oil that is important to know before reading more specific studies on the topic.
Yergin, pp. 11-113
Individually Assigned Readings:
Black, Brian. Petrolia : The Landscape of America's First Oil Boom (Creating the North American Landscape) Canada. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins, 2001).
Olien, Roger, and Diana Davids Olien. Oil and Ideology: The Cultural Creation of the American Petroleum Industry. (Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1999).
Week 3: (Sept. 10) Rise of American Oil
Common Readings:
Yergin, pp. 207-228; 244-259
Individually Assigned Readings:
Chernow, Ron, Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., (New York: Vintage, 2004).
Franks, Kenny A. , and Paul F. Lambert. Early California Oil: A Photographic History, 1865-1940. (College Station: Texas A&M Press, 1985).
Tarbell, Ida. The History of Standard Oil. (Reprint, New York: Harper and Row, 1966). A muckraking classic.
Tygiel, Jules. The Great Los Angeles Oil Swindle: Oil, Stocks and Scandal During the Roaring Twenties. (New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 1994).
Weinberg, Steve. Taking on the Trust: The Epic Battle of Ida Tarbell and John D. Rockefeller. (New York: W. W. Norton, 2008).
Week 4: (Sept. 17) Oil in the American West
Common Reading: TBA
Individually Assigned Readings:
Chamberlain, Kathleen P., Under Sacred Ground: A History of Navajo Oil, 1922-1982. (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2000).
Davis, Margaret Leslie. Dark Side of Fortune: Triumph and Scandal in the Life of Oil Tycoon Edward L. Doheny. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998).
Larson, T. A. Wyoming’s War Years. (Cheyenne: Wyoming Historical Foundation, 1993).
Mackey, Mike. Black Gold: Patterns in the Development of Wyoming’s Oil Industry. (Powell: Western History Publications, 1997).
McAuliffe, Dennis. Bloodland: A Family Story of Blood, Oil and Murder on the Osage Reservation. (Council Oak Books, 1999).
Roberts, Harold. Salt Creek, Wyoming: The Story of a Great Oilfield. (Denver: Midwest Oil Co., 1956).
Stratton, David. Tempest over Teapot Dome: The Story of Albert B. Fall. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998).
Week 5: (Sept. 24) Oil in Russia
Common Reading:
Marshall I. Goldman, Petrostate: Putin, Power and the New Russia. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008).
Individually Assigned Readings:
Tolf, Robert W. The Russian Rockefellers: The Saga of the Nobel Family and the Russian Oil Industry. (Stanford: Hoover Institution Press, 1976).
Week 6: (Oct. 1) Central Asian and Caspian Oil
Common Reading:
Steve LeVine, The Oil and the Glory: The Pursuit of Empire and Fortune on the Caspian Sea. (New York: Random House, 2007). LeVine is scheduled to be a speaker on campus on Oct. 3. Students will be required to attend his lecture on that date. This is the only obligatory lecture students will be required to attend outside the normal class hours. If it poses an issue for anyone, please speak with the professor by Oct. 1.
Individually Assigned Readings:
Dekmejian, R. Hrair, and Hovann H. Simonian. Troubled Waters: The Geopolitics of the Caspian Basin. (London: I. B. Tauris, 2001). DK 511 C02D456 2001
Kleveman, Lutz. The New Great Game: Blood and Oil in Central Asia. (Boston: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2003).
Nussimbaum, Liv (Essad Bey). Blood and Oil in the Orient. (London: Nash and Grayson, 1931).
Reiss, Tom. The Orientalist: Solving the Mystery of a Strange and Dangerous Life. (New York: Random House, 2005). Interesting biography of Nussimbaum (above) who wrote, among other works, the Azeri classic, Ali and Nino.
Van der Leeuw, Charles, Oil and Gas in the Caucasus & Caspian: A History. (London:.Palgrave Macmillan, 2000) ISBN: 0312232543
Week 7: (Oct. 8) Oil in Europe.
Common Reading:
Alison Fleig Frank, Oil Empire: Visions of Prosperity in Austrian Galacia. (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2005).
Individually Assigned Readings:
Mackie, Bill. The Oilmen: The North Sea Tigers. (Edinburgh: Birlinn, 2004).
MIDTERM
Week 8: (Oct. 15) Oil and Colonialism in Africa
Common Reading:
John Ghazvinian, Untapped: The Struggle for Africa’s Oil. (Orlando: Harcourt, 2007).
Individually Assigned Readings:
Aguilar, Renato Angola: A history of oil, war and economic policy (Goteborg: Routledge, 2001).
Bamberg, J. H. British Petroleum and Global Oil, 1950-1975: The Challenge of Nationalism. (Cambridge, 2000).
Fernier, Ronald W. The History of the British Petroleum Company. Vol. 1: The Developing Years, 1901-1932. (Cambridge, 1982).
International Crisis Group. God, Oil and Country: Changing the Logic of War in Sudan. (Report 39, 2002)
Omoweh, Daniel A. Shell Development Company, the State and Underdevelopment of Nigeria’s Niger Delta: A Study in Environmental Degradation. (Trenton, N. J.: Africa World Press, 2005).
