PIR-20078 - Module Specification
School of Social Sciences
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2024/25

The main theme of this module is the most important political experiment of the twentieth century - the attempt to build communism in Russia. We look at:
* the ideological, cultural and political origins of communism
* the nature of the political, economic and social systems created under Lenin and Stalin
* the decline of the Soviet system
* the causes of the collapse of Soviet communism in the Gorbachev period
* communism's legacy and the postcommunist Russian political system
* Putin and Putinism
* Russia's war in Ukraine after 2014
Indicative reading: Choi Chatterjee et al, Russia's Long Twentieth Century (2016), Orlando Figes: Revolutionary Russia, 1891-1991 (2014); Robert Service: The Penguin History of Modern Russia: from Tsarism to the Twenty-First Century (4th edition 2015).

This introductory Russian politics module, intended for second year students, addresses the following areas:
- An historical overview, focussing on dominant political values and traditions, and on how political institutions were formed in the Soviet period;
- Governing structures, institutional interactions and the mechanics of power in the Soviet Union and in postcommunist Russia;
- The difficult development of civil society in Russia;
- Russia and democracy: obstacles to democracy in contemporary Russia.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Describe and analyse features of Soviet and post Soviet politics / society using appropriate academic material: 1,2
1,2
Develop the skill of asking good questions: 1,2
Communicate effectively on an unfamiliar topic for a non specialist audience:

Study hours

Seminars: 22 hours;
Seminar preparation 38 hours;
Blog / podcast / vlog preparation 90 hours;

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment