Course Descriptions

Course by Maxim Bratersky "Russia in the Changing World".

A short 8 – hour course focuses on the political transformation in Russia, emerging civil society, foreign and security policy and the Russian political system. This course is a general introduction into the political, economic, social and historical background of Russian domestic and foreign politics. It will also cover the major issue areas of Russian political life and provide a description of the wide spectrum of political forces currently active on Russian arena.

Participation in this course should help the students to understand the nature and origin of major interest groups and political concepts affecting the political struggle in Russia as well as to learn about the complex interrelationship between politics, economic issues and security matters in Russia itself, in the former republics of the Soviet Union and in the global context.

Course by Andrej Krikovic "China and Russia: Great Powers in an Era of Global Disorder".

Syllabus China and Russia: Great Powers in Era of Global Disorder

We are in the middle of an unprecedented shift in wealth and power away from the West and towards the countries of the developing world. How will this dramatic shift in power affect international relations? Are we headed towards an era of increased instability and great power conflict? Or will the rise of the developing world increase economic equality and political representation at the level of global politics?

This class will explore these and other questions through the lens of international relations theory. We will focus on the four major rising powers: Brazil, Russia, India and China (colloquially known as the BRICS), looking at the domestic and international factors that are behind their rise and the impact they have had on major areas of international politics. We will also look at the approaches they take to major 21st Century policy questions, such as terrorism, economic development, climate change, and reform to international financial institutions after the latest economic crisis.

Course by Glenn Diesen "Moscow's Relations with the West after Russia's pivot to Asia".

Syllabus Moscow's Relations with the West after Russia's pivot to Asia

The course focuses Russia’s ‘pivot to Asia’ and the impact on relations with the West. The aims of the course is to develop an understanding for why Russia pivoted to Asia, what the pivot entails, the extent to which the pivot is permanent, and how it will impact relations between the West and Russia. Since the Cold War came to an end, the West and Russia have struggled to develop a new and mutually acceptable format for Europe. The course will analyse the competing conceptions of post-Cold War Europe and how the competition between Russia’s ‘Greater Europe’ and the West’s ‘Wider Europe’ affected the scope for cooperation and the proclivity for conflict. The course provides students with a theoretical foundation to understand the competing perspectives on why the West and Russia have acted the way they did in Ukraine.

Following the Ukraine crisis, Russia intensified its pivot to Asia in terms of politics, economics, and military. Has Russia left Europe or is Russia merely changing its approach to Europe? To answer this question, students will develop an understanding for what the Russia’s pivot means in terms of political, economic, and security relations with the West. An important feature of the course is to give students the theoretical tools required to analyse what is a current and evolving issue. After Russia’s pivot - what defines the cooperation and competition with the West in terms of politics, ideology, economy and security? At the end of this course, students should be able to make their own arguments about what will replace the former competition between ‘Greater Europe’ and ‘Wider Europe’.