Admission requirements
Participation in the seminar is only permitted if the propaedeutic phase has been passed (60EC).
Description
Since the end of the Cold War, former Soviet States with democratic aspirations, like Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine, have found themselves navigating a geopolitical space in-between the West and Russia. In an age of waning Western ideals and increasing challenges to the liberal world order, Europe and Russia both aim to protect their security and economic interests by exercising influence over domestic actors and decision-making in the Eastern European region. As these countries attempt to consolidate their democracies their governments must also negotiate a complex range of political incentives combining the historical legacies of a weighty state machinery and an informal political culture, with institutional designs emanating from the chaos of the initial transition to democracy, and the current tense international environment. The goal of this course is to explore how democracy fares under geopolitical tensions in Europe’s Eastern Neighbourhood from different perspectives.
Course objectives
By the end of the course students will be able to:
1. understand the state-of-the-art debates and research on the challenges faced by democracy in the Eastern European Neighbourhood.
2. apply concepts and theories about democracy and geopolitics to different country cases.
3. evaluate the impact of core mechanisms on democratic trajectories of country cases and discuss potential strategies for governments navigating the geopolitical space.
Mode of instruction
This course will consist of seminars during which a variety of teaching methods will be applied, including lectures, guest lectures, (group)presentations and student-led discussions.
Assessment method
Student led sessions: 35%
Presentation: 35%
Participation: 20%
In-class quiz: 10%
Reading list
Journal articles, book chapters and/or other publications, all accessible via Leiden University Library. The complete literature list will be made available via Brightspace at least two weeks before the start of the course.
Registration
See Practical Information
Timetable
See ‘My Timetable’
Contact
Amy Eaglestone a.m.eaglestone@fsw.leidenuniv.nl