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: 2014/15 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
|
Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
15/09/2014 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
|
| Additional Notes |
|
| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| 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
Assessment for this course comprises three components:
- Assessed seminar participation 20%
- Essay 40%
- Policy brief 40%
1. Seminar participation
Seminar assessment is designed to incentivise reading, engagement with the literature and help form a lively, informed tutorial atmosphere. It is based on three elements: contribution to seminar discussion, individual presentation and weekly literature summaries.
2. Essay
The essay is to be 1500-2000 words
3. Policy brief
This method of assessment is designed to develop the transferable skills used by area specialists working for governments, NGOs, international organisations, media and the business community etc. In particular, it develops the ability to accurately and succinctly summarise complex situations and data in an accessible way. The policy brief is to be 1500-2000 words |
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: L.March@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Gillian Macdonald
Tel: (0131 6)51 3244
Email: gillian.macdonald@ed.ac.uk |
|
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