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SOCI 520

Course Materials Course Description

May 8-12, 2017 9.00 am – 5:00 pm Classroom: CLE

Instructor: Bill Carroll Email: wcarroll@uvic.ca Phone: (250) 592-3715 Office: Cornett A338 Office Hours: by appointment

Corporate power, fossil capital, climate crisis

This course forms the core of the Corporate Mapping

Project’s (CMP) first Summer Institute. It combines the

sociology of corporate power with the political economy

of fossil capital and the political ecology of climate

crisis. The course does not require a specialized

academic background in these areas, and is open to

graduate students in sociology and related fields. Topics

include

a) the sociology, political economy and political

ecology of fossil capital and carbon democracy

as a distinct way of life now in global crisis;

b) modalities of corporate power in this field,

ranging from networks of capital ownership and

governance, through practices and discourses of

corporate hegemony in civil society, media and

state, to carbon commodity chains and

Indigenous and popular resistance at flashpoints

along them; and

c) an examination of the social forces for a just

transition from carbon capitalism, as embodied

in Indigenous resistance and resurgence, engaged

social movement scholarship, and the nurturing

of cross-movement alliances and leadership for

climate justice.

Our work in the course will centre to some extent upon

the case of Canada, but will also extend to other national

cases and to the transnational level.

Our time together will be concentrated within one

intensive week (May 8-12, 2017), during which CMP

team members – both academic and community-based –

will be in town for a CMP core team meeting. The

Summer Institute is directed by CMP Co-Directors Bill

Carroll and Shannon Daub. Bill Carroll is course

director of SOCI 520 and is responsible for assessing

student performance. We greatly appreciate the support

of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

of Canada, the UVic Vice President-Academic and Dean

of Social Sciences, and the UVic Sociology Department,

which is hosting this course.

All readings are available as pdfs or weblinks on our CourseSpaces website.

Teaching Associate JP Sapinski sapinski@uvic.ca

Summer Institute Co-Director Shannon Daub shannon@policyalternatives.ca

Teaching Assistant Nick Graham njgraham@uvic.ca

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Course Evaluation

Important Dates

Assignment 1 deadline 5 May, 11.55pm Assignment 2 deadline 23 May, 11.55pm Final paper due 15 June, 11.55pm

In advance of the Institute, each student will write a

brief self-introduction, reflecting on why you are drawn

to this Summer Institute and what you hope to take from

it. The essay should be no longer than about 500 words,

and should be turned in by Friday, May 5. It will

comprise 5% of your final grade. We would like these

brief essays to be accessible to others participating in the

institute, so please upload them to the course website by

clicking on the link labeled What brings you here, and

what are your hopes? An Introductory Statement.

Each student will write a reflective journal based on

your Institute experience, worth 25% of your final

grade. The journal should be no longer than 2000 words

(not including references) and it should draw on both

experience and course readings. The journal is due at the

close of the day on May 23 and should be handed in to

the course website.

The assessed quality of student participation in SOCI

520 sessions and in the online course forum will form

20% of your final grade.

The term paper will count for 50% of your final grade.

It should be focused on a theme and topic within the

scope of the Summer Institute, and should be no longer

than 4000 words (not including references). In the weeks

following the Institute, students will complete these

papers, which are due by 15 June 2017.

This course will help students already participating in

the CMP (e.g., as research assistants) to deepen their

knowledge of the issues at the heart of the Project. For

students not already participating in the CMP the course

will provide an opportunity to become involved,

particularly through publishing term papers on the CMP

website (www.corporatemapping.ca), which is the

Project’s online venue for knowledge mobilization.

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Course Schedule (see timetable and reading list below)

Date Topic Day 1 May 8

Climate crisis and the role of fossil capital

Political economy/ecology of fossil capital (late morning-early afternoon)

The role of imperialism, colonialism, land grabs in fossil capital

development, past & present

4:30 pm: Colonial Reality Tour of UVic and vicinity, with Cheryl Bryce of Songhees Nation

Day 2 May 9

Corporations, class and corporate power. Part 1: Modalities of

corporate power in transnational and Canadian contexts

Corporations, class and corporate power. Part 2: Mapping corporate

power and influence (late morning-early afternoon)

Corporate hegemony and the battle for hearts and minds

Day 3 May 10

Carbon commodity chains and flashpoints.

Part 1: Carbon commodity chains as corridors of power

Carbon commodity chains and flashpoints

Part 2: Understanding "flashpoints": stories from Indigenous and environmental activists

Indigenous resistance and resurgence in the face of big carbon

Film night: To the Ends of the Earth, on campus at Cinecenta

Day 4 May 11

Conversations on Current Realities, Mobilizing Alternatives, and

Activism. A workshop organized by CMP student researchers

Building strong alliances for climate justice

Climate leadership session with Next Up leadership program

Day 5 May 12

Presentations and Discussion on Corporate Mapping Project

research-in-progress

Reception and end-of Institute celebration

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Corporate Mapping Project Summer Institute program overview - May 8 -12 2017

Activity Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Opening

First Nations

territorial

acknowledgement

and welcome

TBA TBA TBA TBA

Morning session 1

Climate crisis and

the role of fossil

capital

Corporations,

class and

corporate power.

Part 1: Modalities

of corporate power

in transnational

and Canadian

contexts

Carbon

commodity

chains &

flashpoints

Part 1: Carbon

commodity

chains as

corridors of

power

Conversations

on Current

Realities,

Mobilizing

Alternatives, and

Activism. A

workshop

organized by

CMP student

researchers

Presentations

on Corporate

Mapping

Project

research-in-

progress

Morning session 2 Political

economy/ecology of

fossil capital (late

morning-early

afternoon)

Corporations, class

and corporate

power. Part 2:

Mapping corporate

power and influence

(late morning-

early afternoon)

Carbon

commodity

chains and

flashpoints.

Part 2:

Understanding

"flashpoints":

stories from

Indigenous and

environmental

activists

Lunch

Afternoon session 1

The role of

imperialism,

colonialism, land

grabs in fossil capital

development - past and present

Corporate

hegemony and the

battle for hearts

and minds

Indigenous

resistance and

resurgence in

the face of big

carbon.

Building strong

alliances for

climate justice.

Presentations

on Corporate

Mapping

Project

research-in-

progress

Afternoon session 2

4:30 pm: Colonial

Reality Tour of UVic

and vicinity, with

Cheryl Bryce of

Songhees Nation

Climate

leadership

session with

Next Up

leadership

program Evening session

BC election-

watching

night. Venue

TBA

Film night: To the

Ends of the Earth,

on campus at

Cinecenta

Reception and end-of Institute celebration

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Corporate Mapping Project Summer Institute 2017

SOCI 520: Corporate Power, Fossil Capital, Climate Crisis

Reading List

Note: readings for each session of the Institute are designated as ‘core,’ ‘shorter online’ and

‘suggested’. Asterisks indicate core and suggested readings that are more reader friendly – written for

a wider, public (less exclusively academic) audience. All the shorter online works are written for fairly

wide readerships. The core and shorter online works are available on the SOCI 520 CourseSpaces

website. The readings are presented in the order of the sessions that make up the Institute.

Climate crisis and the role of fossil capital

Core readings

Clark, Brett, and Richard York. “Carbon Metabolism: Global Capitalism, Climate Change, and the

Biospheric Rift.” Theory and Society 34, no. 4 (2005): 391–428.

*Derber, Charles. 2010. Greed to Green: Solving Climate Change and Remaking the Economy.

Boulder: Paradigm Publishers, pp. 24-46.

*Hughes, David. 2016. “Can Canada Expand Oil and Gas Production, Build Pipelines and Keep Its

Climate Change Commitments?” Corporate Mapping Project. 25 July.

http://www.corporatemapping.ca/can-canada-expand-oil-and-gas-production-build-pipelines-

and-keep-its-climate-change-commitments/

*Lee, Marc. 2017. “Extracted Carbon: Re-Examining Canada’s Contribution to Climate Change

through Fossil Fuel Exports | Corporate Mapping Project.” 25 January.

http://www.corporatemapping.ca/extracted-carbon-re-examining-canadas-contribution-to-

climate-change-through-fossil-fuel-exports/.

*Manno, Jack P. and Stephen B. Balogh. 2015. “The Biophysical: The Decline in Energy Returned on

Energy Invested, Net Energy, and Marginal Benefits.” Pp. 37-52 in Princen, Thomas, Jack P.

Manno and Pamela L. Martin (eds.), Ending the Fossil Fuel Era. Cambridge: MIT Press.

*Muttitt, Greg. 2016. The Sky’s Limit: Why the Paris Climate Goals Require a Managed Decline of

Fossil Fuel Production. Washington, D.C.: Oil Change International

Shorter online pieces

Broadland, David. 2017. “Alberta’s Death Grip on Canada.” Focus on Victoria. Retrieved April 18,

2017 (http://www.focusonvictoria.ca/janfeb-2017/albertas-death-grip-on-canada-by-david-

broadland-r4/).

Hendrickson, Ole. 2016. “Is Climate Change as Bad as We Thought? It’s Worse. | Rabble.ca.”

Retrieved April 18, 2017 (http://rabble.ca/columnists/2016/11/climate-change-bad-we-thought-

its-worse).

Nikiforuk, Andrew. 2017a. “Expanding Tar Sands Will Kill Paris Targets and Climate Stability,

Report Finds.” The Tyee. Retrieved April 18, 2017 (https://thetyee.ca/News/2017/01/19/Tar-

Sands-Kill-Paris-Targets/).

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Nikiforuk, Andrew. 2017b. “The New World Order: Failing States and Collapsing Systems.” The

Tyee. Retrieved April 18, 2017 (https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2017/04/14/Failing-States-

Collapsing-Systems/).

Suggested readings

*Clarke, Tony, Diana Gibson, Brendan Haley and Jim Stanford. 2013. The Bitumen Cliff. Ottawa:

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/bitumen-cliff .

Fuss, Sabine, Josep G. Canadell, Glen P. Peters, Massimo Tavoni, Robbie M. Andrew, Philippe Ciais,

Robert B. Jackson, et al. “Betting on Negative Emissions.” Nature Climate Change 4, no. 10

(October 2014): 850–53. doi:10.1038/nclimate2392.

*Lee, Marc, and Brock Ellis. “Canada’s Carbon Liabilities: The Implications of Stranded Fossil Fuel

Assets for Financial Markets and Pension Funds.” Ottawa: CCPA, March 2013.

www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/canadas-carbon-liabilities.

*Magdoff, Fred, and John Bellamy Foster. “What Every Environmentalist Needs to Know about

Capitalism: A Citizen’s Guide to Capitalism and the Environment.” Monthly Review 61, no. 10

(2011). http://monthlyreview.org/2010/03/01/what-every-environmentalist-needs-to-know-

about-capitalism/.

McGlade, Christophe and Paul Ekins. 2015. “The Geographical Distribution of Fossil Fuels Unused

When Limiting Global Warming to 2oC.” Nature 517(7533):187–90.

