Core Seminar "Key Issues and Methods in Post-Soviet Area Studies"

2021/2022

Academic Year

ENG

Instruction in English

6

ECTS credits

Delivered at:

Department of Political Science and International Affairs

Course type:

Compulsory course

When:

1 year, 1-4 module

Instructors

Tiniakov, Daniil

Shkel, Stanislav

Course Syllabus

Abstract

This core seminar aims to familiarize students of the educational trajectory “Eurasian (post-Soviet) area studies” with relevant approaches to and tools for academic and policy-oriented research in post-Soviet area studies. This will enable greater coherence of the educational process, set grounds for knowledge and understanding of the state of the art in the field, and help students to improve their professional communication skills. The seminar will focus on major scholarly discussions on key issues in post-Soviet area studies. It will also scrutinize various methodological paradigms and methods used for research on specific topics. This will be done both through regular seminar discussions based on extensive reading of seminal and innovative works in the field and through providing space for guest lectures by invited scholars who will present their work and provide feedback on students’ research ideas.

Learning Objectives

• The course aims to explore the main issues and methods in post-Soviet studies. The main goal is to analyze the methodological principles and theoretical approaches to the study of the countries of the post-Soviet space. The main scientific problems of post-Soviet studies are considered, the main of which are: institutional choice and state-building of the countries of Eurasia after the collapse of the Soviet bloc, regime evolution of post-Soviet states, issues of ethnopolitics and nation-building in the post-Soviet region, electoral politics, main policies and their features in post-Soviet countries. The designated range of issues is studied on the basis of key research by leading scientists on the political development of Eurasian countries.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• the student demonstrates a good knowledge of the main problems, methodologies and methods in post-Soviet research
• the student is able to apply in practice the basic methods for the analysis of policy process in post-Soviet area
• the student is able to apply in practice the basic methods for the analysis of post-Soviet politics
• the student is able to apply theories and concepts to analyze political processes in the countries of post-Soviet Eurasia
• the student understands the general and specific political problems of different countries of the post-Soviet space
• the student understands the specific of policy process in post-Soviet countries

Course Contents

• Introduction. The main thematic blocks of post-Soviet studies.
• Post-Soviet politics: approaches to analyze
• Studying policy process in post-Soviet area

Assessment Elements

• In class assessement
• Team presentation
  For each of the seminars expect for the first one, one team of about 3 members should present the results of self-study of the relevant topic. The presentation should consist of 3-5 slides and be 10-15 minutes long. It should include include topic, how the self-study was organized, main conclusions and suggestions and its rationale and importance. In turn, self-study is organized in order to: ∙ Systemize theoretical knowledge received at lectures; ∙ Extending theoretical knowledge; ∙ Learn how to use legal, regulatory, referential information and professional literature; ∙ Development of cognitive and soft skills: creativity and self-sufficiency; ∙ Enhancing critical thinking and personal development skills; ∙ Development of research skills; ∙ Obtaining skills of efficient independent professional activities. The slides for the presentation has to be sent to the professors' email at 23:59 of the previous day before the presentation. Otherwise, 2 points will be deduced from the grade
• Essay
  The final work for the course is an essay of about 3000 words in English related to any aspect of the broad theme of the course. It can be an overview of the existing articles on the topic, or an original piece of research. In the latter case, the essay is supposed to include a theoretical section, literature review, hypotheses derived from the theory, some methodological discussion, a model built on one of the cross-country datasets, and a results section. The most important aspects to be graded are the creativity of the research idea, the operationalization, and refinement of hypotheses, proper modeling, and clear understanding of the limits of research. Format MS Word or LaTeX, 10-12 pages long (3000 words), typed, double-spaced, standard margins, page count does not include abstract, references, and appendices, as well as figures and tables. The deadline for the essay can't be later than 23:59 7 calendar days before the start of winter exam period. It can be moved earlier with the notification from professors not later than 7 calendar days before the new date.
• Exam
  The exam will be held in an oral format. Student will have to answer 2 questions connected with the course topics.

Interim Assessment

• 2021/2022 2nd module
  0.5 * Essay + 0.25 * Team presentation + 0.25 * In class assessement
• 2021/2022 4th module
  0.25 * Essay + 0.25 * 2021/2022 2nd module + 0.25 * In class assessement + 0.25 * Team presentation
• 2022/2023 2nd module
  0.25 * Exam + 0.25 * In class assessement + 0.25 * Essay + 0.25 * 2021/2022 4th module

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Hale, H. E. . (DE-588)136496350, (DE-576)301049882. (2015). Patronal politics : Eurasian regime dynamics in comparative perspective / Henry E. Hale. New York, NY: Cambridge Univ. Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edswao&AN=edswao.419984909
• Levitsky, S., & Way, L. (2010). Competitive Authoritarianism : Hybrid Regimes After the Cold War. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=331320

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Why Not Parties in Russia? : democracy, federalism, and the state, 275 p., Hale, H. E., 2006