The course provides an advanced introduction to the political and social changes that have taken place across the Caucasus region since 1991 with a focus on diverging efforts and outcomes in terms of state-building.

Weekly 2-hour seminar over 10 weeks.

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Students will be required to write one essay of 4000 (70%) words, and a policy briefing report of recommended 1500 words (30%).

This course aims to provide a grounding in the present political and social reality of the Caucasus region. Students will analyse the role of war and subsequent 'frozen conflicts' in shaping the political evolution of state-building and governance in the Caucasus. To enable this, the course aims to:

■ Provide students with an opportunity to utilize sociological and empirical data to investigate social attitudes and state-society relations in the context of these conflicts.

■ Engage students with an advanced understanding of the dynamics of reform in the region connected with the problem of patrimonialism, corruption, and the rule of law.

■ Enable students to examine the interplay of the region's conflicts and development with international politics.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ critically engage with and apply theories of state-building to the Caucasus region

■ evaluate in a meaningful manner the impact of armed conflicts on state-building

■ identify and critically appraise the extent of the impact of different foreign actors on politics in the region

■ investigate the major internal and external threats to stability of the region through informed verbal and written debate.

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