PI4575: SOVIET SUCCESSOR STATES IN GLOBAL POLITICS (2017-2018)

This course introduces students to the broad range of political and security challenges facing the fifteen independent states of the former Soviet Union. It situates the politics of this region within debates in international relations and security studies, while encouraging students to critically examine political, societal and security challenges with reference to relevant concepts. It prepares students for assessing the political situation in a particular former Soviet state, and expresses their views in a form of presentation, a policy brief and during seminar discussion. This course examines the impact of the Soviet past on the development of the former Soviet states, including the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991/1992. The lectures and tutorials engages students with the broad range of issues facing the former Soviet states from the cooperation with the NATO and the European Union to the discussion of 'frozen' conflicts, 'colour revolutions', energy politics, and a threat of Islamic terrorism.

On successful completion of this course students should be able to:

Module Specific Skills and Knowledge:
1. Demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of politics and security challenges facing the Soviet Successor States;
2. Demonstrate ability to evaluate critically the political developments within the region using appropriate concepts from international relations, political science and security studies;
3. Develop ability to identify, assess and offer policy solutions of political and security challenges facing the region. 

Discipline Specific Skills and Knowledge:
1. Demonstrate detailed knowledge and in-depth understanding of the regional problems and their global importance;
2. Demonstrate ability to identify, critically investigate and explain the political developments within the region using appropriate theories and methods from the studies of political institutions, comparative and global politics;
3. Demonstrate ability to integrate and assess information about the political situation in the region from a range of primary and secondary sources;
4. Develop ability to evaluate and present coherently and reflectively, orally and in writing, current political problems and their policy solutions.

The territory of the former Soviet states covers eleven time zones, and stretches from the Baltic Sea through Central Asia to the Pacific Ocean. This course will introduce you to political, economic and security developments in the fifteen independent states of the former Soviet Union, including Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. The course begins with the discussion of the underlining principles and ethnic policy of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) from its birth in 1917 to its disintegration in 1991. The main part of the course explores the key political and societal issues associated with each of the former Soviet states. The structure of the course follows a geographical principle, and moves from the analysis of the Baltic States through Russia to the investigation of politics and security of the Central Asia States. This foray into Eurasian politics includes the analysis of the nation-building process, ‘frozen’ conflicts and the role of the major geopolitical players, including the NATO and European Union, the energy politics, and the region's integration within global institutions from the 1990s to 2000s

Available only to students in Politics OR International Relations degrees.

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

More Information about Week Numbers

1st Attempt

• A 400-word self-assessment based on participation in tutorials (15%)
• A 2500-word policy report (35%)
• A 3-hour 'seen' examination (50%)

This will include continuous assessment of participation in tutorials with a verbal feedback from peers and the course coordinator.

Students will receive a written and verbal feedback on their group presentation, and seminar participation within 3 weeks. The detailed written feedback will be provided on a policy reports in 3 weeks after the submission. The mark and written feedback on the exam scripts will be delivered after the exam panel in June.