POLITICS of RUSSIA
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San Francisco State University, Spr 10 PLSI/IR 407 HSS 302 MW 14:10-15:50 Office hours: M 4:30-6 W 4:30-5:20 |
Andrei P. Tsygankov Email: andrei@sfsu.edu Office: HSS 354 Office phone: 87493 http://bss.sfsu.edu/tsygankov |
Description:
This course seeks to understand Russia’s political system and change. It is a part of the two courses-set on Eurasia.[1] The course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive coverage of Russia before and after Soviet dissolution, particularly as viewed from Russia’s perspective. It seeks to accomplish the following goals.
Background knowledge. First, it seeks to understand Russia’s political system in historical and contemporary setting. It should provide students with background historical knowledge relevant for understanding the region en large, as well as the knowledge of Russia’s main patterns of policy formation and policy orientation.
Contemporary issues. Second, the course seeks to provide students with basic knowledge of contemporary issues of the post-communist development of Russia and, to the extend possible, the entire Eurasian region. We will be concerned with the Soviet collapse, Russia’s political, economic, and security development, among other issues.
Analytical perspectives. Third, the course will view Russia’s development in the light of major analytical perspectives that have been developed in Russian area studies as a discipline. In particular, students will learn to think about our subject matter in terms of two major rival schools of thought: Modernism or Westernism, according to which Russia is in the process of incorporating Western institutions and Traditionalism that argues that Russia is fundamentally different from the West and will be unable to adjust to liberal democratic values that are deemed exclusively as a product of Europe and its Modernity project.
Critical thinking. Finally, the course should help in developing analytical abilities through critical reading and writing. Students will develop standards of a “good” argument and will learn to apply them in their writing and oral presentations
Requirements:
Attendence and participation – 10% of the grade
Midterm Exam – 30%
Critical review paper (10 pages) – 20%
In-class presentation (7 minutes) – 20%
Final Exam – 20 %
The format of paper and presentation will be discussed separately.
Readings:
Poe, M. T. The Russian Moment in World History. Princeton, 2003.
Suny, R. G., ed. The Structure of Soviet History. Oxford, 2003.
Herspring, D. R., ed. Putin’s Russia. 4th ed. Rowman & Littlefield, 2010.
Articles on electronic reserve and by email (marked by *)
Calendar (tentative):
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Week 1 Jan 25, 27 Week 2 Feb 1, 3 Feb 3 Assignment Discussion Week 3 Feb 10 Week 4 Feb 15, 17 Week 5 Feb 24 Week 6 Mar 1, 3 Mar 3 Assignment Due Week 7 Mar 8, 10 Week 8 Mar 15, 17 Week 9 Mar 22, 24 |
Mar 24 MidtermWeek 10 Mar 29, 31 BREAKWeek 11 Apr 7Apr 7 Presentations beginWeek 12 Apr 12, 14 Week 13 Apr 19 Week 14 Apr 26, 28 Week 15 May 3, 5 Week 16 May 12 May 12 Paper is due in class May 17 Final |
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Please note university-reserved and individual furglough days: Feb 8, Feb 22, April 5, April 21, May 10
The course schedule (dates and readings are subject to change):
I. INTRODUCTION
Week 1 (Jan 25) Introduction to the course
(Jan 27) Video: “The Russian Revolution” or “Land of the Tsars”
Week 2 (Feb 1, 3) The Russian Moment in World History
Poe: read all
Feb 3 Assignment discussion
Week 3 (Feb 8) Revolution and Bolsheviks / Lenin
Suny: 6-22 (Suny), 32-47 (Lenin et al), 62-72 (Decrees), 117-118 (Lenin)
II. SOVIET SYSTEM
Week 4 (Feb 15, 17) Stalin
Suny: 89-93, 151-164, 118-124 (Lenin), 188-198 (Timasheff), 229-232 (Pravda), 245-250 (Bukharin), 294-298 (Stalin)
Week 5 (Feb 24) After Stalin
Suny: 329-330, 359-360 (Suny), 340-349 (Khrushv), 360-370 (Bushnell), 370-380 (Millar)
Video: Cold War economy
Week 6 (Mar 1, 3) Soviet Collapse
Suny: 403-405 (Suny), 423-433 (Gorbachev), 438-445 (Andreeva), 452-456 (Yeltsin), 456-466 (Coup), 467-472 (CIS), 473-476 (Gorbi final speech), 533-549 (“Z”)
Mar 3 Assignment due
III. POST-SOVIET SYSTEM
Week 7 (Mar 8, 10) Yeltsin and His Legacy
Suny: 476-478, 492-504 (Suny), 478-492 (Shevtsova), 516-521 (Yeln vs. Khasbulv), 525-526, 530-532 (Yeltsin)
Two views on Yeltsin’s legacy: *The Economist vs. *Tsygankov
Video: “Return of the Csar”
Week 8 (Mar 15, 17) Putin, Medvedev and Challenges Ahead
Suny: 564-573 (Holmes); Herspring: 1-7, 17-28 (Sakwa); *Medvedev, Go, Russia!
Two views on Putin’s legacy: *Chivers vs. *Graham vs. *What Russia Thinks / Glazychev
Week 9 (Mar 22, 24) Review / Exam
Mar 24 Final Exam
Week 10 (Mar 29, 31) BREAK
IV. CURRENT ISSUES
Week 11 (April 7) Center-Regions Governance / Northern Caucasus
Herspring: 59-82 (Petrov & Slider)
Two views on Chechnya: *Nemtsov vs. *Stratfor
Week 12 (Apr 12, 14) Political Economy / Oligarchs
Herspring: 159-182 (Rutland), 183-199 (Shelley)
Two views on Oligarchs: *Volkov vs. *Hedlund
Week 13 (Apr 19) State-Party System
Herspring: 39-58 (Remington)
Two views on the political system: *Reddaway vs. *Hahn
Week 14 (Apr 26, 28) Human Rights / Democracy
Herspring: 83-108 (Hendley), 109-132 (Lipman & McFaul)
Two views on democracy: Lipman & McFaul vs. What Russia Thinks / Polyakov
Week 15 (May 3, 5) Foreign Policy
Herspring: 159-182 (Tsygankov), 243-264 (Gleason)
Two views on Russia in Central Asia: *Cooley vs. *Niazi
Week 16 (May 12) Summary / Review
May 12 Paper is due in class
May 17 Final Exam / 1:30-4
[1] The other part focuses on post-Soviet nations and is covered in IR/PLSC 328.