Poisson, Alexandre and Charles A. S. Hall. 2013. “Time Series EROI for Canadian Oil and Gas.”

Energies 6(11):5940–59.

Wainwright, Joel, and Geoff Mann. “Climate Leviathan.” Antipode 45, no. 1 (2013): 1–22.

doi:10.1111/j.1467-8330.2012.01018.x.

York, Richard. “Do Alternative Energy Sources Displace Fossil Fuels?” Nature Climate Change 2,

no. 6 (June 2012): 441–43. doi:10.1038/nclimate1451.

Political economy/ecology of fossil capital

Core readings

Adkin, Laurie A and Byron Miller. 2016. “Alberta, Fossil Capitalism and the Political Ecology of

Change.” In First World Petro-Politics: The Political Ecology and Governance of Alberta,

edited by Laurie E. Adkin, 527–60. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2016.

Carter, Angela V., and Anna Zalik. “Fossil Capitalism and the Rentier State: Toward a Political

Ecology of Alberta’s Oil Economy.” In First World Petro-Politics: The Political Ecology and

Governance of Alberta, edited by Laurie E. Adkin, 52–77. Toronto: University of Toronto Press,

2016.

Huber, Matthew T. “Energizing Historical Materialism: Fossil Fuels, Space and the Capitalist Mode

of Production.” Geoforum 40, no. 1 (January 2009): 105–15.

doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2008.08.004.

Malm, Andreas. “China as Chimney of the World: The Fossil Capital Hypothesis.” Organization &

Environment 25, no. 2 (June 1, 2012): 146–77. doi:10.1177/1086026612449338.

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Mitchell, Timothy. 2009. “Carbon Democracy.” Economy and Society 38(3):399–432. *Princen, Thomas. 2015. “The Cultural: The Magic, the Vision, the Power.” Pp. 53-96 in Princen,

Thomas, Jack P. Manno and Pamela L. Martin (eds.), Ending the Fossil Fuel Era. Cambridge:

MIT Press.

Shorter online pieces

Pineault, Eric. “Welcome to the Age of Extractivism and Extreme Oil.” National Observer, May 18,

2016. http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/05/18/opinion/welcome-age-extractivism-and-

extreme-oil-%C3%A9ric-pineault.

Suggested readings

Altvater, Elmer. 2006. ‘The social and natural environment of fossil capitalism.’ Pp. 36-59 in Leo

Panitch and Colin Leys (eds.), Socialist Register 2007.

Carter, Angela V. 2014. ‘Petro-capitalism and the Tar Sands.’ Pp. 23-35 in Toban Black, Tony Weis,

Stephen D’Arcy and Joshua Kahn Russell (eds.), A Line in the Tar Sands. Toronto: Between the

Lines.

Huber, Matthew T. “Oil, Life, and the Fetishism of Geopolitics.” Capitalism Nature Socialism 22, no.

3 (September 1, 2011): 32–48. doi:10.1080/10455752.2011.593883.

Lohmann, Larry. “Energy Alternatives: Surveying the Territory.” Sturminster Newton (UK): The

Corner House, May 2013. www.thecornerhouse.org.uk/resource/energy-alternatives.

Malm, Andreas. “The Origins of Fossil Capital: From Water to Steam in the British Cotton Industry.”

Historical Materialism 21, no. 1 (January 1, 2013): 15–68. doi:10.1163/1569206X-12341279.

*Meenal, Shrivastava and Lorna Stefanick. 2015. “Big Oil Is Destroying Canada’s Democracy and

We Must Stop It | Rabble.ca.” Accessed February 2, 2017.

http://rabble.ca/books/reviews/2015/11/big-oil-destroying-canadas-democracy-and-we-must-

stop-it.

Pineault, Eric. “The Capitalist Pressure to Extract, an Ecological and Political Economy of Extreme

Oil in Canada.” Université du Québec à Montréal, October 2015.

https://www.academia.edu/12759396/The_Capitalist_Pressure_to_Extract_an_Ecological_and_P

olitical_Economy_of_Extreme_Oil_in_Canada.

Shaw, Karena. “Climate Deadlocks: The Environmental Politics of Energy Systems.” Environmental

Politics 20, no. 5 (2011): 743–63. doi:10.1080/09644016.2011.608538.

Imperialism, colonialism, land grabs in fossil capital development –

past & present

Core readings

Birch, Tony. 2016. “Climate Change, Mining and Traditional Indigenous Knowledge in Australia.”

Social Inclusion, Volume 4, Issue 1, Pages 92-101 Doi: 10.17645/si.v4i1.442

Coulthard, Glen S. 2007. “Subjects of Empire: Indigenous Peoples and the ‘Politics of Recognition’

in Canada.” Contemporary Political Theory 6(4):437–60.

Crook, Martin and Damien Short. 2014. “Marx Lemkin and the Genocide-Ecocide Nexus.” The

International Journal of Human Rights, 18:3, 298-319, DOI: 10.1080/13642987.2014.914703

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Malm, Andreas. “Who Lit This Fire? Approaching the History of the Fossil Economy.” Critical

Historical Studies 3, no. 2 (September 1, 2016): 215–48. doi:10.1086/688347.

Shorter online pieces

Harris, Kate. “Caleb Behn’s Big Battle to Change the World | The Tyee.” Accessed March 6, 2017.

https://thetyee.ca/News/2015/11/28/Behn-Big-Battle-Change-World/.

