NS3400 History of Russia and Eurasia

An examination of the history of Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asian nations. The emphasis is on historical influences, political institutions, ethnic and social problems, and the economy. PREREQUISITE: None.

Lecture Hours

4

Lab Hours

0

Course Learning Outcomes

Students will consider key questions, such as:

·       How can a historian’s approach impact the type of story they can tell?

·       What strategies of rule did the Russian tsar use to govern the Russian Empire?

·       How was society organized in the Russian Empire?

·       What were the origins of the First World War?

·       Was the Soviet Union an empire?

·       Was the Soviet Union a continuation or rejection of its Russian heritage?

·       What were the features of Soviet ideology?

·       What was the legacy of the Second World War?

·       Was violence endemic to the Soviet state?

·       How did the outside world affect Soviet domestic evolution?

·       Was war with the West inevitable?

·       Was there a Soviet science?

·       What factors contributed to the Soviet Union’s collapse?

·       Is Putin’s Russia a natural outgrowth of the Soviet Union?

 

In addition to exploring these questions, during the course we will focus on:

·       Developing written and oral communication skills,

·       reading critically, and

·       identifying emerging security and regional challenges.

·       identifying the most significant political, economic, historical, cultural, and religious drivers that shaped the identities and interests of the population.