Course Catalogue

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This is an Honours course taught by Central and East European Studies. It can be taken as part of the MA Honours Social Science Programme. This course aims to examine the process of post-communist transformation and European integration in Central and Eastern Europe since the collapse of communism in 1989.

One 2 hour class per week

This course may not be running this year. For further information please check the CEES Moodle page or contact the subject directly.

Mandatory entry requirements
Entry to CEES Honours normally requires a grade point average of 12 (Grade C) over CEES 2A and CEES 2B as a first attempt.

None

None

Oral presentation - 10%

Essay (2,000 words) - 40%

A 90 minute exam - 50%

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

This course aims to examine the process of post-communist transformation and European integration in Central and Eastern Europe since the collapse of communism in 1989. In particular it aims to compare and contrast the ways in which these states and societies engaged in the initial process of democratic establishment and the later moves towards democratic consolidation and European integration and the ensuing challenges this brought. Key issues involved in the process of European integration are identified. In addition, the course highlights how the processes of democratic consolidation and European integration have altered the relationships between civil societies and states in the region. Students are encouraged to consider and interpret these developments within the various theoretical frameworks and perspectives (e.g. state-society relations, regime change, democratisation, European integration and Europeanisation).

By the end of this programme students will:

•have a knowledge and critical understanding of the legacies of communism in Central and Eastern   Europe

•have an ability to assess the nature of the challenges posed by the processes of political and social transformation in the region

•be able to demonstrate an understanding of the process of European integration

•be able to examine critically the changing nature of state-society relations in the region

•be able to evaluate the processes of democratic consolidation and European integration using key theoretical frameworks and perspectives

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.