Noisecat, Julien Brave. 2017. “The Western Idea of Private Property Is Flawed. Indigenous Peoples

Have It Right.” The Guardian, March 27, 2017,

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/mar/27/western-idea-private-property-

flawed-indigenous-peoples-have-it-right

Suggested readings

Bachram, Heidi. “Climate Fraud and Carbon Colonialism: The New Trade in Greenhouse Gases.”

Capitalism Nature Socialism 15, no. 4 (2004): 5–20. doi:10.1080/1045575042000287299.

Foster, John Bellamy, and Brett Clark. “Ecological Imperialism: The Curse of Capitalism.” Socialist

Register 40 (2004): 186–201.

*Fuentes, Federico. “The Dangerous Myths of ‘Anti-Extractivism.’” Climate and Capitalism, May

19, 2014. http://climateandcapitalism.com/2014/05/19/dangerous-myths-anti-extractivism/.

Petras, James, and Henry Veltmeyer. The New Extractivism: A Post-Neoliberal Development Model

or Imperialism of the Twenty-First Century? London: Zed Books, 2014.

Capital, class and corporate power

Part 1: Modalities of corporate power in transnational and Canadian contexts

Core readings

Bonds, Eric. “Upending Climate Violence Research: Fossil Fuel Corporations and the Structural

Violence of Climate Change.” Human Ecology Review 22, no. 2 (2016): 3–23.

*Carroll, William K. 2016. “The Changing Face(s) of Corporate Power in Canada.” In Edward Grabb,

Jeffrey G. Reitz and Monica Hwang (eds.) Social Inequality in Canada Sixth Edition. Toronto:

Oxford University Press.

Graaff, Naná de and Bastiaan van Apeldoorn (forthcoming, 2017) ‘US elite power and the rise of

'statist' Chinese elites in global markets’, Special Issue: Elites and American Power,

International Politics.

Graaff, Naná de. 2012. “Oil Elite Networks in a Transforming Global Oil Market.” International

Journal of Comparative Sociology 53, no. 4 (August 1, 2012): 275–97.

doi:10.1177/0020715212460042.

*Heede, Richard. “Tracing Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide and Methane Emissions to Fossil Fuel and

Cement Producers, 1854–2010.” Climatic Change 122, no. 1–2 (January 2014): 229–41.

doi:10.1007/s10584-013-0986-y.

*Heede, Richard, and Naomi Oreskes. “Potential Emissions of CO2 and Methane from Proved

Reserves of Fossil Fuels: An Alternative Analysis.” Global Environmental Change 36 (January

2016): 12–20. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2015.10.005.

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Sapinski, J.P. and William K. Carroll. 2017 “Interlocking directorates and corporate networks.” In

Andreas Nölke and Christian May (eds.), Handbook of the International Political Economy of

the Corporation. In press.

Shorter online pieces

“Big Oil Spent $115m ‘Obstructing’ Climate Laws in 2015, NGO Says | Climate Home - Climate

Change News.” Accessed May 26, 2016. http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/04/07/big-

oil-spent-115m-obstructing-climate-laws-in-2015-ngo-says/.

“Fossil Fuels Subsidised by $10m a Minute, Says IMF | Environment | The Guardian.” Accessed

October 12, 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/18/fossil-fuel-

companies-getting-10m-a-minute-in-subsidies-says-imf.

Healing, Dan. 2017. “Big Banks Said to Be More Open to Making Loans to Oil and Gas Industry.”

National Observer. 20 February. http://www.nationalobserver.com/2017/02/20/news/big-banks-

said-be-more-open-making-loans-oil-and-gas-industry .

“Just 90 Companies Are to Blame for Most Climate Change, This ‘Carbon Accountant’ Says |

Science | AAAS.” Accessed March 26, 2017. http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/08/just-90-

companies-are-blame-most-climate-change-carbon-accountant-says.

“PERI - Greenhouse 100 Polluters Index: 2016 Report, Based on 2014 Data).” Accessed March 30,

2017. https://www.peri.umass.edu/greenhouse-100-polluters-index.

Steward, Gillian. 2015. “Corporations Rule in Alberta’s Oilpatch | Toronto Star.” Accessed

September 8, 2015. http://www.thestar.com/news/atkinsonseries/2015/08/28/corporations-rule-

in-albertas-oilpatch.html.

Stanford, Jim. 2011. “A July 1 Portrait of Corporate Canada.” The Progressive Economics Forum

http://www.progressive-economics.ca/2011/06/29/a-july-1-portrait-of-corporate-canada/.

Suggested readings

*Fernandes, Sabrina and Richard Girard. 2011. Corporations, Climate and the United Nations: How

Big Business has Seized Control of Global Climate Negotiations. Ottawa: Polaris Institute.

http://www.polarisinstitute.org/corporations_climate_and_the_un.

Graaff, Naná de. “A Global Energy Network? The Expansion and Integration of Non-Triad National

Oil Companies.” Global Networks 11, no. 2 (2011): 262–283. doi:10.1111/j.1471-

0374.2011.00320.x.

Graaff, Naná de. “The Hybridization of the State–capital Nexus in the Global Energy Order.”

Globalizations 9, no. 4 (2012): 531–45. doi:10.1080/14747731.2012.699926.

Part 2: Mapping corporate power and influence

Core readings

*Connor, Kevin. 2014. “Introducing Oligrapher: Power Mapping on LittleSis.” Retrieved April 16,

2017: https://news.littlesis.org/2014/07/22/introducing-oligrapher-power-mapping-on-littlesis/.

Sapinski, Jean Philippe. 2015. “Climate Capitalism and the Global Corporate Elite Network.”

