CIEE Study Center St. Petersburg

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1 CIEE Study Center St. Petersburg Course name: Contemporary Russian Politics and Governance Course number: POLI 3003 RASP Programs offering course: Russian Area Studies Program Language of instruction: English U.S. semester credits: 3 credits Contact hours: 45 hours Term: Fall 2018 Course Description This course is designed to provide students with basic knowledge of the evolution of political life in contemporary Russia and thereby enhance their understanding and skills for living in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world. This course intends to show Russian politics both through the eyes of Russian political scholars and Western scholarship (using the best English-language textbooks). Russian politics will be shown in relation to cultural values and lifestyle, i.e., through the normative lens of average Russian citizens. Issues addressed in this course include the following: the democratization process, electoral and party systems, political decision-making, foreign affairs, and the role of mass media and public opinion. The analysis of current political issues will provide students with the tools of understanding contemporary Russia and give an outlook of future developments. Class meetings consist of lectures, class discussions, presentations by politicians, political consultants, and political scientists, and field trips. Learning Objectives After completing this course students will be able to: describe key sociopolitical developments in Russia and the former Soviet space since 1991; evaluate and describe key processes in the post-soviet world and their challenges, including democratization and the development of a public sphere; analyze post-soviet realities from an interdisciplinary perspective, employing concepts from disciplines of political science, history, sociology, anthropology, and cultural studies; improve their ability to present their ideas in writing and verbally in front of their peers; compare the post-soviet Russian experience to those of contemporary America and other regions of the world to better understand global challenges 1

2 apply theoretical and social science concepts to search for practical solutions of political issues in a post-soviet world. Course Prerequisites Students should be aware of basic concepts in social sciences. Methods of Instruction The course will consist of lectures and seminar discussions on material read at home and included in the lecture. Students are expected to participate actively in classroom discussions and prepare all written assignments in a timely manner. Assessment and Final Grade Students will be assessed according to the following criteria: : Participation 20% Quizzes 30% (10% for each quiz) Paper (5 pages) 20% Final test 30% TOTAL: 100% Course Requirements Participation Taking part in class discussions is essential for learning. It is important that all students prepare course readings for the assigned date and come to class ready to analyze and debate issues raised by the readings. All reading materials will be made available to students in electronic form (pdf), so having a convenient means to read.pdf files (a laptop, a pdf-capable e-book reader, etc.) would be of great help. If necessary, paper copies of the readings will be available upon your request. Quizzes. Two quizzes will be given during the semester. These quizzes will test your knowledge of course concepts, theories and facts, and they will be a combination of multiple-choice questions and several open questions. Paper. The goal and the format of the paper will be explained in a separate document, which I will distribute later during the semester 2

3 The final in-class test is given during the last week of the semester and it tests your knowledge of course concepts, theories and facts. It is a combination of multiple-choice questions, open questions and a short essay on the proposed topic. Class Attendance Attendance is crucial for successful completion of the class. Students are allowed to have two unexcused absences for each course for the whole semester program. These allowed unexcused absences should be used for situations such as minor illnesses without a doctor s note or personal situations that prevent the student from attending the class. Allowed unexcused absences should not be used in a planned way for travel or other activities. Unexcused absences beyond the limit of two will lower a student s grade by 2 points on the 100- point scale each. For example, if your overall score in the class is 90 (an equivalent of A-) and you have had three unexcused absences, your final score will be 88 (B+). Weekly Schedule Week 1. Introduction. Introduction of the course to students. Students introduce themselves and their motivation and personal interests within the course framework. Topic: Political culture of Russian and its impact on political process. Vijay Kumar, Political Culture and Democratization in Russia Week 2. Topic: Gorbachev, Perestroika and the Fall of the USSR 1. The disintegration of the USSR // Sakwa, R. Russian Politics and Society (pp ). 2. From communist to postcommunist rule // White, S. Understanding Russian Politics (pp. 1-26) Week 3. Topic: Constitution and Transformation of Russian Political Regime in the Beginning of the 1990s. 1. The 1993 Constitution // Sakwa, R. Russian Politics and Society (pp ). 2. National identity and state-building // Sakwa, R. Russian Politics and Society (pp ). Quiz 1 3

