Skip to main content

Politics of Post-Soviet Russia and Ukraine (369-0-20)

Instructors

Jordan Gans-Morse

Meeting Info

Frances Searle Building 1421: Mon, Wed 12:30PM - 1:50PM

Overview of class

When Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, he turned the international order upside down, initiated the largest war in Europe in over half a century, and set the stage for Russia’s return to totalitarianism. How did this catastrophic turn of events come to be, and what will happen next? This course analyzes the political, economic, and foreign policy upheavals that shook Russia and Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Through the lens of the Russian and Ukrainian experiences, we will examine key concepts in comparative politics, such as revolution, regime change, market formation, nationalism, and state building. We will also consider key international relations debates pertaining to NATO enlargement, Russian imperialism, and other topics essential to understanding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing geopolitical crisis it unleashed.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, the aim is that you will have improved your ability to:

  • Apply critical thinking and analytical writing skills to the study of contemporary political and economic events;
  • Discuss intelligently the political and economic developments in Russia, Ukraine, and surrounding post-communist countries;
  • Use theories of comparative politics and political economy to explain variation across political systems.

Teaching Method

2 lectures, 1 discussion section per week

Evaluation Method

Midterm: 25% Paper: 25% Final: 30%

Class Materials (Required)

Daniel Treisman, The Return: Russia’s Journey from Gorbachev to Medvedev (Free Press, 2011) (978-1416560722)

Maria Popova and Oxana Shevel, Russia and Ukraine: Entangled Histories, Diverging States (Polity, 2024) (978-1509557370)

Class Attributes

Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Pre-registration -- Reserved for Political Science students until the end of preregistration, after which time enrollment will be open to everyone who has taken the prerequisites.

Associated Classes

DIS - Parkes Hall 212: Fri 10:00AM - 10:50AM

DIS - Parkes Hall 212: Fri 11:00AM - 11:50AM