Russian Politics, 2013-2014 - Prospectus

Toegangseisen

Niet van toepassing.

Beschrijving

The course aims at familiarizing students with the main developments in Russian politics since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The course will start with an overview of the main characteristics of the communist regime and discuss the transformation of the political system and the shock therapy of the economic system. The course will focus on domestic politics (new institutional arrangements in the Russian Federation, the role of the president, political parties, civil society, media, and federalism) and on foreign policy (policy towards the CIS countries, Russia-West and Russia-East relations). Moreover, the course will discuss concepts like national identity, sovereignty, democratisation, globalisation, and hybrid regime in the context of the Russian political arrangement. The course guide is available from the instructor on request.

Leerdoelen

The objective of this course is to advance students’ knowledge and understanding of developments in Russian politics since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Students will familiarize themselves with key institutions and processes in the contemporary Russian political system. By the end of the course, it is expected that students will be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of Russian domestic and international politics and identify and assess key institutions and processes in contemporary Russia
Interpret the broader meanings of political developments with reference to appropriate concepts drawn in particular from the field of political science
Critically assess media messages from and about Russia and place them in a broader context of Russian domestic and international politics
Demonstrate their presentation (written and oral) skills

Rooster

Zie rooster

Onderwijsvorm

Lecture/seminar/self-study. During the first meeting, the instructor will explain the structure of the classes and the distribution of study hours.

Toetsing

Reading and formative writing assignments, mid-term assessment, presentations, final essay and final exam.

Literatuur

If a textbook will be used, this will be announced in June 2013. The reading list (journal articles and book chapters) is outlined in the course guide, which will be available on Blackboard before the start of the course.

Russian Politics