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1 Political Science A360 Russian Politics Political Science A360 Russian Politics “Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”- Winston Churchill Fall 2019 Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30—10:45 a.m. Communications/Music 304 Instructor Dr. Natasha Bingham Email: [email protected] Office: Monroe Hall 281 Office Hours: TTH 2:00– 3:15 p.m., and by appointment Office Phone: 504-865-2794 Course Overview This course is an upper-level course on the politics of the Russian Federation. It focuses on the political, economic, and cultural institutions, major political players, and contemporary debates that have evolved since the fall of the Soviet Union. The course is organized into three different sections. The first section gives an overview of the revolutions of 1989 and the latter years of the Soviet Union. The second section focuses on the economic, political, and cultural developments in Russia during the Boris Yeltsin years. In particular, we focus on the development of Russia’s federalism, the first Chechen war, the rise of organized crime, and the rise of the oligarchs. The third section focus on contemporary Russia under Vladimir Putin. In particular, we focus on Putin’s consolidation of power after the Yeltsin years, political and economic developments under Putin including the recent economic troubles, restrictions on civil society and media, and cultural debates about ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and national identity. We further explore Russia’s relationship with the West, its former Soviet neighbors and its expanding global influence in the Middle East and Africa. We will end the class with a discussion about what the future holds for Russia and what a post-Putin Russia looks like. Required Readings No required textbook is needed. Readings come from book chapters, academic journals, and news journals, and each will be posted on Blackboard. It important for you to be familiar with Russian current events and these internet sources are helpful: The Moscow Times: www.moscowtimes.ru/ Carnegie-Moscow: www.carnegie.ru/en/ Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Russia Weekly: http://www.rferl.org/section/Russia/161.html Russian Voting Behavior, Elections, and Public Opinion: www.russiavotes.org Johnson’s Russia List: http://www.russialist.org/ Kremlin site: www.kremlin.ru/eng Pravda: english.pravda.ru/ Interfax: www.interfax.ru/ Russia Today: www.russiatoday.ru/ You can also examine Russian related topics from other news sources, such as The New York Times, The Economist, BBC, and Al Jazeera English. 1 Course Goals and Objectives By the end of this course you will have an understanding of: The reasons for the fall of the Soviet Union The development of the Russian Federation after the fall of the Soviet Union The development of Russia’s political, electoral, and party systems Russia’s political, economic, and cultural developments under Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin Major challenges facing the Russian Federation under Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin Russia’s role in global politics Theories of revolution, democracy, and authoritarianism This course also fulfills the following goals of the department— Goal 2: knowing and understanding political cultures, institutions, and processes of non-US governments. Goal 2a: being able to discuss the major approaches of the study of comparative government and distinguish a variety of forms of government. Goal 5: communicating political facts orally and in writing. Goal 7: learning comparative methods to enhance critical and rigorous thinking. Course Requirements Exams (55% of your final grade—Midterm 25% and Final 30%) The exams are non-cumulative. The midterm will cover Section I. Decline of Soviet Russia and Section II. Creating a New Russia, and the final exam will cover Section III. Contemporary Russia—Russia Under Putin. The exams will consist of identification questions, matching questions, and essay questions. Make sure to bring a blue book to both exams. Midterm is October 8, and the final exam is December 12. ***Makeup midterms can only be made up with only with a documented, valid excused absence. *** Short Film (30% of your final grade—Short Film 22% and Annotated Bibliography and Script 8%) This project forces you to orally and visually present your research which will ascertain your grasp and comprehension of the class concepts and ability to bring those concepts to life through a visual medium. This project also allows you to embrace creativity that is sometimes absent from traditional political science research. The assignment permits you to infuse your own ideas, experiences, and viewpoints into your research while at the same time not to the sacrifice of classical exploration. Such an endeavor hopes to get you more engaged in the research process and also the class as a whole. A five-minute short film (or music video, comic strip) is required in lieu of a written research paper. The project is due