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Post-Soviet Politics

PSC 410

Office: Smith Hall 739

Office hours: M/W 9:00-12:00, or by appointment

Email: morrissette@marshall.edu

Phone: (304) 696-2760

“During this fight, I've seen a lot of changing—in the way you feel about me, and in the way I feel about you. In here, there were two guys killing each other, but I guess that's better than twenty million. I guess what I'm trying to say, is that if I can change, and you can change, everybody can change!” –Rocky Balboa, Rocky IV

DR. JESS MORRISSETTE COURSE DESCRIPTION

Study of the politics of Russia and the former Soviet Union (International, 3 credit hours).

COURSE STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Outcome How we will practice it How we will assess it

Evaluate the legacies of communism in Russia and the post-Soviet

states.

Discussions, lectures, in-class activities.

“What if…?” essay, exam questions.

Contextualize key historical junctures the Soviet and post-Soviet

eras.

Discussions, lectures, in-class activities.

“What if…?” essay, exam questions.

Compare the political, economic, and social

institutions of the post-Soviet states.

Discussions, lectures, in-class activities.

Exam questions, term paper.

Understand others in terms of how people in post-Soviet states view

politics, economics, and society.

Discussions, lectures, in-class activities,

polling data analysis. Exam questions.

Integrate Russian foreign-policy interests with a broader sense of

geopolitics.

Discussions, lectures, in-class activities.

Geography quiz, “Near Abroad” essay, exam

questions.

SPRING 2015 TU/TH 11:00-12:15, SMITH HALL 433

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INTERNATIONAL STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Outcome How we will practice it How we will assess it

Evaluate how specific approaches to global issues will affect multiple cultural

communities or political institutions.

Discussions, lectures, in-class activities.

Exam questions, “Near Abroad” essay, term paper.

Untangle competing economic, religious, social,

political, institutional, or geographical interests of

cultural groups in conflict.

Discussions, lectures, in-class activities.

Exam questions, “Near Abroad” essay, term paper.

REQUIRED TEXTS

Gessen. The Man Without a Face: The Unlikely Rise of Vladimir Putin

McAuley, Soviet Politics 1917-1991

Van Herpen, Putin's Wars: The Rise of Russia's New Imperialism

Wegren, Return to Putin's Russia: Past Imperfect, Future Uncertain

Supplemental readings will be placed on MUOnline throughout the semester.

Calculating Your Grade

Your grade will be based on your performance on two exams, a geography quiz, two essays, a term paper, and class participation. Your final grade is calculated as follows: Geography Quiz ................ 5%

“What if?” Essay ............. 10%

Midterm Exam ................ 25%

“Near Abroad” Essay ...... 10%

Term Paper ..................... 20%

Final Exam....................... 25%

Participation ..................... 5%

Please note that failure to complete any component of the course will result in a failing grade for the semester, regardless of the missing assignment’s point value.

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ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION

Attendance is required in this class, and students are expected to have read and be ready to discuss all assigned readings prior to class. Students will also be graded based on their class participation—engaging in discussions of the readings and current political events, asking questions, and so forth. Once again, attendance is clearly important; if you aren’t in class, you can’t participate. If you feel that you are having trouble getting your voice heard, please contact me as soon as possible and we will work together to get you more involved. The participation grade will be determined as follows: 5 points will be awarded to students who attend class consistently and make valuable contributions to class discussion on a regular basis; 4 points will be awarded to students who attend class consistently and contribute to discussions occasionally; 3 points will be awarded to students who attend class consistently, but seldom participate in class discussions. Attendance grades of 2 and below are reserved for those students who either fail to attend class regularly or therefore cannot participate meaningfully in class discussions or who actively disrupt discussions.

PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES

Please turn off your cell phone prior to class. Students who text during class will be asked to leave. Students should also refrain from using PKE Meters, boom boxes, Xboxes, Pandora’s Boxes, Crock-Pots, seismographs, lightsabers, jetpacks, laser tag guns, Moog synthesizers, old-timey collodion process cameras, electromagnetic pulse emitters, tanning lamps, sonic screwdrivers, Segways, Easy-Bake Ovens, baseball pitching machines, Nintendo Power Gloves, laser epilators, leaf blowers, PoulonPRO PP3516AVX chainsaws, Dance Dance Revolution arcade machines, welding torches, night vision goggles, Margaritaville™ frozen drink machines, shiatsu massage chairs, theremins, remote-controlled helicopters, or similar electronic devices during class time. Finally, I discourage you from using a laptop during class. A growing body of research suggests that taking notes on a laptop or tablet hinders classroom learning by not only distracting both the user and other nearby students (Sana, Weston, and Wiseheart 2013), but also by promoting shallower processing of information (Mueller and Oppenheimer 2014).

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Academic Honesty

Students are expected to adhere to the University’s policies concerning academic honesty (see pages 70-72 of the 2014/2015 undergraduate catalog). Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty on an exam, quiz, or assignment will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent under University policies. The penalty for academic dishonesty is a failing grade for the course. Cheating is defined by the University as “[a]ny action which if known to the instructor in the course of study would be prohibited” (Undergraduate Catalog, p. 70). This includes, but is not limited to, the use of any unauthorized materials or assistance during an academic exercise. Plagiarism is defined as “[s]ubmitting as one’s own work or creation any material or an idea wholly or in part created by another” (Undergraduate Catalog, p. 71). Furthermore, it is “the student’s responsibility to clearly distinguish his/her own work from that created by others. This includes the proper use of quotation marks, paraphrase and the citation of the original source. Students are responsible for both intentional and unintentional acts of plagiarism” (p. 71).

LATE PENALTIES AND MAKE-UP WORK Late assignments will be assessed a 10% penalty per day after the missed deadline (including weekends), with a maximum penalty of 50%. Please keep in mind that you must complete all assignments in order to receive a passing grade in the course, regardless of the point values of those assignments. There will be no make-up exams administered for students without an excused absence from the University. Students who need to miss an exam should contact me prior to the scheduled exam period if at all possible.

EMAIL POLICY Check your Marshall email regularly. Articles, assignments, and other important course announcements may be sent to your “@marshall.edu” email address during the semester.

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES If you require any special accommodations due to a disability, please get in touch with me at your earlier convenience to make any necessary arrangements.

OTHER UNIVERSITY POLICIES By enrolling in this course, you also agree to the University Policies listed below. The full text of each policy is available at http://www.marshall.edu/academic-affairs/policies/.

Academic Dishonesty, Excused Absence Policy for Undergraduates, Computing Services Acceptable Use, Inclement Weather, Dead Week, Students with Disabilities, Academic Forgiveness, Academic Probation and Suspension, Academic Rights & Responsibilities of Students, Affirmative Action, Sexual Harassment.

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GEOGRAPHY QUIZ This quiz will require students to identify the fifteen post-Soviet states on a map. I will upload a practice map to MUOnline.

MIDTERM & FINAL EXAMS Students will complete two in-class exams: a midterm and a non-cumulative final. I will provide additional details on the content and format of the exams as they approach.

“WHAT IF?” ESSAY It’s time to engage in a little speculative history. What if the 1991 coup to remove Gorbachev from office had succeeded? Would the USSR still be around today, or would internal and external pressures led to its collapse anyway? Drawing on class discussions and readings, write a three-page analysis of how you think events might have unfolded.

“NEAR ABROAD” ESSAY Students will choose a post-Soviet state and analyze the current status of its foreign relations with Russia. On what kinds of issues do they cooperate, and what are the major points of contention in their relationship? Is the state under consideration growing closer to Russia or drifting away? Draw on both academic and journalistic sources in crafting this four-page essay.

TERM PAPER Students will write a term paper (approximately 10 pages) comparing the current state of a specific policy or political issue across two post-Soviet states. For instance, you might compare immigration policies in Russia and Lithuania. Or, you could contrast Georgia’s and Ukraine’s relationships with the European Union. Alternatively, you might compare LGBT rights in Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan. The goal of the term paper is to analyze—not just summarize factual details. Therefore, a successful term paper will not only identify similarities and differences in these policies, but also attempt to offer an explanation for how and why we observe these similarities and differences. My advice is to choose a narrow topic, allowing for in-depth analysis. Something as broad as “the economy” won’t cut it; a topic like “trade relations with the West” is closer to the mark. Your paper should cite at least six scholarly sources (e.g. academic journals or university-press books). Avoid using online encyclopedias and other sources inappropriate for college-level research.

