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Russia's Domestic Politics - Factors and Actors
Study Course Description
Course Description Statuss:Approved
Course Description Version:5.00
Study Course Accepted:19.02.2024 12:15:01
| Study Course Information | |||||||||
| Course Code: | PZK_179 | LQF level: | Level 7 | ||||||
| Credit Points: | 5.00 | ECTS: | 7.50 | ||||||
| Branch of Science: | Politics | Target Audience: | Political Science | ||||||
| Study Course Supervisor | |||||||||
| Course Supervisor: | Māris Andžāns | ||||||||
| 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) | 10 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 20 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 10 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 20 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 40 | ||||||||
| Part-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 7 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 14 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 7 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 14 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 28 | ||||||||
| Study course description | |||||||||
| Preliminary Knowledge: | General knowledge of Russia's history in the 20th and 21st centuries as well as basic knowledge of Russian domestic politics. | ||||||||
| Objective: | To provide knowledge on the main aspects of Russia's domestic policies; to contribute to the development of students' analytical skills by offering tools for the analysis of Russia's domestic politics. | ||||||||
| Topic Layout (Full-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | Insight into the most important political processes in Russia and the USSR until 1991 | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 2 | Development of political thought (ideas) in Russia | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 3 | Political culture in Russia | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 4 | Liberal reforms of the 1990s, 1994 Constitution of the Russian Federation. Main features of Boris Yeltsin's governance | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 5 | The impact of the Chechen war, the demise of the Kursk submarine, the hostage crises at the musical “Nord-Ost” and the school in Beslan on domestic politics during Vladimir Putin's first presidential term in office. Control over media | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 6 | Impact of the 'coloured revolutions' in the neighbouring countries on Russia's domestic politics in Putin's second presidential term | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 7 | The structure of the federal state, Putin's 'vertical of power' and regions | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 8 | Parliamentarism in Russia. Ideologies of political parties and their role in public policy in the 21st century | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 9 | The role of the administration of the President of Russia in the domestic policy of the country. Putin's 'circle of trust' – oligarchs and representatives of power structures | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 10 | The role of culture, interpretation of history and religion in Russian politics. The relationship of the Russian Orthodox Church to the state power | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 11 | Modernization initiatives in the RF during the rule of President Dmitry Medvedev. Literature discussion. Paper presentations | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 12 | Authoritarianism and propaganda in Putin's system of power. Literature discussion. Paper presentations | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 13 | Security services and power in Russia. Literature discussion. Paper presentations | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 14 | "Shadow State" – informal power formations in Russia. Organized crime and politics. Literature discussion. Paper presentations | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 15 | Role of energy extraction and sales in domestic policy. Literature discussion. Paper presentations | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 16 | Russia's economic policy. Literature discussion. Paper presentations | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 17 | Social issues on Russia's internal policy agenda. Pension system reform in 2018. Literature discussion. Paper presentations | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 18 | Human rights, civil society and 'non-systemic' opposition in Russia. Literature discussion. Paper presentations | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 19 | Impact of Russia's domestic policies on regional foreign policy. Russia in global politics. Literature discussion. Paper presentations | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 20 | Current issues in Russia's domestic policies. Literature discussion. Paper presentations. Wrap-up | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Topic Layout (Part-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | Insight into the most important political processes in Russia and the USSR until 1991 | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 2 | Development of political thought (ideas) in Russia | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 3 | Political culture in Russia | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 4 | Liberal reforms of the 1990s, 1994 Constitution of the Russian Federation. Main features of Boris Yeltsin's governance | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 5 | The impact of the Chechen war, the demise of the Kursk submarine, the hostage crises at the musical “Nord-Ost” and the school in Beslan on domestic politics during Vladimir Putin's first presidential term in office. Control over media | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 6 | Impact of the 'coloured revolutions' in the neighbouring countries on Russia's domestic politics in Putin's second presidential term | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 7 | The structure of the federal state, Putin's 'vertical of power' and regions | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 8 | Parliamentarism in Russia. Ideologies of political parties and their role in public policy in the 21st century | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 9 | The role of the administration of the President of Russia in the domestic policy of the country. Putin's 'circle of trust' – oligarchs and representatives of power structures | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 10 | The role of culture, interpretation of history and religion in Russian politics. The relationship of the Russian Orthodox Church to the state power | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 11 | Modernization initiatives in the RF during the rule of President Dmitry Medvedev. Literature discussion. Paper presentations | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 12 | Authoritarianism and propaganda in Putin's system of power. Literature discussion. Paper presentations | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 13 | Security services and power in Russia. Literature discussion. Paper presentations | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 14 | "Shadow State" – informal power formations in Russia. Organized crime and politics. Literature discussion. Paper presentations | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 15 | Role of energy extraction and sales in domestic policy. Literature discussion. Paper presentations | Classes | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 16 | Russia's economic policy. Literature discussion. Paper presentations | Classes | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 17 | Social issues on Russia's internal policy agenda. Pension system reform in 2018. Literature discussion. Paper presentations | Classes | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 18 | Human rights, civil society and 'non-systemic' opposition in Russia. Literature discussion. Paper presentations | Classes | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 19 | Impact of Russia's domestic policies on regional foreign policy. Russia in global politics. Literature discussion. Paper presentations | Classes | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 20 | Current issues in Russia's domestic policies. Literature discussion. Paper presentations. Wrap-up | Classes | 0.50 | 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 individual 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. | ||||||||
| Assessment Criteria: | Aktivitāte un sagatavotība nodarbību laikā – 20% Prezentācija un referāts – 40% Gala pārbaudījums (eseja) – 40% | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Full-Time): | Exam (Written) | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Part-Time): | Exam (Written) | ||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | |||||||||
| Knowledge: | Using in-depth knowledge gained in the study on the factors of Russian domestic politics and political players, students will describe the influence of specific actors on the development of Russia’s domestic politics (political and economic elite, armed forces, Orthodox Church and other). Students will analyze current domestic political events in the context of historical events of the 20th century and earlier. | ||||||||
| Skills: | Working in a group, students will select, read and critically evaluate scientific literature, justify their choice, interpretation and analysis of literature to group members. When developing individual and group works, students will orally and in writing identify, compare and evaluate alternative arguments and opinions, formulate, explain and argue their opinion on a Russian domestic policy problem. | ||||||||
| Competencies: | Students will develop a report based on interdisciplinary scientific literature, analyzing Russia's domestic policy issues in historical and regional contexts. Students will evaluate the interdisciplinary nature of complex problems and combine research results and methods from different fields in analyzing complex issues. | ||||||||
| Bibliography | |||||||||
| No. | Reference | ||||||||
| Required Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Akela, Jay Chandra, “The Party System In Post-Soviet Russia: A Case Study of the Party United Russia,” World Affairs: The Journal of International Issues, Vol. 21, No. 2 (Summer (April-June) 2017), pp. 34-49 Available from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/48531461 | ||||||||
| 2 | Åslund, Anders, “Political Economy,” Russian Analytical Digest, No. 220, 2018. Available from: https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/… | ||||||||
| 3 | Barany, Zoltan, “The Tragedy of the Kursk: Crisis Management in Putin's Russia,” Cambridge University Press, Government and Opposition, Vol. 39, No. 3 (Summer 2004), pp. 476-503. Available from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/44483081 | ||||||||
| 4 | Chawryło, Katarzyna , “The altar and throne alliance the Russian Orthodox Church vs. the government in Russia”, OSW, 2016. Available from: https://www.osw.waw.pl/sites/default/files/prace_54_ang_all… | ||||||||
