16920
Seminar
WiSe 23/24: German nuclear politics, 1938-2023
Daniel Louis Nethery
Kommentar
Subject: On 15 April 2023 the last three nuclear power plants still operating in Germany were disconnected from the electricity grid. Twelve years earlier the government had legislated the end of nuclear power amid mass demonstrations in response to the Fukushima disaster. For German historian Frank Uekötter those demonstrations represented the culmination of a long-standing, “grassroots” anti-nuclear movement which, he argued, strengthened German democracy. At the very least the end of nuclear power in Germany counters the notion that technological “progress” is inevitable and raises important questions about the connection between democracy and science.
Program: We will trace the history of German nuclear power politics starting with the discovery of nuclear fission on the site of the present-day Freie Universität. We will cover the Nazi nuclear research program; Euratom; civilian nuclear energy in divided Germany; the anti-nuclear movement and landmark protests against the construction of nuclear power plants; the development of the Green party; the consequences of Chernobyl and reunification; Fukushima and the volte-face in German nuclear policy; and the unresolved question of where to store radioactive waste. We will also discuss the intrinsic connection between nuclear power politics and the threat of nuclear war.
Is this course for me? This course is open to all students. There are no prerequisites.
Workload and assessment: During the semester you will be required to read on average 20 pages each week and complete a midterm test. The program may also include one or two excursions to exhibitions related to the seminar. You will qualify for 5 ECTS points if you engage with the course materials, your attendance is satisfactory, and you pass the examination at the end of the semester.
Schließen
16 Termine
Regelmäßige Termine der Lehrveranstaltung
Fr, 20.10.2023 10:00 - 12:00
Fr, 27.10.2023 10:00 - 12:00
Fr, 03.11.2023 10:00 - 12:00
Fr, 10.11.2023 10:00 - 12:00
Fr, 17.11.2023 10:00 - 12:00
Fr, 24.11.2023 10:00 - 12:00
Fr, 01.12.2023 10:00 - 12:00
Fr, 08.12.2023 10:00 - 12:00
Fr, 15.12.2023 10:00 - 12:00
Fr, 22.12.2023 10:00 - 12:00
Fr, 12.01.2024 10:00 - 12:00
Fr, 19.01.2024 10:00 - 12:00
Fr, 26.01.2024 10:00 - 12:00
Fr, 02.02.2024 10:00 - 12:00
Fr, 09.02.2024 10:00 - 12:00
Fr, 16.02.2024 10:00 - 12:00