Module description
The Contemporary Russian Politics & Policy module is designed to provide students with a thorough understanding of contemporary Russian political, social and economic history, current events and ongoing policy challenges and empirical puzzles, contextualized by the relevant theoretical literature and comparative perspective.
Contemporary Russian Politics & Policy will impart a familiarity with contemporary Russian affairs and recent history, beginning in the late Soviet period and running through the present day. The module will cover policy and empirical challenges ranging from the socio-cultural, political and economic dislocations of post-communist transition to the re-emergence of Russia as a new regional and global power in the 21st century. Issues will be addressed in the context of the social science literature as it evolved through the post-communist period, thus providing an opportunity for learning about how knowledge is created and tested in the social sciences.
Assessment details
2 x 2,500-word essay (each counts 20% towards final module mark, 40% in total); 4 x In-class quizzes (two per term) (10% each so 40% in total); Class participation including discussion forum on KEATS and written one-page research reactions (one per term)(20%).
Teaching pattern
two-hour lecture and seminar weekly over twenty weeks (two terms)