| 5 | Chawryło, Katarzyna, “The altar and throne alliance the Russian Orthodox Church vs. the government in Russia,” OSW, No 54, 2015. Available from: https://www.osw.waw.pl/sites/default/files/prace_54_ang_all… | ||||||||
| 6 | De Stefano, Carolina, De Gregorio, Angela, Starodubtsev, Andrey, “Federalism,” Russian Analytical Digest, No. 201, 2017. Available from: https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/… | ||||||||
| 7 | Desai, Padma, “Russian Retrospectives on Reforms from Yeltsin to Putin,” The Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 19, No. 1 (Winter, 2005), pp. 87-106. Available from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4134994 | ||||||||
| 8 | Kennan, George F., “Communism in Russian History,“ Foreign Affairs, Vol. 69, No. 5 (Winter, 1990), pp. 168-186. Available from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/20044607 | ||||||||
| 9 | Knight, Amy, “The KGB, Perestroika, and the Collapse of the Soviet Union,” Journal of Cold War Studies, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Winter 2003), pp. 67-93. Available from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26925261 | ||||||||
| 10 | Lipman, Maria, Akhrarkhodjaeva, Nozima, “Media,” Russian Analytical Digest, No. 197, 2017. Available from: https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/… | ||||||||
| 11 | Norvath, Robert, “Revolution': Post-Soviet Authoritarianism and the Spectre of Velvet Revolution,” Europe-Asia Studies, Vol. 63, No. 1 (January 2011), pp. 1-25. Available from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/27975511 | ||||||||
| 12 | Oreshkin, Dmitry, “Putin’s Vertical and the Regions,” in Kudors, Andis, Hermanis. Jānis, (eds.), The Russian Economy: Prospects for Putin 4.0, Riga: University of Latvia Press, CEEPS, 2020. Available from: http://appc.lv/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Research_Russian_… | ||||||||
| 13 | Oreshkin, Dmitry, “Putin’s Third Term Ideology,” in Andis Kudors (ed.), Fortress Russia: Political, Economic, and Security Development in Russia Following the Annexation of Crimea and its Consequences for the Baltic States, Riga: University of Latvia Press, CEEPS, 2016. Available from: http://appc.lv/eng/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/02/vaks-… | ||||||||
| 14 | Pleines, Heiko, Schimpfössl, Elisabeth, “Russia’s Oligarchs,” Russian Analytical Digest, No. 233, 2019. Available from: https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/… | ||||||||
| 15 | Reuter, Ora John, Shenin, Andrey, “State Duma Elections,” Russian Analytical Digest, No. 189, 2016. Available from: https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/… | ||||||||
| 16 | Rochlitz, Michael, Nomokonov, V.A. , Filippov, V.V., “Russian Siloviki,” Russian Analytical Digest, No. 223, 2018. Available from: https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/… | ||||||||
| 17 | Schmid, Ulrich, Rollberg, Peter, Makarychev, Andrey, “Cultural Politics,” Russian Analytical Digest, 2018. Available from: https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/… | ||||||||
| Additional Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Brand, Martin, Hornke, Theresa, “Need-based Social Policies,” Russian Analytical Digest, No. 249, 2020. Available from: https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/… | ||||||||
| 2 | Cohen, Stephen F., “Was the Soviet System Reformable?” Slavic Review, Cambridge University Press, Vol. 63, No. 3 (Autumn, 2004), pp. 459-488. Available from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1520337 | ||||||||
| 3 | Dollbaum, Matti, Domanska, Maria, “Putin's Power Games,” Russian Analytical Digest, No. 246, 2020. Available from: https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/… | ||||||||
| 4 | Gorokhovskaia, Yana, Dollbaum, Jan Matti, “Russian Regional Elections,” Russian Analytical Digest, No. 239, 2020. Available from: https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/… | ||||||||
| 5 | Khmelnitskaya, Marina, Klimovich, Stanislav, Pape, Ulla, “Social Issues”, Russian Analytical Digest, No. 254, 2020. Available from: https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/… | ||||||||
| 6 | Lerhis, Ainārs, “Back to the USSR: A Selective Approach to Russian History,” in Andis Kudors (ed.), Fortress Russia: Political, Economic, and Security Development in Russia Following the Annexation of Crimea and its Consequences for the Baltic States, Riga: University of Latvia Press, CEEPS, 2016. Available from: http://appc.lv/eng/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/02/vaks-… | ||||||||
| 7 | Marples, David R., “Revisiting the Collapse of the USSR, Canadian Slavonic Papers / Revue Canadienne des Slavistes, Vol. 53, No. 2/4 (June-Sept.-Dec. 2011), pp. 461-473. Available from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41708351 | ||||||||
| 8 | Rutland, Peter, Wegren, Stephen K., “Russia's Economy,” Russian Analytical Digest, No. 241, 2020. Available from: https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/… | ||||||||
| 9 | Von Gall, Caroline, Jäckel, Laura, Burkhardt, Fabian, “Putin,” Russian Analytical Digest, No. 250, 2020. Available from: https://css.ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/special-interest/gess/… | ||||||||
| Other Information Sources | |||||||||
| 1 | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Available from: www.rferl.org | ||||||||
| 2 | Carnegie Moscow Center. Available from: www.carnegie.ru | ||||||||
| 3 | The Jamestown Foundation. Available from: www.jamestown.org/edm/ | ||||||||
