Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2024 - HIST 420 E100

Themes in Russian Imperial History (4)

Russia and Ukraine from 1985

Class Number: 5810

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 4 – Dec 3, 2024: Wed, 4:30–7:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units including nine units of lower division history.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An examination of how the Russian Empire grew, was maintained, and came to an end, if it did end, through a study of imperial and colonial policies and practices and the responses to these by the area's diverse peoples. Content may vary from offering to offering; see course outline for further information. HIST 420 may be repeated for credit only when a different topic is taught.

COURSE DETAILS:

Memory Politics and the Collapse of the Soviet Union: Russia and Ukraine from Gorbachev to the War in Ukraine, 1985-2024

The dramatic escalation of Russia’s war in Ukraine since February 2022 has surprised observers around the world and challenged long-held assumptions about the structure of our world. How did we get here? In this seminar, we will look back on the pivotal developments of the last forty years in Russia, Ukraine, and the other countries that once formed the USSR. Viewing what has happened on post-Soviet space in the context of broader international developments and power struggles, we will examine how post-Soviet nations in general (and the different regimes in Russia and Ukraine in particular) have sought to recast, reinterpret, and sometimes “weaponize” historical memory in order to pursue political and military aims. As we do so, we will also explore some of the frameworks and narratives developed by interested observers (scholars and politicians, among others, both inside and outside the region) to explain the diverging histories of former Soviet nations after their 1991 parting of ways.

Grading

  • Seminar participation (including presentation) 30%
  • Map quiz & short in-class quizzes 15%
  • Response papers 15%
  • Peer review 10%
  • Research paper [or analytical essay] (12- to 18- pages) 30%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Gwendolyn Sasse, Russia’s War against Ukraine. Cambridge, UK: Polity, 2023.

Mikhail Zygar, War and Punishment: Putin, Zelensky, and the Path to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine. New York: Scribner, 2023.

Shaun Walker, The Long Hangover: Putin’s Russia and the Ghosts of the Past. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.

And materials online and on CANVAS.


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.