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Russo-centric Institutional Governance Architecture - EEU, CSTO, CIS and Beyond
Study Course Description
Course Description Statuss:Approved
Course Description Version:8.00
Study Course Accepted:19.02.2024 12:36:50
| Study Course Information | |||||||||
| Course Code: | PZK_175 | LQF level: | Level 7 | ||||||
| Credit Points: | 5.00 | ECTS: | 7.50 | ||||||
| Branch of Science: | Political Science | Target Audience: | Political Science | ||||||
| Study Course Supervisor | |||||||||
| Course Supervisor: | Elīna Vrobļevska | ||||||||
| Study Course Implementer | |||||||||
| Structural Unit: | Faculty of Social Sciences | ||||||||
| The Head of Structural Unit: | |||||||||
| Contacts: | Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szf rsu[pnkts]lv | ||||||||
| Study Course Planning | |||||||||
| Full-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 12 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 24 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 8 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 16 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 40 | ||||||||
| Part-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 8 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 16 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 6 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 12 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 28 | ||||||||
| Study course description | |||||||||
| Preliminary Knowledge: | Overall knowledge of the methods and theories in the field of international relations, as well as general knowledge on Russia and international organizations and global governance. | ||||||||
| Objective: | To provide knowledge on the key aspects, strategies and ideas, used for forming Russo-centric international organizations and main policies of Russia in international organizations beyond Eurasia; to contribute to the analytical skillset of the students by providing tools for examining the role of leading states in international organizations. | ||||||||
| Topic Layout (Full-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | A history of international organizations and Russia’s role in it | Lectures | 2.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 2 | Structures and classification of international organizations. Norms that govern them | Lectures | 2.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 3 | International organizations and global governance: Russia’s perspective | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 4 | An echo from the past: Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 5 | Building Russo-centric security with the CSTO | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 6 | Competing with the EU? The EAEU project | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 7 | Russia’s policy in organizations of Asia | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 8 | Russia and the organizations of Europe | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 9 | The “Global Elite”: Russia as a member of the UN Security Council | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 10 | Russia’s policy in BRICS and other restricted membership organizations | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 11 | Values, ideologies and policies: what is the Russo-centric agenda in international organizations. Discussion | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 12 | Russia’s policy of making organizational alliances. Discussion | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 13 | The details of Russo-centric international approach in organizations. Discussion | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 14 | The Push-and-pull of Western and Russo-centric cooperation. Discussion | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 15 | Russia’s narrative in international organizations. A review of cases. Discussion | Classes | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 16 | Solving global issues through international organizations: Russia’s approach. Discussion | Classes | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 17 | Negotiation simulation: Russia in the CSTO | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 18 | Negotiation simulation: Russia in the UN Security Council | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 19 | Goals, ambitions and place of Russia in international organizations. Paper presentations | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Topic Layout (Part-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | A history of international organizations and Russia’s role in it | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 2 | Structures and classification of international organizations. Norms that govern them | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 3 | International organizations and global governance: Russia’s perspective | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 4 | An echo from the past: Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 5 | Building Russo-centric security with the CSTO | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 6 | Competing with the EU? The EAEU project | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 7 | Russia’s policy in organizations of Asia | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 8 | Russia and the organizations of Europe | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 9 | The “Global Elite”: Russia as a member of the UN Security Council | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 10 | Russia’s policy in BRICS and other restricted membership organizations | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 11 | Values, ideologies and policies: what is the Russo-centric agenda in international organizations. Discussion | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 12 | Russia’s policy of making organizational alliances. Discussion | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 13 | The details of Russo-centric international approach in organizations. Discussion | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 14 | The Push-and-pull of Western and Russo-centric cooperation. Discussion | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 15 | Russia’s narrative in international organizations. A review of cases. Discussion | Classes | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 16 | Solving global issues through international organizations: Russia’s approach. Discussion | Classes | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 17 | Negotiation simulation: Russia in the CSTO | Classes | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 18 | Negotiation simulation: Russia in the UN Security Council | Classes | 0.25 | auditorium | |||||
| 19 | Goals, ambitions and place of Russia in international organizations. Paper presentations | Classes | 0.25 | auditorium | |||||
| Assessment | |||||||||
| Unaided Work: | During the module students will prepare for the seminars, read literature, write a report and prepare a presentation. The aim of a seminar is to develop students' ability to argue and present their opinion in a consistent and logical manner; to promote activity; to test students’ knowledge of the topic and materials in question. The aim of the report is to develop the ability to identify the key issue of the topic; to identify and evaluate alternative arguments and views; to offer an opinion, explaining and arguing why this particular opinion is better than any other. The report should compare all possible alternatives, considering all their strengths and weaknesses. Another goal is to develop skills to independently study the situation and the problem, give it an assessment and be able to find solutions. In order to evaluate the quality of the study course as a whole, the student must fill out the study course evaluation questionnaire on the Student Portal. | ||||||||
| Assessment Criteria: | Activity and preparedness during seminars – 30% Presentation and paper – 40% Final essay – 30% | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Full-Time): | Exam (Written) | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Part-Time): | Exam (Written) | ||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | |||||||||
| Knowledge: | Using in-depth knowledge of international organizations centered around Russia, especially CIS, CSTO, EEU students will describe and compare the role of specific organizations in the implementation of the country's foreign and domestic policy interests. Students will contra-distinguish current processes in these international organizations with theoretical insights into the concepts and theories of regional integration, including functionalism, neofunctionalism, transactionalism, and also federalism. | ||||||||
| Skills: | Working in groups, students will select, read and critically evaluate the scientific literature on the institutional architecture of the Russian international environmental approach and its characterizing factors. When developing individual and group works, students will in person and in writing identify, compare and evaluate alternative arguments and opinions, formulate, explain and argue their views on the development perspectives and challenges of foreign institutional architecture not only in Russia but also in other countries. | ||||||||
| Competencies: | Students will develop a report based on interdisciplinary scientific literature, analyzing issues related to the course. Students will appreciate the interdisciplinary nature of complex problems and combine research results and methods from different fields in analyzing complex issues. Students will evaluate and explain the impact of various factors in the international organizations and cooperation formats centered around Russia. Based on this analysis, students will provide recommendations and new ideas for further development scenarios not only for Russian institutional architecture, but also for architecture similar to other countries in the professional, academic and business environment. | ||||||||
| Bibliography | |||||||||
| No. | Reference | ||||||||
| Required Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Busygina, I. “Russia in the Eurasian Economic Union.” Ponars Eurasia Policy Memo 571 (2019): 1-6. Available from: http://www.ponarseurasia.org/sites/default/files/policy-mem… | ||||||||
| 2 | Busygina, I., and M. Filippov. “Russia and the EAEU: Conflicting Incentives for Institutional Compromise.” Analytical Media “Eurasian Studies”, August 4th, 2019. Available from: http://greater-europe.org/archives/7210. | ||||||||
