Description

This course provides an introduction to Soviet, post-Soviet, and Russian politics and the way we in the West study and think about them. The substantive focus is on the political process and its policy outcomes. We will more briefly explore how the Soviet system evolved and how it addressed the complex issues that confronted it. We will consider the disintegration of the traditional Soviet system and the emergence of an independent Russian Federation. Primary attention will be directed to post-1991 (i.e., post-Soviet) political institutional, elite, and policy concerns. We will use a case study approach as we examine important issues on the contemporary policy agenda of the Russian Federation, with passing attention to other former Soviet Union (FSU) states.

Lecture Hours: .00 Lab Hours: 0Total Hours: .00