Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2026 - IS 304 D100

Russian Foreign and Security Policies (4)

Class Number: 3450

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 9 – Dec 6, 2026: Wed, 9:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    VANCOUVER

  • Prerequisites:

    45 units. Recommended: IS 200 and 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-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

  • Explain major theoretical and methodological approaches to Russian foreign and security policy, including foreign policy analysis, power, influence, identity, institutions, regional agency, and imperial/decolonial perspectives.  
  • Analyze how Russian power and influence operate through military, ideological, institutional, economic, diplomatic, coercive, informational, and regional tools, and assess the limits of those tools.
  • Connect imperial, Soviet, post-Soviet, and contemporary legacies to Russia’s policies toward Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Central Asia, the Caucasus, China/Asia, the Global South, and the Arctic/High North.
  • Critically evaluate scholarly arguments alongside primary sources, official documents, sanctions materials, speeches, maps, policy reports, and current analyses.
  • Develop professional written, oral, and research skills by producing evidence-based briefs, research designs, presentations, and analytical writing with clear arguments, appropriate citations, and transparent source use.

Grading

  • Participation and preparedness 15%
  • Reading engagement portfolio 10%
  • Russian Foreign Policy Lab brief or policy memo 15%
  • Research design package 10%
  • Paper-in-progress presentation 10%
  • Research essay 25%
  • Simulation package and Lab synthesis reflection 15%

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

One required core text is listed below, pending confirmation of electronic availability through the SFU Bookstore/SFU Library. Additional readings will be delivered through Canvas and/or SFU Library Course Reserves. No physical copy or add-on platform is required.

REQUIRED READING:

Shiraev, Eric. Russian Foreign Policy, 2nd ed. Bloomsbury Academic, 2026 (proposed required core text, pending digital availability)
ISBN: 9781350531895

Selected scholarly articles, primary sources, policy reports, sanctions documents, maps, and short current analyses will be posted on Canvas and/or made available through SFU Library Course Reserves.

RECOMMENDED READING:

Taylor, Brian D. Russian Politics: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2024 (useful primer for students without Russia background)

Tsygankov, Andrei P. Russia's Foreign Policy: Change and Continuity, 7th ed. Bloomsbury Academic, 2025 (conceptual/identity framework)

Donaldson, Robert H. & Nadkarni, Vidya. The Foreign Policy of Russia, 7th ed. Routledge, 2024

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


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.