4 Week 4. Topic: Yeltsin s Domestic Policy and Liberal Economic Reforms in 1990s. 1. Padma Desai, Russian retrospectives on reforms from Yeltsin to Putin, in The Journal of Economic Perspectives Vol. 19, No. 1 (Winter, 2005), pp Yeltsin and the Russian Presidency, in White, S. Understanding Russian Politics (pp ) Week 5. Topic: Political Parties and Elections in Russia: 90s Stephen White, Matthew Wyman, Sarah Oates, Parties and Voters in the 1995 Russian Duma Election, in Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 49, No. 5 (Jul., 1997), pp Handouts: Results of elections Campaign materials Week 6. Topic: President Putin and Political Development in the Beginning of the 2000s William Mishler and John P. Willerton, The Dynamics of Presidential Popularity in Post- Communist Russia: Cultural Imperative versus Neo-Institutional Choice? in Journal of Politics, Volume 65, Issue 1, pages , February 2003 Week 7. Topic: Political Parties and Elections in Russia: the 2000s Luke March Managing Opposition in a Hybrid Regime: Just Russia and Parastatal Opposition in Slavic Review, Vol. 68, No. 3 (Fall, 2009), pp Handouts: Results of elections Campaign materials Quiz 2 4

5 Week 8. Topic: Challenges to Political Parties Development 1. Gelman, V. The Rise and Decline of Electoral Authoritarianism in Russia 2. Misha Myagkov and Peter C. Ordeshook, The Spatial Character of Russia's New Democracy, in Public Choice, Vol. 97, No. 3, pp Hinich, Melvin J., and Michael C. Munger. "Empirical Studies in Comparative Politics." Public Choice 97, no. 3 (1998), pp Week 9. Topic: Political Regimes in Contemporary Russia Graeme B. Robertson Managing Society: Protest, Civil Society, and Regime in Putin's Russia // Slavic Review, Vol. 68, No. 3 (Fall, 2009), pp Week 10. Topic: Mass Media and Freedom of Speech in Russia. Case-study: Russian Media Landscape. Quiz 3 Weeks 11. Topic: Contentious Politics and Opposition in Russia Sherstobitov A. The Potential of Social Media in Russia: From Political Mobilization to Civic Engagement, in Proceedings of the 2014 Conference on Electronic Governance and Open Society: Challenges in Eurasia Paper is due this week. Week 12. Topic: Key Vectors of Russian Foreign Policy Max Bader, The Power of a Bad Example: Diffusion of Flawed Electoral Legislation across the Post-Soviet Area Final Test 5

6 COURSE MATERIALS Readings Bahgat Gawdat, Russia's oil and gas policy, in OPEC Energy Review, Volume 34, Issue 3-4 September/December 2010, pp Desai, Padma, Russian Retrospectives on Reforms from Yeltsin to Putin, in The Journal of Economic Perspectives. Vol. 19, No. 1 (Winter, 2005), pp Krawatzek, Félix Modernisation and a new political game in Russia? CEPS Publications. Assessed August 10, A Lane, David. Soviet Society under Perestroika. Boston: Unwin Human, Mishler, William and John P. Willerton, The Dynamics of Presidential Popularity in Post- Communist Russia: Cultural Imperative versus Neo-Institutional Choice? in The Journal of Politics, Vol. 65, No. 1 (Feb., 2003), pp Ostrow, Joel. Politics in Russia: A Reader. Los Angeles and London: Sage, Sakwa, Richard. Russian Politics and Society. Fourth Edition. London and NY: Routledge, Shiraev, Eric. Russian Government and Politics. Second Edition. Palgrave Macmillan, White, Stephen, Richard Sakwa and Henry E. Hale, eds. Developments in Russian Politics 8. Durham: Duke University Press, Sherstobitov A. The Potential of Social Media in Russia: From Political Mobilization to Civic Engagement, Proceedings of the 2014 Conference on Electronic Governance and Open Society: Challenges in Eurasia White, Stephen, Matthew Wyman and Sarah Oates, Parties and Voters in the 1995 Russian Duma Election, in Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 49, No. 5 (Jul., 1997), pp Woo, Pyung-Kyun, Russia's National Interests and Foreign Policy: The Trends after the Collapse of the Soviet Union, in Pacific Focus, Volume 17, Issue 1, March 2002, pp Online resources Government of Russian Federation, official site: Official site of Russian President: Official site of Presidential Administration: Official site of the State Duma The Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation: Official sites of Russia s political parties: United Russia: Communist Party: Just Russia: LDPR: Yabloko : Russian Public Opinion Research Center Public Opinion Foundation 6

7 World Value Survey 7