| 3 | Cadier, David and Margot Light, eds. Russia’s Foreign Policy: Ideas, Domestic Politics and External Relations. Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. | ||||||||
| 4 | Hurd, Ian and Jacob Hogan, eds. The Oxford Handbook of International Organizations. Oxford University Press, 2018. | ||||||||
| 5 | Kingah, Stephen and Cintia Quiliconi, eds. Global and Regional Leadership of BRICS Countries. Springer, 2016. | ||||||||
| 6 | Klein, M. “Russia’s Military Policy in the Post-Soviet Space: Aims, Instruments and Perspectives.” German Institute for International and Security Affairs, January, 2019. Available from: https://www.swp-berlin.org/fileadmin/contents/products/rese… | ||||||||
| 7 | Kurylev, K., and D. Stanis. “Russia’s Foreign Policy in the Commonwealth of Independent States.” Paper presented at the 4th International Multidisciplinary Scientific Conference on Social Sciences and Arts SGEM2017, 2017. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322812515_Russias_… | ||||||||
| 8 | Mingst, Karen, and Margaret Karns. The United Nations in the 21st Century. 4th ed. Westview Press, 2011. | ||||||||
| 9 | Nikitin, A. “Russia as a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council.” Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. International Policy Analysis, November, 2012. Available from: https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/iez/09461.pdf | ||||||||
| 10 | Radin, Andrew, and Clint Reach. Russian Views of the International Order: Rand Corporation, 2017. 31-74. Available from: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1826.html | ||||||||
| 11 | Remler, P. “Russia at the United Nations: Law, Sovereignty and Legitimacy.” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, January, 2020. Available from: https://carnegieendowment.org/files/Remler_UN_final.pdf | ||||||||
| 12 | Schmitt, O. “How to Challenge an International Order: Russian Diplomatic Practices in Multilateral Security Organizations.” European Journal of International Relations 26, no. 3 (2020): 922-946. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1177/1354066119886024 | ||||||||
| 13 | Sergi, B. “Putin’s and Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union: A Hybrid Hal-economics and Hal-political “Janus Bifrons”.” Journal of Eurasian Studies 9 (2018): 52-60. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euras.2017.12.005 | ||||||||
| 14 | Sperling, James, Sean Kay and S. Victor Papacosma, eds. Limiting Institutions? The Challenge of Eurasian Security Governance. Manchester University Press, 2018. | ||||||||
| 15 | Strategic Course of Russia with the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Committee on International Affairs of the State Duma. Accessed September 8th, 2020. Available from: http://interkomitet.com/foreign-policy/basic-documents/stra… | ||||||||
| 16 | Tsygankov, Andrei, ed. Routledge Handbook of Russian Foreign Policy. London and New York: Routledge, 2018. | ||||||||
| 17 | Weitz, R. “Assessing the Collective Security Treaty Organization: Capabilities and Vulnerabilities.” U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, October, 2018. Available from: https://publications.armywarcollege.edu/pubs/3661.pdf. | ||||||||
| Additional Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Cadier, D. “Policies Towards the Post-Soviet Space: The Eurasian Economic Union as an Attempt to Develop Russia’s Structural Power?” In Russia’s Foreign Policy: Ideas, Domestic Politics and External Relations, edited by David Cadier and Margot Light, 156-174. Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. | ||||||||
| 2 | Dal, E.P. and Ersen, E. Russia in the Changing International System. Palgrave Macmillan, 2020. | ||||||||
| 3 | Douhan, A.F., and A.V. Rusakovich. Collective Security Treaty Organization and Contingency Planning After 2014. Geneva-Minsk: Procon Ltd., 2016. | ||||||||
| 4 | Kansikas, S. “The Eurasian Economic Union, Russia’s Integration Policy and the EU Challenge.” Journal on Baltic Security 1, no. 1 (2015): 108-116. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1515/jobs-2016-0002 | ||||||||
| 5 | “The Eurasian Economic Union: Power, Politics and Trade.” Europe and Central Asia Report, 2016. Available from: https://www.crisisgroup.org/europe-central-asia/central-asi… | ||||||||
| Other Information Sources | |||||||||
| 1 | The official website of United Nations Security Council. Available from: https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/ | ||||||||
| 2 | The official website of CSTO. Available from: https://en.odkb-csto.org/25years/ | ||||||||
| 3 | The official website of CIS. Available from: http://www.cisstat.com/eng/site-map.htm | ||||||||
| 4 | The official website of EEU. Available from: http://www.eaeunion.org/?lang=en | ||||||||
| 5 | The official website of ASEAN. Available from: https://asean.org | ||||||||
| 6 | The official website of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Available from: http://eng.sectsco.org | ||||||||
| 7 | The official website of OSCE. Available from: https://www.osce.org | ||||||||
| 8 | The official website of NATO. Available from: https://www.nato.int | ||||||||