Environmental Sociology 1, no. 4: 268–79.

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Corporate hegemony and the battle for hearts and minds

*Acuna, Ricardo. 2015. “A Window on Power and Influence in Alberta Politics.” In Alberta Oil and

the Decline of Democracy in Canada, edited by Meenal Shrivastava and Lorna Stefanick, 275-

92. Edmonton: AU Press. http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120251

Brulle, Robert J. “Institutionalizing Delay: Foundation Funding and the Creation of U.S. Climate

Change Counter-Movement Organizations.” Climatic Change 122, no. 4 (2014): 681–94.

doi:10.1007/s10584-013-1018-7.

*Corporate Accountability International. 2015. Fueling the Fire: The Big Polluters Bankrolling

COP21. Boston: Corporate Accountability International.

*Cross, Kathleen, Shane Gunster, Marcelina Piotrowski and Shannon Daub. 2015. “News Media and

Climate Politics: Civic engagement and political efficacy in a climate of reluctant cynicism.”

Climate Justice Project, CCPA-BC, 10 September

https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/news-media-and-climate-politics

*Derber, Charles. 2010. Greed to Green: Solving Climate Change and Remaking the Economy.

Boulder: Paradigm Publishers, pp. 74-85.

Lohmann, Larry. “Carbon Trading, Climate Justice and the Production of Ignorance: Ten Examples.”

Development 51, no. 3 (2008): 359–65. doi:10.1057/dev.2008.27.

Raso, Kathleen and Robert J. Neubauer. 2016. “Managing Dissent: Energy Pipelines and ‘New

Right’ Politics in Canada. Canadian Journal of Communication Vol 41, No 1 http://www.cjc-

online.ca/index.php/journal/article/view/2777 .

Shorter online pieces

“A Brief History of Fossil-Fuelled Climate Denial | DeSmog Canada.” Accessed June 23, 2016.

http://www.desmog.ca/2016/06/20/brief-history-fossil-fuelled-climate-denial.

“Are the Billionaire American Koch Brothers Playing Climate Politics in Alberta? | National

Observer.” Accessed February 2, 2017. http://www.nationalobserver.com/2017/01/13/news/are-

koch-brothers-playing-climate-politics-alberta.

“‘Canada Will Not Succeed’ If Energy Sector Declines, Pipelines Not Built: RBC CEO - The Globe

and Mail.” Accessed September 28, 2016. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-

business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/rbc-head-calls-for-energy-sector-growth-new-

pipelines/article32064940/.

“Energy Megaprojects, and How They Aim to Seduce Us | The Tyee.” Accessed March 19, 2017.

https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2017/03/18/Energy-Megaprojects-

Seduce/?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=180317 .

“Here’s a Look inside Big Oil’s ‘ground War’ to Change How You Think | National Observer.”

Accessed June 4, 2016. http://www.nationalobserver.com/2016/06/02/news/heres-look-inside-

big-oils-ground-war-change-how-you-think.

Klein, Seth, and Shannon Daub. “The New Climate Denialism: Time for an Intervention.” Policy

Note, September 22, 2016. http://www.policynote.ca/the-new-climate-denialism-time-for-an-

intervention/.

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Sammartino, Lisa. 2017. “718,918 Reasons Christy Clark Said ‘yes’ to Kinder Morgan.” Dogwood

Initiative. 11 January. https://dogwoodinitiative.org/reasons-christy-clark-said-yes-kinder-

morgan/.

“Stand up to Social Licence ‘Radicals,’ Think Tank Boss Says.” Accessed December 17, 2015.

http://www.alaskahighwaynews.ca/regional-news/stand-up-to-social-licence-radicals-think-tank-

boss-says-1.2130349 .

Washbrook, Kevin. 2015. ‘Why are people cheering Alberta’s climate plan?’ The Tyee 16 December

http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2015/12/16/Cheering-Alberta-Climate-Plan/

Suggested readings

Bonds, Eric. “Beyond Denialism: Think Tank Approaches to Climate Change.” Sociology Compass

10, no. 4 (April 1, 2016): 306–17. doi:10.1111/soc4.12361.

*Cayley-Daoust, Daniel, and Richard Girard. “Big Oil’s Oily Grasp: The Making of Canada as a

Petro-State and How Oil Money Is Corrupting Canadian Politics.” Ottawa: Polaris Institute,

December 2012. http://polarisinstitute.org/files/BigOil%27sOilyGrasp_0.pdf .

Haluza-DeLay, Randolph. “Giving Consent in the Petrostate: Hegemony and Alberta Oil Sands.”

Journal for Activism in Science & Technology Education 4, no. 1 (2012).

Farrell, Justin. 2015. “Network Structure and Influence of the Climate Change Counter-Movement,”

Nature Climate Change. 29 October. doi:10.1038/nclimate2875

Norgaard, Kari Marie. 2011. “Climate Change as Background Noise in the United States.” Pp. 177-

205 in Kari Norgaard, Living in Denial: Climate Change, Emotions, and Everyday Life.

Cambridge: MIT Press.

Carbon commodity chains and flashpoints

Part 1: Carbon commodity chains

Core readings

Boskovic, Branko and Andrew Leach. 2017. “Leave it in the Ground? Incorporating the Social Cost

of Carbon into Oil Sands Development.” 14 February.

Huber, Matthew. “Theorizing Energy Geographies.” Geography Compass 9, no. 6 (June 2015): 327–

38. doi:10.1111/gec3.12214.

Lawson, James. “Power, Political Economy, and Environmental Governance: Staple Chains as Media

of Power.” International Journal of Green Economics 3, no. 1 (2009): 28–47.

*Laxer, Gordon. 2015. “Pipelines or pipe dreams.” Pp 159-84 In Gordon Laxer, After the Sands:

Energy and Ecological Security for Canadians. Madeira Park, BC: Douglas and McIntyre.

Scott, Dayna Nadine. “The Networked Infrastructure of Fossil Capitalism: Implications of the New

Pipeline Debates for Environmental Justice in Canada.” Revue générale de droit 43 (2013): 11.

doi:10.7202/1021210ar.

*Slowey, Gabrielle and Lorna Stefanick. 2015. “Development at What Cost? First Nations,

Ecological Integrity, and Democracy.” In Alberta Oil and the Decline of Democracy in Canada,

edited by Meenal Shrivastava and Lorna Stefanick, 195-223. Edmonton: AU Press.

http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120251

Trace, Keith. 2001. "Bulk Commodity Logistics," in Handbook of Logistics and Supply-Chain

Management, edited by Anne M. Brewer, Kenneth J. Button and David A Hensher, 441-54.

Amsterdam: Pergamon.

12

Shorter online pieces

Bernes, Jasper. n.d. “Logistics, Counterlogistics and the Communist Prospect.” Endnotes.

Retrieved April 19, 2017: https://endnotes.org.uk/issues/3/en/jasper-bernes-logistics-

counterlogistics-and-the-communist-prospect.

Jang, Trevor. 2017. “Investigation Traces Flow of Public Money into Hands of B.C. Chiefs in

Exchange for LNG Support.” National Observer. 10 February 13.

http://www.nationalobserver.com/2017/02/10/news/investigation-traces-flow-public-money-

hands-bc-chiefs-exchange-lng-support .

Nikiforuk, Andrew. 2016. “Kinder Morgan Approval Insults Democracy, Science and Economic

Logic.” The Tyee. 30 November. http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2016/11/30/Kinder-Morgan-Insults-

Logic/?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=011216 .

Nikiforuk, Andrew. 2017. “Alberta’s Growing $30-Billion Liability: Inactive Wells.” The Tyee.

https://thetyee.ca/News/2017/02/13/Inactive-Wells-

Alberta/?utm_source=weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=130217.

Pineault, Eric, and Ian Hussey. 2017. Restructuring in Alberta’s oil industry: Internationals pull out,

domestic majors double down.’ Corporate Mapping Project, 18 April.

http://www.corporatemapping.ca/restructuring-in-albertas-oil-industry-internationals-pull-out-

domestic-majors-double-down/

Part 2: Understanding flashpoints

Core readings

Bowles, Paul, and Fiona MacPhail. “The Town That Said ‘No’ to the Enbridge Northern Gateway

Pipeline: The Kitimat Plebiscite of 2014.” The Extractive Industries and Society 4, no. 1

(January 2017): 15–23. doi:10.1016/j.exis.2016.11.009.

Dorow, Sara. 2015. “Gendering Energy Extraction in Fort McMurray.” In Alberta Oil and the Decline

of Democracy in Canada, edited by Meenal Shrivastava and Lorna Stefanick, 295-311.

Edmonton: AU Press. http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120251

Shorter online pieces

As long as the rivers flow: Athabasca River Knowledge, Use and Change:

http://www.parklandinstitute.ca/as_long_as_the_rivers_flow

(*Suggested to only read the Media Release, but could read the full report if desired).

First Nations and Metis youth in Northern Alberta: towards a more expansive view of transitions:

http://epub.sub.uni

hamburg.de/epub/volltexte/2013/18011/pdf/March2010_FNandMetisYouth_Taylor.pdf

Letter of Concern to Bigstone Cree Nation:

http://www.corporatemapping.ca/letter-of-concern-on-the-land-rights-and-water-rights-of-

bigstone-cree-nation/

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Gender, Indigenous Rights, and Energy Development in Northeast British

Columbia: http://www.amnesty.ca/outofsight

(*Reading the executive summary only is suggested, but could read the full report if desired).

13

Indigenous resistance and resurgence in the face of big carbon

Core readings

Alfred, Taiaiake, and Jeff Corntassel. “Being Indigenous: Resurgences against Contemporary

Colonialism.” Government and Opposition 40, no. 4 (January 2005): 597–614.

doi:10.1111/j.1477-7053.2005.00166.x.

*Alfred, Taiaiake. 2017. “The Great Unlearning.” 28 February. https://taiaiake.net/2017/02/28/the-

great-unlearning/ .

Awasis, Sakihitowin. 2014. “Pipelines and Resistance across Turtle Island.” In D’Arcy, Stephen,

Toban Black, Tony Weis, and Joshua Kahn Russell, eds. A Line in the Tar Sands, 253-66.

Toronto: Between the Lines.

*Manno, Jack P. and Pamela Martin. 2015. “The Good Life (Sumak Kawsay) and the Good Mind

(Gamigonhi:oh): Indigenous Values and Keeping Fossil Fuels in the Ground.” Pp. 279-310 in

Princen, Thomas, Jack P. Manno and Pamela L. Martin (eds.), Ending the Fossil Fuel Era.

Cambridge: MIT Press.

*Thomas-Muller, Clayton. 2014. “The Rise of the Native Rights-Based Strategic Approach: Our Last

Best Hope to Save Our Water, Air, and Earth.” In D’Arcy, Stephen, Toban Black, Tony Weis,

and Joshua Kahn Russell, eds. A Line in the Tar Sands, 240-52. Toronto: Between the Lines.

Shorter online pieces

“Harper Government Spent Millions to Push Tar Sands on First Nations | Common Dreams | Breaking

News & Views for the Progressive Community.” Accessed August 15, 2015.

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/08/12/harper-government-spent-millions-push-tar-

sands-first-nations.

Klein, Naomi. “Dancing the World into Being: A Conversation with Idle No More’s Leanne

Simpson.” YES! Magazine, March 5, 2013. http://www.yesmagazine.org/peace-justice/dancing-

the-world-into-being-a-conversation-with-idle-no-more-leanne-simpson.

Conversations on Current Realities, Mobilizing Alternatives, and Activism

A workshop organized by CMP student researchers

Bevington, Douglas and Chris Dixon. 2005. “Movement-Relevant Theory: Rethinking Social Movement Scholarship and Activism.” Social Movement Studies 4(3):185–208.

Building strong alliances for climate justice

Core readings

*Angel, James. “Towards Energy Democracy.” Amsterdam: Transnational Institute, May 2016.

Bond, P. & Dorsey, MK. (2010) Anatomies of environmental knowledge and resistance: diverse

climate justice movements and waning eco-neoliberalism. Journal of Australian Political

Economy, 66, p. 286-316.

14

*Coats, Emily. 2014. “What Does It Mean to Be a Movement? A Proposal for a Coherent, Powerful,

Indigenous-Led Movement.” In D’Arcy, Stephen, Toban Black, Tony Weis, and Joshua Kahn

Russell, eds. A Line in the Tar Sands, 267–78. Toronto: Between the Lines.

*Cooling, Karen, Marc Lee, Shannon Daub, and Jessie Singer. 2015. Just Transition: Creating a

Green Social Contract for BC’s Resource Workers. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

Retrieved April 14, 2017. https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/just-transition.

* Daub, Shannon. 2016. “Why Austerity Is a Problem for Just Transition and Climate Action.”

Corporate Mapping Project. Retrieved April 14, 2017. http://www.corporatemapping.ca/why-

austerity-is-a-problem-for-just-transition-and-climate-action/.

Jefferies, Cameron. 2016. “Justice in an Unconventional World: First Nations’ Treaty Rights and

Procedural Climate Justice in Alberta’s Oil Sands Region.” in Climate Justice: Case Studies

in Global and Regional Governance Challenges, edited by R. Abate. Environmental Law

Institute.

Satgar, Vishwas. 2017. "Introduction." In Climate Crisis and Just Transitions - Democratic Eco-

Socialist Alternatives in South Africa and Beyond (eds) Vishwas Satgar and Jacky Cock,

Johannesburg: WITS University Press (forthcoming).

Schlosberg, D. & Collins, L.B. (2015). From Environmental to Climate Justice: Climate Change and

the Discourse of Environmental Justice. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews - Climate Change, 5(3),

p. 359-374

Tokar, Brian. 2014. “Tar Sands, Extreme Energy, and the Future of the Climate Movement.” In

D’Arcy, Stephen, Toban Black, Tony Weis, and Joshua Kahn Russell, eds. A Line in the Tar

Sands, 310-20. Toronto: Between the Lines.

Shorter online pieces

Albo, Greg, and Lilian Yap. “‘From the Tar Sands to “Green Jobs”? Work and Ecological Justice.’”

The Bullet, July 12, 2016. http://socialistproject.ca/bullet/1280.php .

Walia, Harsha. 2012. “Decolonizing Together.” Retrieved April 14, 2017

https://briarpatchmagazine.com/articles/view/decolonizing-together.

Suggested readings

Hadden, Jennifer. “Explaining Variation in Transnational Climate Change Activism: The Role of

Inter-Movement Spillover.” Global Environmental Politics 14, no. 2 (April 9, 2014): 7–25.

doi:10.1162/GLEP_a_00225.

Climate leadership session

Core readings

*Girard, Marny. 2017. “Do the Federal Government’s Actions on Climate Change Stack Up?” Green

Economy Network, 21 February. http://greeneconomynet.ca/do-the-federal-governments-

actions-on-climate-change-stack-up/ .

Mueller, Tadzio. 2013. “Of Energy Struggles, Energy Transitions and Energy Democracy.”

LuXemburg April. http://www.zeitschrift-luxemburg.de/of-energy-struggles-energy-transitions-

and-energy-democracy1/#sdfootnote8sym .

*Princen, Thomas, Jack P. Manno and Pamela L. Martin. 2015. “On the Way Down: Fossil Fuel

Politics in the Twenty-First Century.” Pp. 333-64 in Princen, Thomas, Jack P. Manno and

Pamela L. Martin (eds.), Ending the Fossil Fuel Era. Cambridge: MIT Press.

*Sweeney, Sean and John Treat. 2017. “Energy Transition: Are We Winning?” TUED Working

Department of Sociology

15

Paper #9. Trade Unions for Energy Democracy, January

http://unionsforenergydemocracy.org/resources/tued-publications/tued-working-paper-9-energy-

transition-are-we-winning/

Shorter online pieces

“One Million Climate Jobs: A Challenge for Canada.” 2016. Green Economy Network

http://greeneconomynet.ca/one-million-climate-jobs-challenge/

Socialist Project. 2016. “A Leap Toward Radical Politics?” The Bullet No. 1265. 7 June.

http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/1265.php .

Department of Sociology

16

Official Grading Standards Undergraduate Records, University of Victoria, 2017

Passing Grade

Grade Point Value

Percentage Description

A+ A A-

9 8 7

90 – 100 85 – 89 80 – 84

An A+, A, or A- is earned by work which is technically superior, shows mastery of the subject matter, and in the case of an A+ offers original insight and/or goes beyond course expectations. Normally achieved by a minority of students.