Soares de Oliveira, Ricardo. Oil and Politics in the Gulf of Guinea. (New York: Columbia University Press, 2007).
Vosti, Stephen A., and Thomas Reardon. The Libyan Oil Industry. (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins, 1980).
Week 9: (Oct. 22) Latin American Oil
Common Reading:
Terry Lynn Karl. The Paradox of Plenty: Oil Booms and Petro-States. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997).
Individually Assigned Readings:
Boue, Juan Carlos. Venezuela: The Political Economy of Oil. (Oxford University Press, 1993).
Gerlach, Allen. Indians, Oil and Politics: A Recent History of Ecuador. (Wilmington, Del.: Scholarly Resources, 2003).
McBeth, B. S., and Alan Knight,. Juan Vicente Gomez and the Oil Companies in Venezuela, 1908-1935. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002).
Santiago, Myrna. The Ecology of Oil: Environment, Labor and the Mexican Revolution, 1900-1938. (Cambridge University Press, 2006).
Week 10: (Oct. 29) Oil in Iran and Iraq.
Common Reading:
Yergin, pp. 114-206; 229-243; 260-302.
Individually Assigned Readings:
Bamberg, J. H. The History of the British Petroleum Company. Vol. 2: The Anglo-Iranian Years, 1920-1954. (Cambridge, 1994).
Elm, Mostafa. Oil, Power and Principle: Iran’s Oil Nationalization and Aftermath. (Syracuse University Press, 1992).
Epstein, Edward J. Dossier: The Secret History of Armand Hammer. (New York: Random House, 1996).
Kent, Marian, Oil and Empire: British Policy and Mesopotamian Oil, 1900-1920. (New York: Macmillian, 1976)
Kinzer, Stephen, All the Shah’s Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror. (New York: Wiley, 2003). Details the fascinating story of the overthrow of Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953 and how that event involved Americans.
Week 11: (Nov. 5) Oil and World War II.
Common Reading:
Abdelrahman Munif, Cities of Salt. (New York: Random House, 1987).
Yergin, pp. 304-408.
Individually Assigned Readings:
Painter, David H. Private Power and Public Policy: Multinational Oil Companies and U. S. Foreign Policy, 1941-1954. (London: I. B. Tauris and Co., 1986).
Pratt, Joseph A., Tyler Priest and Christopher J. Castaneda. Offshore Pioneers: Brown and Root and the History of Offshore Oil and Gas. (Gulf Professional Publishing, 1997).
Week 13: (Nov. 12) Oil in Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf Region
Common Reading:
Yergin, pp. 409- 560.
Individually Assigned Readings:
Baer, Robert. Sleeping with the Devil: How Washington Sold Our Soul for Saudi Crude. (New York: Crown, 2003).
Clarke, Angela. Bahrain Oil and Development, 1929-1989. (London: Immel Publishing, 1991).
Golub, David B. When Oil and Politics Mix: Saudi Oil Policy 1973-85. (Centre for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard, 1985).
Hawley, Donald. The Trucial States. (London: George Allen and Unwin, 1970).
Henderson, Edward. This Strange Eventful History: Memoirs of Earlier Days in the UAE and the Sultanate of Oman. (Dubai: Motivate Publishing, 1988).
Vitalis, Robert. America's Kingdom: Mythmaking on the Saudi Oil Frontier. (Stanford Univ. Press, 2007). ISBN: 978-0804754460
Week 14: (Nov. 19) Oil Shocks, OPEC, and Gulf Wars
Common Reading:
Yergin, 563-788.
Individually Assigned Readings:
Marcel, Valerie, Oil Titans: National Oil Companies in the Middle East. (London: Chatham House, 2006).
Mitchell, John, ed. The New Economy of Oil: Impacts on Business, Geopolitics and Society. (London: Earthscan Publications, 2001).
Parra, Francisco. Oil Politics: A Modern History of Petroleum. (London: I. B. Tauris, 2004).
Simmons, Matthew R., Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy. (New York: Wiley, 2005). The author argues that the Saudis have far less reserves than advertised. He points out how oil reserves have been estimated over the past century to come to this conclusion.
Nov. 26: NO CLASS (THANKSGIVING VACATION)
Week 15: (Dec. 3) Oil Politics and the Environment Today
Common Reading: Kenneth S. Deffeyes. Beyond Oil: The View from Hubbert’s Peak. (Hill and Wang, 2006).
Individually Assigned Readings:
Elkind, Susan S. “Black Gold and the Beach; Offshore Oil, Beaches and Federal Power in Southern California,” Journal of the West 44 (Winter 2005), pp. 8-17.
Keeble, John. Out of the Channel: The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Prince William Sound. (Cheney: Eastern Washington Univ. Press, 1999). TD427 P4 K38
Klare, Michael T. Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet: The New Geopolitics of Energy. (New York: Henry Holt, 2008).
McPhee, John. Annals of the Former World. (New York: Farrar, Strauss, 1998).
Mezrich, Ben. Rigged: The True Story of an Ivy League Kid Who Changed the World of Oil, from Wall Street to Dubai. (New York: William Morrow, 2007).
Roberts, Paul. The End of Oil. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2004).
FINALS WEEK: Dec. 8-12.