Department of European Studies & Modern Languages, Unit Catalogue 2008/09 |
EU10088 Russian politics & society 1B: Russia before 1917 |
| Credits: 3 |
| Level: Certificate |
| Semester: 2 |
| Assessment: ES 100% |
| Requisites: |
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Aims: The main aim of the unit is to offer an outline history of Russia focusing on the geopolitical, social and cultural factors which shaped its development and to examine in detail the problems posed by industrial development and social change in the late 19th and early 20th centuries culminating in the revolution of 1917. The unit also introduces some classic literary and political texts to illuminate the moral and political dilemmas of the 19th century. A second aim is to develop skills in historical analysis through seminar discussion and essay techniques.
Learning Outcomes: Students who complete the unit successfully will: * have a clear understanding of the character and historical evolution of the Russian Empire and of its collapse in 1917; * be familiar with the debate about the factors which shaped its rise and fall; * have gained experience in analysis of primary sources; * have shown they can present an effective analysis of an issue in essay form. Skills: Skills in critical analysis, conceptual thinking, precision in the use of written and spoken language, exercise of independent judgement, reasoned argument and the planning/conduct/reporting of non-quantitative research are taught and assessed in this unit. Skills in effective learning are developed in this unit. Content: The first Russian states and the rise of Moscow; modernization and westernization 1680-1855; Russian society in the mid-19th century as reflected in Turgenev's Fathers and Children; reform and industrialisation 1855-1903; the emergence of a revolutionary movement; dilemmas of Russian revolutionaries as reflected in Lenin's What is to be Done?; Dostoevsky's critique of 19th century Russian social values in Crime and Punishment; women and the women's movement before 1917; the revolution of 1905 and the successes and failures of constitutional rule 1906-1914; war, revolution and the failure of liberal democracy 1914-1917. Key text: G. Hosking Russia and the Russians: from the Earliest Times to 2001 (Penguin: 2001). |