November 26. There will be two library instruction days dedicated to research instruction and introduction to the software Camtasia. The project should focus on a subject matter near and dear to contemporary Russian culture and politics. If there is a topic that you would prefer that is not listed, please come see me to get prior approval. Russia for all?: Russia and its ethnic, religious, and linguistic minorities Russian women and the feminist movement The Russian Orthodox Church and contemporary Russian politics Russia’s soft power: Oil politics and Russia’s relations with former Soviet republics The fourth estate: The media in Russian politics Reset?: US/EU-Russia relations 2 Sexual minority rights and the LGBTQ movement in Russia Transforming masculinity?: Putin and hypermasculinity in contemporary Russia Where is civil society?: Social movements, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and protest movements in Russia The role of the citizen: Public opinion and political participation in Russia Economic reform in Russia Authoritarian, sovereign democracy, police state?: Democratic reform (and setbacks) in Russia Expanding Russian influence: Russia’s role in global politics The assignment will be due along with an annotated bibliography and a script. You will be graded on the clarity of your research question and thesis, strength of supporting evidence, logical organization of ideas, and thoughtful discussion of findings and their implication. A grading rubric is included at the end of the syllabus. You should approach this project as if it were a research paper, meaning your assignment should address the following questions: 1) What is the question/hypothesis? 2) What is the thesis statement? 3) What is the evidence/references to support the thesis? 4) What is the conclusion/findings? Your short film (or music video, comic strip) should address these questions by presenting a visual narrative that is relevant to your hypothesis and thesis. It should do so in a manner that is clear and consistent, and just as a written paper should not contain irrelevant and distracting information, audio, or images. The short film (or music video, comic strip) should flow: hypothesis, thesis, evidence, and conclusion. The grading scale is located at the end of the syllabus. ***You need to set up a time to meet with me by October 31 to discuss your research question and at least three of your sources. Your will receive a zero for the assignment if you do not meet with me to get prior approval of your topic and sources prior to the due date. *** Your short film (or music video, comic strip) will be docked half a letter grade for each day it is late. Assignments need to be emailed or uploaded online by November 26. You will need to turn in a hard copy of your annotated bibliography and script in class on November 26. Critical Film Review (15% of your final grade) Russia has a rich and unique history, and there is no better way to understand that history than through film: hearing individuals in their own words and directors’ views of their own country. You will have to write a critical film review about one of the films below. The film review should be 5—7 pages long. The review should provide critical analysis of the film and integrate the class readings and class discussion. All films will stream on Blackboard two weeks before the film paper is due. The Vanished Empire (2008) directed by Karen Shakhnazarov due September 12 (can access via YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rfrmzk2zrTA) My Perestroika (2010) directed by Robin Hessman (***if you took Comparative Government II you cannot choose this film***) due September 26 Alexandra (2007) directed by Alexander Sokurov due October 3 Brother (1997) directed by Aleksey Balabanov due October 10 12 (2007) directed by Nikita Mikhalkov due November 12 Putin’s Kiss (2012) directed by Lise Birk Pedersen due November 21 3 The Return (2003) directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev due December 5 Critical film reviews should include: A brief summary of the film The film’s primary argument(s) and evidence to support your assumption(s) (please provide supporting scenes from the film) The film’s strengths and weaknesses (and how these could be improved) How the film fits into the overall themes of the class (readings and class discussion) (please be specific and explain thoroughly) (please provide supporting scenes from the film) Would you recommend the film to someone interested in studying Russian politics? And why? Paper Format: An equivalent font to Times New Roman 12 pt. 1-inch margins Cover page with name and date (should be page numbered 0) Typed and double-spaced with page numbers Must cite all sources (Wikipedia and encyclopedias are not proper sources!) Hard copy that must be stapled or paper-clipped Consistent citation style ***Papers that do not follow the format requirements will receive no higher than a C. ***Papers will be docked half a letter grade for each day they are late.
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