IDS 401 - Global Society
History
To get you started in thinking how your topic might be looked at through the historical lens, let's use the event of the Chernobyl nuclear meltdown. In an effort to produce more energy to meet the world's demands, nuclear power was developed as a low pollution option. A nuclear plant was built in the northern part of Ukraine in a small town called Chernobyl. On April 26, 1986 the plant's number 4 reactor experienced melting causing an explosion which "blew the top of the reactor and sent a wide trail of radioactive material across large parts of the Soviet Union" (para. 1). To learn more about this event and nuclear power, watch the videos below. Chernobyl Disaster covers the history of the event and the aftermath of the destruction. The Science of Nuclear Power provides a broader overview of the topic.
To begin to analyze this event like a historian, what would be some questions that we could ask? Here are some ideas:
- When was the technology surrounding nuclear power developed? What was it's original intent?
- When and where was the first nuclear power plant built and deployed?
- What issues were the creators of this technology and energy approach trying to solve at the time?
- What was happening in the world at the time this technology/idea was developed? How did those events/issues influence the creation and implementation of nuclear energy?
- How did the Chernobyl plant get developed?
- What caused the Chernobyl reactor to overheat?
References
Suggested Databases
The list below are some examples of the library's databases that you could use to search for primary and secondary sources on Chernobyl, nuclear energy/power and globalization. See some ideas on how to use keywords to construct your searches.
- nuclear power AND history
- nuclear power AND creators
- Chernobyl AND creation
- Arms Race AND nuclear
- S.Res.390- A resolution relating to the nuclear accident at ChernobylPrimary source from the 99th Congress
- Revelations from the Russian ArchivesExhibit of secondary and primary information
- Environmental Studies in Context - Gale This link opens in a new windowFormerly GREENR. Portal that covers the physical, social and economic aspects of environmental issues in articles, reports, and videos
- Environment Complete - EBSCO This link opens in a new windowContains full-text for hundreds of journals and monographs covering the areas of agriculture, ecosystems, energy, and affiliated areas of study.
- Primary Source Collections by Adam MatthewAdam Matthew publishes unique primary source collections from archives around the world. SNHU Shapiro Library subscribes to the following collections: African American Communities, American History 1493-1945, the Confidential Print: North America collection in Archives Direct, Defining Gender, Empire Online, Everyday Life and Women in America 1800-1920, Race Relations in America, and Socialism On Film. For more information on how to use these database, please see these tutorial videos.
- AccessScience This link opens in a new windowAccessScience is an online resource that contains material covering all major scientific disciplines, including links to primary research material, videos, animations, and curriculum maps for teachers. The McGraw Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms is also integrated into the search function.
- Global Issues In Context - Gale This link opens in a new windowGlobal Issues In Context spans continents and cultures to bring essential, balanced information to researchers across many academic disciplines. Integrating news, global viewpoints, reference, country information, primary source documents, videos, statistics and more in a single search.
- eBook Collection from Taylor & Francis This link opens in a new windoweBook Collection from Taylor & Francis offers a comprehensive eBook collection that delivers more than 12,000 references in over 350 subject areas and more than 40 collections. Includes ENGnetBASE