Translation: Lenin lived, Lenin lives, Lenin will live forever!

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WRITING TIPS Always include a brief

introduction that states the purpose of your paper or essay, as well as a concise conclusion that sums up what you have written.

Always cite your sources! For this class, I request that you use the American Political Science Association (APSA) style guidelines. In turn, be sure to make it clear where you found any "outside" information in your essay. This includes not only citing direct quotations, but also any paraphrased material or statistics. Also, include a "works cited" page at the end of your essays and exams. Failure to properly cite your sources constitutes PLAGIARISM.

Proofread your essays! Most grammatical and typographical errors can be easily caught with a simple read-through before a paper is submitted. Essays and papers plagued by significant grammatical or typographical errors will be penalized.

Papers should conform to the suggested lengths provided on the previous page (title pages and works cited pages do not count toward the suggested length). Papers should be double-spaced with 1” margins and typed using the standard 12-point Times/Times New Roman font (or the Macintosh equivalent).

COURSE SCHEDULE Week of January 13: Introduction

McAuley, Soviet Politics (Intro & Chapter 1) Week of January 20: The Soviet Era

McAuley, Soviet Politics (Chapters 2-5) Week of January 27: The Fall of the Soviet Union

McAuley, Soviet Politics (Chapters 6-8 & Conclusion)

Vanden Heuvel and Cohen, “Gorbachev on 1989”

Geography Quiz, Tuesday February 3

Week of February 3: Boris Yeltsin at the Crossroads

Frontline, “Analyses of Yeltsin’s Achievements”

Berger, “Boris Yeltsin Dies at 76”

Gessen, Man Without a Face (Prologue & Chapters 1-5)

”What if?” Essay Due: Tuesday February 10

Week of February 10: The Rise of Vladimir Putin

Gessen, Man Without a Face (Chapters 6-11 & Epilogue)

Fish, “The End of the Putin Mystique”

Greene and Robertson, “Explaining Putin’s Popularity” Week of February 17: The Russian Presidency

Wegren, Return to Putin’s Russia (Intro & Chapter 1) Week of February 24: Parties and Parliament

Wegren, Return to Putin’s Russia (Chapters 2-4) Week of March 3: Political Culture, Civil Society, and Media

Wegren, Return to Putin’s Russia (Chapters 5-7)

Senzee, “Kremlin Targets LGBT Youth Support”

Omidi, “WTF? Russia Bans Swearing in the Arts”

Gessen, “The Dying Russians” Week of March 10: The Russian Economy

Wegren, Return to Putin’s Russia (Chapters 8-10)

O’Brien, “Putin’s Groundhog Day”

Midterm Exam: Thursday, March 12

Week of March 17: Spring Break!

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Week of March 24: Russia Imperialism, Then and Now

Van Herpen, Putin’s Wars (Intro & Chapters 1-5)

Wegren, Return to Putin’s Russia (Chapter 11) Week of March 31: Class cancelled! Week of April: 7: The Rebirth of Russian Nationalism

Van Herpen, Putin’s Wars (Intro and Chapters 6-9)

Marten, “Vladimir Putin: Ethnic Russian Nationalist”

Wegren, Return to Putin’s Russia (Chapter 12)

”Near Abroad” Essay Due: Thursday, April 9

Week of April 14: Military Action from Afghanistan to Chechnya

Van Herpen, Putin’s Wars (Chapters 7-12) Week of April 21: Expansionist Policies in Georgia and Ukraine

Van Herpen, Putin’s Wars (Chapters 13-16)

Kramer, “Why Russia Intervenes”

Mearsheimer, “Why the Ukraine Crisis is the West’s Fault”

Term Paper Due: Thursday, April 23

Week of April 28: Relations with the West and the Future of Russian Foreign Policy

Wegren, Return to Putin’s Russia (Chapters 13-14)

Hunter, “Diverging Visions of Partnership”

Fisher, “The Worse Russia's Economy Gets, the More Dangerous Putin Becomes”

Final Exam: Thursday, May 7 (10:15-12:15)