Postgraduate Course: The Politics of Post-Soviet Russia (PGSP11149)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Postgrad (School of Social and Political Studies) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course introduces students to the politics and government of the contemporary Russian Federation. Format varies each year but follows the following general outline. It commences with theoretical approaches to the USSR, and analysis of the disintegration of the Soviet state and its consequences. It then looks in detail at Russian state and institution-building. Foci generally include party systems, civil society and human rights, democratisation in theory and practice, the nature of post-communism, comparative post-Soviet government and the international relations of the post-Soviet space. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2012/13 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)
|
WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| No Classes have been defined for this Course |
| First Class |
First class information not currently available |
| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, it is expected that students will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of key institutions and processes in post-Soviet Politics
- Exhibit a strong understanding of competing analytical and conceptual approaches for understanding Russian and Post-Soviet Politics
- Evaluate alternative explanations for particular political developments and events in Russia and the CIS
- Develop a personal assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the Russian political system. |
Assessment Information
2 essays totalling 4,000 - 5,000 words
(Essay 1 1500 words, Essay 2 2500 words)
Short essay 40% total mark
Long essay 60% total mark |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Indicative only - exact topics change each year
WEEK 1 General introduction to course
WEEK 2
Lecture: The USSR: origins, structures, development
Seminar: Approaches to the Soviet system
WEEK 3
Lecture: Gorbachev's perestroika
Seminar: The collapse of the USSR
WEEK 4
Lecture: The politics of Russian economic reform
Seminar: 'Clans', oligarchs and the Russian executive
WEEK 5
Lecture: The evolution of executive-legislative relations in Russia
Seminar: Putin, Medvedev and the evolution of executive-legislative relations DVD session WEEK 6
Lecture: Centre-periphery relations
Seminar: Chechnya and the North Caucasus
WEEK 7
Lecture: Russian elections
Seminar: Political parties
DVD session
WEEK 8
Lecture: Russian foreign policy
Seminar: Russia and the West
WEEK 9
Lecture: Russia and the CIS states
Seminar: Russia and the 'Coloured revolutions'
WEEK 10
Lecture: Post-Soviet democratisation: themes and developments
Seminar: Characterising Russian 'democracy' |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
- Stephen White, Richard Sakwa & Henry E. Hale (eds.) Developments in Russian Politics 7 (2009)
- Richard Sakwa, Russian Politics and Society (4th edn, 2008) |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Luke March
Tel: (0131 6)50 4241
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Gillian Macdonald
Tel: (0131 6)51 3244
Email: |
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