Admission requirements
Open to all students from the MA programme Russian and Eurasian Studies. Students from other MA programmes require a Russian language reading level of B1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, see CEFR.
Description
Energy has long been a major factor in the formulation of national strategies, the exercise of national power, and in shaping politics and security in the hydrocarbon-rich region of Eurasia (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine,
Uzbekistan).
Consistent access to energy resources has been one of the major factors of economic success and development. Securing energy access at an affordable price has driven and continues to drive global competition among the greatest energy consuming powers. Energy producers, on the other hand, have
attempted to leverage their energy power to achieve domestic and/or international political and developmental aims.
This inter-disciplinary course examines energy from the perspective of companies, governments, and civil society actors across Eurasia, and tries to understand how cooperation and, at times, competition for access and distribution of energy resources shapes the changing geopolitics of energy in Eurasia.
The course is divided into three parts: 1) Understanding Energy: Existing Energy Systems, 2) Geopolitics of Energy in Eurasia, and 3) Eurasian Energy and the Future.
Course objectives
The course strengthens academic research skills (including the formulation, contextualization, and operationalization of appropriate research questions) through a range of written assignments. Five pursuits define the course. Students can expect to:
1) gain a greater understanding of the energy security concerns of Eurasian producer and consumer countries;
2) identify and analyse how countries have altered their foreign policies, domestic efforts, and military strategies in light of such concerns;
3) gain a greater knowledge of and understanding of actors and institutions that have shaped the international political economy of energy; including states, firms, international organizations, and civil society actors, among others;
4) examine shifting trends in the energy realm, with a major focus on the unconventional revolution and the global energy transition; and 5) anticipate new patterns and structural shifts in the Eurasian geopolitics of energy in light of these trends.
Timetable
Visit MyTimetable.
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Assessment method
Assessment
There are two marked assignments to be submitted during the course and one in-class presentation:
1. Current Affairs Memo: (1,200 words, +/- 10%), along with an in-class Presentation of the Memo.
2. Final Research Paper: (3,000-4000 words, excluding footnotes and bibliography).
Weighing
Grading: Participation (10%); In-Class Presentations (20%); Current Affairs Memo (20%); Final Papers (50%).
Resit
Students pass the course if their weighted average is 5.50 or higher and the grade for the research paper is at least 5.50. Only the research paper can be retaken.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized
Reading List
The readings will be listed in the course outline which will be made available on Blackboard.
Blackboard will be used for:
Course Information
Course Materials
Students are requested to enroll on Blackboard, but only after correct enrolment in uSis
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available in English and Dutch
Registration Studeren à la carte en Contractonderwijs
Registration Studeren à la carte
Registration Contractonderwijs.
Contact
For questions related to the content of the course, please contact the lecturer, you can find their contact information by clicking on their name in the sidebar.
For questions regarding enrollment please contact the Education Administration Office Reuvensplaats
E-mail address Education Administration Office Reuvensplaats: osz-oa-reuvensplaats@hum.leidenuniv.nl
For questions regarding your studyprogress contact the Coordinator of Studies