Module description
This module will focus on the challenges of Ukraine’s transition from communism states through an in-depth study of the politics of independent Ukraine. The course has three overarching goals: to analyse the various domestic and international factors influencing Ukraine’s transformation, to explain how and why revolution and war have emerged and returned recently to the country, and to highlight what strengths and experiences the country can draw upon to rebuild and restore once the current fighting stops. Although some familiarity with Ukraine’s history and politics is always welcome, it is not at all a pre-requisite for taking this course.
The course will begin with a brief overview of the history of the Ukrainian state up to the second world war and the Soviet periods, followed by a discussion on the collapse of the Soviet Union and the role Ukraine played in it. From then on, the focus will be on the politics of modern Ukraine. We will analyse the dynamics of political, social, and economic reforms in Ukraine during the 1990s, and the challenges of constructing a common national identity and formulating a foreign policy that in many ways sought to balance between East and West. Particular attention will be paid to the nature of Ukraine’s political regime under each president and the causes of the 2004 Orange and 2014 Euromaidan Revolutions, the nature of corruption and the role that the Oligarchs have played in politics. Finally, we will discuss the causes of war and conflict with Russia since 2014, the role of the European Union in setting up the current crisis, how the war might end and what are the prospects for sovereignty, democracy, better governance, stronger economic development and relations with both East and West going forward.
Having likely endured more state-sponsored killing on its lands than any other country in the world over the past century, Ukraine now finds itself at the centre of a war that will likely be viewed as an inflection point for global politics, transforming how East and West, democratic and authoritarian states will interact going forward. With Ukraine topping global news in 2022, this module seeks to satisfy student interest to understand the world at large, what led up to the current moment for Ukraine and how this moment might well change the world as we have known and studied it previously.
Assessment details
Class Participation (Including Presentations) - (10%)
2 x Tests (30% each; 60% of final grade)
Policy Memorandum (1,000 words) - (30%)
Educational aims & objectives
The educational aims of the module are:
- To impart to students a comprehensive knowledge of the interlocking policy challenges of political, economic, social and governance reform in Ukraine since 1991;
- To impart to students a fundamental understanding of competing theoretical approaches to the study of processes of political, economic and social change, as well as state- and nation-building, both within and beyond the Ukraine case;
- To instil in students an appreciation of the complexities of research and argument that cross both disciplinary and cultural boundaries;
- To encourage students to engage critically with received theory and argument; and
- To improve students’ ability to write effectively and to lay out an argument in a time-limited manner.
- To instil in students an appreciation of the challenges of rigorous research and the establishment of causality, both from academic and policy analysis perspectives;
- To encourage students to engage critically with received theory and argument; and
- To be capable of writing for a policy-oriented audience in a persuasive and non-academic manner.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students should have:
- A greater comprehension of the diversity of arguments used for and against hypotheses that seek to explain how the Soviet Union and its demise affected the development of post-war Ukraine;
- A firm grasp on the political and economic priorities for the newly independent Ukraine;
- A greater appreciation for the regional, ethnic, linguistic and cultural diversity of Ukraine;
- An increased awareness about the oligarchs’ significant role in politics, and efforts sought to reduce such a role;
- A capacity to discern why Ukraine’s transition has been accompanied by so much corruption and the efforts made – both internally and externally – to reduce such corruption;
- A firmer capability to discuss and analyse why Ukraine had two mass protest-led revolutions in a span of a decade;
- Greater competence in laying out the causes of war and conflict with Russia since 2014; and
- Greater confidence and improvement in speaking, discussing, and writing on matters of political, social, and economic import;
- Increased self-confidence in writing for an academic audience versed in social science methods;
- Increased self-certainty in writing for a policy-oriented audience in a persuasive manner; and
- Given the current level and likely increase in foreign assistance programmes targeted at Ukraine on the part of the EU, the US, and the UK in the coming years, the increased familiarity and knowledge of Ukraine and its politics should enable students to be more competitive when seeking employment in foreign policy, foreign assistance and related sectors.
Teaching pattern
1-hour weekly lecture and 1-hour weekly seminar
Suggested reading list
- Marc P. Berenson, Taxes and Trust: From Coercion to Compliance in Poland, Russia and Ukraine (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2018.)
- Andrew Wilson, The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation, Fourth Edition, (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2022.)