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 |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | 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. |
| Course description |
WEEK 1 (15 Sept)
General introduction to course (political culture lecture)
WEEK 2 (22 Sept)
Lecture: The USSR: origins, structures, development
Seminar: Approaches to the Soviet system
WEEK 3 (29 Sept)
Lecture: Gorbachev's perestroika
Seminar: The collapse of the USSR
WEEK 4 (6 Oct)
Lecture: The politics of Russian economic reform
Seminar: 'Clans', oligarchs and the Russian executive
WEEK 5 (13 Oct)
Lecture: The evolution of executive-legislative relations in Russia
Seminar: Putin, Medvedev and the evolution of executive-legislative relations
WEEK 6 (20 Oct)
Lecture: Centre-periphery relations
Seminar: Chechnya and the North Caucasus
WEEK 7 (27 Oct)
Lecture: Russian elections
Seminar: Political parties
DVD session: film tbc
WEEK 8 (3 Nov)
Lecture: Civil society, uncivil society and quasi-civil society
Seminar: Social change in contemporary Russia
WEEK 9 (10 Nov)
Lecture: Origins and evolution of the 2014 Russia-Ukraine conflict
Seminar: Ukraine and Russian foreign policy
WEEK 10 (17 Nov)
Lecture: Post-Soviet democratisation: themes and developments
Seminar: Characterising Russian 'democracy'
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2014/15, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 20 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| 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 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
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 |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
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.
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Reading List
Eric Shiraev, Russian Government and Politics (2nd edn, 2013)
Richard Sakwa, Putin Redux: Power and Contradiction in Contemporary Russia (2014)
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
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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