Module description
Institutions, Identity and Society in Russia will focus on the evolution of Russia’s federal system after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the nature of centre-regional relations in present-day Russia, in the comparative context of post-Soviet Eurasia. The module will attend to key institutions, trends, and reforms underpinning the process of regionalization in Russia during the 1990s and the subsequent recentralization during the 2000s. The prism of centre-regional relations and federalism will provide an additional perspective on the political economy of post-Soviet Russia, including issues such as the nature and extent of social, political and economic reforms, the importance of structural preconditions and legacies inherited from the Soviet economy, resource-dependence and the politics of energy, and relations between the state and businesses in Russia.
Assessment details
'An appropriate assessment pattern will be set which may include but not limited to one or several of the following; Written coursework, group work, unseen timed examinations, participation etc'
Educational aims & objectives
[This module will be available to UG students throughout the School of Politics and Economics, with particular reference to the BA in European Studies, as well as to students on BSc in International Management and BA in International Relations.]
The aim of this module is to provide a detailed understanding of core theories relating to sub-national politics and governance as they apply generally and to the Russian and post-Soviet region in particular. Students will gain an understanding both of the 'state of the art' and of theoretical and empirical controversies in the areas of centre-periphery relations, federalism (including symmetric/asymmetric federalism, and fiscal federalism), authoritarianism and democratisation, and conflict in multi-ethnic states.
Through the application of theory to the Russian and post-Soviet set of cases – and through an examination of the contribution that these cases have made to the development of theory in the discipline – students will be encouraged to take a critical approach to the analysis of models and problems of sub-national politics and governance. The module will promote discussion and debate on the ways in which large, multi-ethnic states are governed, the choices available both to incumbents and challengers in evolving political, economic and social contexts, and the pathways of political reform and change.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this module, students should be able to:
- Identify, analyse and communicate core concepts in sub-national politics and related fields;
- Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the development of sub-national politics in Russia and the surrounding region;
- Demonstrate the ability to conduct basic research, to identify patterns and relationships in available data, and to apply theory to judge the significance of those data;
- Demonstrate the capacity to engage critically with complex causal arguments in sub-national political contexts.
In addition to subject-specific knowledge and skills, students will improve their general analytical skills (through the critical engagement with theory and empirical evidence) and their oral and written presentation and argumentation skills.
Teaching pattern
Weekly lecture and weekly seminars