Core Seminar "Social, economic and political development of Eurasian Countries"

2024/2025

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

Instructor

Starodubtsev, Andrey

Course Syllabus

Abstract

This core seminar aims to familiarize students of the educational trajectory “Issues of Eurasian Countries Development” with relevant approaches to and tools for academic and policy-oriented research in post-Soviet area studies with the emphasis on the concept of development and its implications to Eurasian region’s context. 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 the factors and consequences of social, economic and political development of the post-Soviet countries. It will also scrutinize various methodological paradigms and methods used for research on specific topics.

Learning Objectives

• The main objective of the course is to immerse students in theoretical discussions devoted to the features, factors and consequences of the current state of socio-economic and political development of post-Soviet countries, which should provide the students with the necessary expertise to prepare analytical materials in the interests of government agencies, society and business structures.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• - understands the methodological foundations of modern political social research;
• - plans empirical research using modern methods of collecting and analyzing data;
• - understands the content of the concept of "development" in the context of the current state of social sciences;
• - knows the basic concepts and notions of comparative politics;
• - characterizes the current state of socio-economic and political development in the post-Soviet countries;
• - defines the causes and consequences of the level of socio-economic and political development in the post-Soviet countries.

Course Contents

• Methodology of Case Studies and Comparative Case Studies
• The Concept of Development in Social Sciences
• Socio-economic and Political Development in the Post-Soviet Countries

Assessment Elements

• In-class participation
  Students are expected to attend each seminar and regularly participate in discussions. The instructor grades the participation during the seminars based on the quality of answers, demonstration of engagement with the assigned readings and home tasks, and overall quantitative involvement in the in-class activities. The instructor grades the participation in discussions during seminars, answers to instructor’s questions and overall involvement in the in-class activities and group work.
• Article Review
  Students are expected to choose any article related to the post-soviet studies published in the last 5 years (from 2019 to 2024) and not covered in the course. Students are to write a review on this article that will summarize its content and evaluate the methodology of the research project presented in the paper. The volume is 1,500 words (one grade point is substracted for each full 150 words above or below the specified word count.) The reference style is Chicago, in-text citations. The reference list is NOT included in the word count.
• Test
• In-class participation
  Students are expected to attend each seminar and regularly participate in discussions. The instructor grades the participation during the seminars based on the quality of answers, demonstration of engagement with the assigned readings and home tasks, and overall quantitative involvement in the in-class activities. The instructor grades the participation in discussions during seminars, answers to instructor’s questions and overall involvement in the in-class activities and group work.
• Book Review
  Students are expected to choose any book related to the development studies published in the last 5 years (from 2019 to 2024) and not covered in the course. Students are to write a review on this book that will summarize its content, place it in the context of debates and categories discussed in the course as well as criticize it where appropriate. The volume is 2,000 words (one grade point is substracted for each full 150 words above or below the specified word count.) The reference style is Chicago, in-text citations. The reference list is NOT included in the word count.
• Test
• In-class participation
  Students are expected to attend each seminar and regularly participate in discussions. The instructor grades the participation during the seminars based on the quality of answers, demonstration of engagement with the assigned readings and home tasks, and overall quantitative involvement in the in-class activities. The instructor grades the participation in discussions during seminars, answers to instructor’s questions and overall involvement in the in-class activities and group work.
• Research Essay
  Students are expected to write an essay that would build on the knowledge obtained in the course and apply it to the Eurasian context. The argument must be illustrated with empirical data. The students are free to formulate topics of interest but they should be approved by the instructor. Students can build on the materials that are examined during the term paper preparation BUT THE TOPIC OF THE ESSAY CANNOT BE IDENTICAL TO THE TOPIC OF THE TERM PAPER.
• Test
• In-class participation
  Students are expected to attend each seminar and regularly participate in discussions. The instructor grades the participation during the seminars based on the quality of answers, demonstration of engagement with the assigned readings and home tasks, and overall quantitative involvement in the in-class activities. The instructor grades the participation in discussions during seminars, answers to instructor’s questions and overall involvement in the in-class activities and group work.
• Reflection paper
  Students are to write a paper in which they reflect on how the content of the course was useful (or not) in the development of their research projects and/or professional development in general.
• Test

Interim Assessment

• 2024/2025 2nd module
  0.35 * Article Review + 0.3 * In-class participation + 0.35 * Test
• 2024/2025 4th module
  0.35 * Book Review + 0.3 * In-class participation + 0.35 * Test
• 2025/2026 2nd module
  0.3 * In-class participation + 0.35 * Research Essay + 0.35 * Test
• 2025/2026 3rd module
  0.3 * In-class participation + 0.35 * Reflection paper + 0.35 * Test

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
• Michael L. Ross. (2013). The Oil Curse: How Petroleum Wealth Shapes the Development of Nations. Princeton University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.b.pup.pbooks.9686

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Hale, H. E. (2006). Why Not Parties in Russia? : Democracy, Federalism, and the State. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=146164
• Levitsky, S., & Way, L. (2010). Competitive Authoritarianism : Hybrid Regimes After the Cold War. Cambridge University Press.

Authors

• STARODUBTSEV Andrei VLADIMIROVICH