This course is a core course offered by staff in Central & East European Studies to students studying towards the MSc in Russian, Central and East European Studies and the International Masters in Central and East European, Russian and Eurasian Studies.

Classes will be in the form of weekly 1 x 2-hour seminars in Semester 1

None

A 3,000-4,000 word essay due in mid-November (25% of final grade)

A 3,000-4,000 word essay due in January (75% of final grade)

The aims of the course are to:

■ Encourage an advanced knowledge of the key issues that regulated the social, economic, and political transitions in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia;

■ Offer fresh and stimulating approaches to the analytical comprehension of the multifaceted legacies that state socialism left in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia;

■ Analyse in comparative fashion the principal processes of social, economic, and political changes currently under way in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia;

■ Help students to understand the historical context within which current political, cultural, and socio-economic changes are taking place in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia;

■ Apply Social Science concepts and theories to the specific case of political, cultural and socio-economic change in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia.

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

■ Identify the key political, cultural, and socio-economic legacies left by state socialism in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia;

■ Analyse and critically evaluate key Social Sciences' approaches and concepts in comparative analysis, focusing on the societies of Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia, (drawing in particular on concepts of state, nation, élites, power, interest groups, class, stratification, gender and ethnicity);

■ Assess the origins of the legacies that have influenced the character of contemporary politics and societies in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia;

■ Evaluate material from a variety of sources, and to critically approach this material and explore ways in which it can be interpreted.

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