Fall 2018 - IS 304 D100

Russian Foreign and Security Policies (4)

Class Number: 8093

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 4 – Dec 3, 2018: Mon, 9:30 a.m.–1:20 p.m.
    Vancouver

  • Instructor:

    Nicole Jackson
    njj@sfu.ca
    1 778 782-8424
  • Prerequisites:

    IS 200 and 45 units. Recommended: HIST 335.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Introduces the Russian Federation's foreign and security policies. Reviews key actors, institutions, and stages in the development of Russian foreign policy development as well as the gap between rhetoric and realities in Russian foreign policy.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course is designed to develop student expertise on Russian Foreign Policy. We will begin with an overview of how scholars study the subject of ‘foreign policy analysis’ and the multiple dimensions “power”, followed by brief examination of the historical roots of Russian foreign policy and then an analysis of domestic politics and the making of Russian foreign and security policies.  Key issues, debates and practices in Russian foreign policy will be explored, and the evolution of different types of Russian influence – ideational, soft, hard and “practical” – will be highlighted.  Students will be encouraged to explore Russian policy thinking and action towards specific issues in key regions which may include Central Asia, the Western CIS, the Caucasus, Asia, Europe and the US.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

The course aims to familiarize students with the principal alternative approaches to Russian foreign policy analysis, and to consider what kinds of power and influence Russia possesses. By the end of the course, students will be able to carefully assess whether, how and why Russian power and influence have evolved over time.  Second, students will have learnt how to critically participate in and contribute to contemporary debates about Russian foreign policy and foreign policy-making using theoretically-informed empirical analysis. This will be assessed in oral and written format, and thus help students to hone these key skills. Third, students will have developed and defended their own critical study of a chosen issue in Russian foreign policy. By the end of the course, students will be able to critique the concept of power, situate their own evidence-based arguments within the academic literature and outline, and defend pragmatic policy prescriptions.

Grading

  • Participation including oral presentations 20%
  • Research Essay 45%
  • Final Test 35%

NOTES:

Course evaluation may change depending on student numbers.

Students will be required to submit their written assignments to Turnitin.com in order to receive credit for the assignments and for the course.

The School for International Studies strictly enforces the University's policies regarding plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty. Information about these policies can be found at: http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/teaching.html.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Andrey Tsygankov, Russia’s Foreign Policy, Rowmann and Littlefield Publishes, 2016  

Robert H Donaldson and Joseph L Nogee, The Foreign Policy of Russia; Changing Systems, Enduring Interests, Fifth Edition, M.E. Sharpe, 2014.    

Extra Readings

Peter Pomerantsev, Nothing is True and Everything is Possible, The Surreal Heart of the New Russia, 2014    

Bill Browder, Red Notice; A true story of high finance, murder and one man’s fight for Justice, Simon and Schuster, 2015.   

Svetlana Alexievich, Secondhand Time; The Last of the Soviets, 2017

RECOMMENDED READING:

Timothy J Colton, Russia: What Everyone Needs to Know, OUP, 2016.  

Jeffrey Mankoff, Russian Foreign Policy; The Return of Great Power Politics, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2009

Walter Lacqueur, Putinism: Russia and its Future with the West (Thomas Dunne, 2015).

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/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

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS