School of Politics, International Relations & Philosophy  
 
 
PIR-20037 Balkan Politics and Society  
Co-ordinator: Mr Kyril Drezov    Room: CBA1.003, Tel:33590  
Teaching Team:  
Level: 2 Credits: 15 Study Hours: 150  
School Office:
 
 
 
Programme/Approved Electives for
None
Available as a Free Standing Elective
No
Prerequisites
N/A
Barred Combinations
N/A
Description

This module will introduce students to Balkan politics and society after the Second World War. It will focus on the evolution of a select group of communist and post-communist countries in the Balkan region - Bulgaria, Romania and Yugoslavia. The main themes covered by the course are: images of the Balkans; local traditions and peculiarities; underdevelopment, modernisation and dependency; communist takeovers; the adaptation of Soviet models after 1944; repression, reform, and dissent; the collapse of communism; majorities, minorities, and ethnic cleansing; democratisation; the political economy of the new democracies; the successes and failures of Western and Westernising policies in the region.
Aims
The module aims to enable students to:
  • Work independently, demonstrating initiative, self-organisation and time-management

  • Process large amounts of information quickly and efficiently, learning to identify and summarise relevant points

  • Collaborate with others in small groups to achieve common goals

  • Communicate effectively and fluently in speech and writing

  • Understand the contested nature of the concepts, approaches and methods that are employed in the study of Balkan politics and society

  • Develop a capacity to think critically about ideologies, institutions, events and personalities

  • Relate the academic study of Balkan politics and society to questions of public concern.


    		•
    Intended Learning Outcomes
    Students should derive from this module:

  • A good understanding of Balkan politics and society
  • Familiarity with some of the theoretical approaches used to study communist and post-communist societies in the Balkan region.
  • An appreciation of the place of regime change in the formerly communist countries within the overall remaking of Europe.


    		•
    Study hours
    The module will be based around 14 hour-long lectures, 5 hour-long tutorials and 1 hour-long concluding session. There will be two consecutive hours of lectures each week. In each of these two-hour lecture slots time may be set aside for questions and comment. In the question-and-comment time all students should be prepared to offer a brief account of their thoughts on the topic under discussion, however preliminary, in the light of the lecture and previous reading.
    Description of Module Assessment
    Students are required to write one essay of around 2,000 wordS.
    1: Essay weighted 50%
    ESSAY - 2000 WORDS
    2: 2 Hour Unseen Exam weighted 50%
    UNSEEN EXAM - 2 HOURS
    Version: (1.03) Created: 08/Mar/2010

    This document is the definitive current source of information about this module and supersedes any other information.