B+ B B-

6 5 4

77 – 79 73 – 76 70 – 72

A B+, B, or B- is earned by work that indicates a good comprehension of the course material, a good command of the skills needed to work with the course material, and the student’s full engagement with the course requirements and activities. A B+ represents a more complex understanding and/or application of the course material. Normally achieved by the largest number of students.

C+ C

3 2

65 – 69 60 – 64

A C+ or C is earned by work that indicates an adequate comprehension of the course material and the skills needed to work with the course material and that indicates the student has met the basic requirements for completing assigned work and/or participating in class activities.

D 1 50 – 59

A D is earned by work that indicates minimal command of the course materials and/or minimal participation in class activities that is worthy of course credit toward the degree.

COM Excluded Grade

Complete (pass). Used only for 0-unit courses and those credit courses designated by the Senate. Such courses are identified in the course listings.

Failing Grades

Grade Point Value

Percentage Description

E 0 0-49 Conditional supplemental. Supplemental examinations are not offered by all departments and the allowable percentage may vary by program (e.g. 35-49). Students will be advised whether supplemental will be offered and if the percentage range varies when assessment techniques are announced at the beginning of the course.

F 0 0-49 F is earned by work, which after the completion of course requirements, is inadequate and unworthy of course credit towards the degree.

N 0 0-49 Did not write examination or complete course requirements by the end of term or session; no supplemental.

N/X Excluded Grade

Did not complete course requirements by the end of the term; no supplemental. Used only for Co-op work terms and for courses designated by Senate. Such courses are identified in the course listings. The grade is EXCLUDED from the calculation of all grade point averages.

F/X Excluded Grade

Unsatisfactory performance. Completed course requirements; no supplemental. Used only for Co-op work terms and for courses designated by Senate. Such courses are identified in the course listings. The grade is EXCLUDED from the calculation of all grade point averages.

Department of Sociology

17

Examination and Assignment Policy As per university policy, absence is only permitted in cases of illness, accident, family affliction, or religious obligations. Missing an exam for other reasons will result in an “F.” Students are responsible for providing official documentation to justify their absence, e.g. a doctor’s note. In cases of justified absences, the student has the right to request a make-up exam. Please note that exams will not be rescheduled to accommodate students’ personal circumstances, including travelling plans. There are no exceptions to this policy. Grading In accordance with Senate Regulations, grading on the curve is not permitted. The grades students receive in this course reflect their performance in relation to specified academic expectations. Students should retain a copy of all submitted assignments (in case of loss) and should retain all their marked assignments in case they wish to apply for a Review of Assigned Standings. Students have the right to view their marked examinations with their instructor, providing they apply to do so within a month of receiving their final grades. All exams remain the property of the University of Victoria. Attendance As per university policy, attendance to all classes is mandatory. Students who are unavoidably absent because of illness, accident or family affliction should report to the instructor as soon as possible. Absences that cannot be justified in accordance with university policies will be subject to penalty at the discretion of the instructor. If you are absent for reasons other than those specified under university policies, then it is not the responsibility of the instructor or the TA to help you catch up with missed lecture material. Academic Integrity The Department of Sociology fully and rigorously enforces the Senate Policy on Academic integrity. It is of utmost importance that students who do their work honestly be protected from those who do not. Because this policy is in place to ensure that students carry out and benefit from the learning activities assigned in each course, it is expected that students will cooperate in its implementation. Students caught cheating in the course will be expelled and reported to the Chair of the Department of Sociology and the Dean of Social Sciences for disciplinary action. Plagiarism and Cheating Students must note the statement on “Plagiarism” in the UVic Calendar, and all regulations under the “Policy on Academic Integrity.” Quotes and citations must be used for any material longer than 5 words in succession that is not the student’s original work. Harassment The Department of Sociology supports the University’s policies on harassment, and is committed to ensuring that all students, staff, and faculty are able to exercise fully their rights to participate in activities at the University without fear of harassment.

University Course Policies

Department of Sociology

18

Accommodations The University of Victoria accommodates students with disabilities who have registered with the Disability Resource Centre. The University accommodates students whose religious obligations conflict with attendance, submitting assignments, or completing scheduled tests and examinations. Please let your instructor know in advance, preferably in the first week of class, if you will require any accommodation on these grounds. As per university policy, students who plan to be absent for varsity athletics, family obligations, or other similar commitments, cannot assume they will be accommodated, and should discuss their commitments with the instructor before the drop date. Classroom Etiquette Distractions can easily hinder the difficult process of conveying knowledge. Please observe standard classroom etiquette. Entering the classroom after the instructor's presentation has started can be distracting both to the instructor as well as to other students. While occasional lateness may be unavoidable, your dedication to being on time is greatly appreciated. The use of electronic communication devices is also a distraction to both the instructor and classmates. This includes texting and surfing the internet. Please turn off your electronic communication devices before entering the classroom and refrain from using them during class. If there is a justifiable reason for using your device during class (e.g., expecting an urgent call related to health or illness), please notify the instructor ahead of time, keep the device on vibrate, and exit the room if you must receive a message. Commitment to Inclusiveness and Diversity The University of Victoria is committed to promoting, providing and protecting a positive and safe learning and working environment for all its members. The Department of Sociology is committed to inclusiveness and to a welcoming, friendly learning and working environment. We condemn sexism, ageism, racism, ethnocentrism, homophobia and inappropriate behaviour toward people with a disability. University of Victoria