PIR-20078: Russian Politics and Society

School of Politics, International Relations & Philosophy

PIR-20078

Russian Politics and Society

Co-ordinator:

Dr Matthew Wyman Room: CBB2.041, Tel:33756

Teaching Team:

Mrs Paula Hughes, Mrs Julie Street, Miss Laura Barcroft, Mrs Diane Mason

Lecture Time:

See Timetable...

Level:

Credits:

Study Hours:

150

School Office:

Programme/Approved Electives for

International Relations Dual Honours (Level 2)
International Relations Major (Level 2)
International Relations Minor (Level 2)
International Relations Single Honours (Level 2)
Politics Dual Honours (Level 2)
Politics Major (Level 2)
Politics Minor (Level 2)
Politics Single Honours (Level 2)

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Barred Combinations

None

Prerequisites

None

Description

The theme of this module is the most important political experiment of the twentieth century - the attempt to build communism in Russia. We look at:
* the ideological, cultural and political origins of communism
* the political, economic and social systems created under Lenin and Stalin
* the gradual decline of the Soviet system under Stalin's successors
* the causes of the collapse of Soviet communism in the Gorbachev period
* communism's legacy and the postcommunist Russian political system
* prospects for democracy in contemporary Russia

The module will consist of 12 lectures and 8 x 1 hour tutorials.

Assessment is via a portfolio of short blogs on tutorial content (total 3000 words) and a final seen examination, which will address the 'big' questions raised by the module content: what was communism's appeal, what were the structural problems of the Soviet system, why did this system eventually collapse, what is its legacy, and where is Russia heading in the current period.

Indicative reading: Robert Service: The Penguin History of Modern Russia: from Tsarism to the Twenty-First Century (3rd edition 2009); Stephen K Wegren and Dale R Herspring (eds), After Putin&©s Russia (4th edition, 2009), available as a full text e-book via Keele library; Stephen White et al, Developments in Russian Politics 7 (2009)

Aims

This introductory Russian politics course, intended for second year students, addresses the following areas:
- An historical overview, focussing on dominant political values and traditions, and on how political institutions were formed in the Soviet period.
- Governing structures, institutional interactions and the mechanics of power in the Soviet Union and in postcommunist Russia.
- The development of civil society in Russia.
- Russia and democracy: democratic development and obstacles to democracy in contemporary Russia.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Describe the main features of the Soviet political and economic systems, explain their origins, and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses will be achieved by assessments: 1
Describe and analyse the main theoretical approaches to the study of the Soviet Union, and in particular the usefulness of the totalitarian model will be achieved by assessments: 1
Account for the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1980s and 1990s will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2
Describe the main features of the political system in postcommunist Russia, and assess the extent to which democratisation has taken place will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2
Develop their ability to communicate complex ideas to a general audience through the medium of blogging will be achieved by assessments: 1

Study hours

Lectures/workshops 12 hours; seminars 8 hours; seminar preparation 32 hours; blog and wiki writing 48 hours; preparation of final assignment 50 hours

Description of Module Assessment

01: Portfolio weighted 50%

A portfolio of 5 blogs on tutorial content, total length 2500 words

02: Seen Exam weighted 50%

2 hour Seen examination - students answer 2 questions from a choice of 5

Version: (1.06B) Updated: 03/Mar/2013

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