Бакалавриат
2025/2026
Современная российская политика
Статус:
Курс обязательный (Политология и мировая политика)
Где читается:
Санкт-Петербургская школа социальных наук
Когда читается:
2-й курс, 1, 2 модуль
Охват аудитории:
для своего кампуса
Язык:
английский
Кредиты:
5
Контактные часы:
40
Course Syllabus
Abstract
The course revolves around four major issues in Russian politics: super-presidentialism, regionalisation, state weakness and weak political institutions, and its resource wealth and business-state relations. The tasks of the course are therefore covering these four components. The three former institutional characteristics are taken to be more stable and to produce stronger legacies traced back to the late Soviet times and the 1990s.
Learning Objectives
- The course aims at forming a coherent knowledge of the recent political developments in Russia through the lens of various conceptual and theoretical approaches
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Analyzes the role of civil society in Russian politics from late 1980s to our days
- Appreciates the significance of events that occurred in 1992-1993 for contemporary Russian political development
- Establishes and analyzes the role of parties in Russian politics
- Identifies the major state-building reforms in Russia
- Interprets the varying approaches to role of business in Russian politics
- Knows reasons and events of Perestroika, performs analysis of its successes and failures
- Uses conceptual toolkit of political science theories of federalism to analyse development of federalism in Russia
- Establishes and analyzes the role of electoral mechanisms in Russian politics
- Establishes symbolic narratives of russian politics
Course Contents
- Soviet Politics and Perestroika
- 1992-1993 and the New Constitution
- Electoral and Party System in Russia
- Electoral Mechanisms in Russia
- Business and State
- Federalism in Russia
- Regional politics
- State-Building and Reform Process in Russia
- Civil Society and NGOs
- Symbolic Politics in Modern Russia
Assessment Elements
- In-class TestsOn each seminar, there is a 10-minute written test which covers the material of this week’s topic, both the lecture and seminar. The tests may be conducted at the start or the end of seminars. The tests may include multiple-choice or open-ended questions. If a seminar is missed without a valid reason, the grade for the respective test will be 0. If a seminar is missed for a valid reason, then the test will not be graded and will be excluded from the calculation of the final grade.
- Written ExamThe exam is a written essay on two broad questions covered in the course. The exam lasts for two academic hours. Exam is close-booked, held in the seminar auditory. To answer the question students have 1 hour 20 minutes. .
- Reaction paperSummary of the task. In the essay, which is dedicated to the topic of one of the seminars, the students are expected to summarize and review the literature about this topic, as well as to formulate and support their own opinion. The paper should cover at least two (2) of the pieces from the reading list - either of mandatory or optional readings - but students may choose to review any additional academic literature in case it is relevant for the topic, as well as any empirical sources if necessary. The essay briefly covers the readings, criticizes them, compares their arguments, etc. The author is expected to answer some basic questions, e.g. what are the central issues in the literature reviewed, which arguments the works put forth, what are the strengths and weaknesses of the papers under review. The essay does not merely summarize the works that it reviews but should add something to it – either in criticism, or in some interesting development of the arguments proposed, or both. It is important to show the underlying similarities and differences of the pieces reviewed in the reaction paper. This way, the essay should start from the literature but arrive at the student’s own position on the chosen topic. Formal requirements. Deadline of submission: 30th of November, 23:59 (Moscow time). For every day overdue, 1 point will be subtracted from the final grade. If the student has a valid excuse for not submitting the reaction paper on 30th of November, the student is granted an extra week to write and submit the reaction paper. Word limit: the minimum amount is 1000 words (including bibliography and all other elements of the document), the maximum amount is not regulated. For every 100 words below the limit 1 point will be subtracted from the final grade. Amount of academic sources: no less than 2 (from either mandatory or optional reading list). For each missing source 5 points will be subtracted from the final grade. Referencing style: Chicago author-date. This implies in-text citation. Formatting requirements: Times New Roman size 12, 1.5 line spacing, text should be aligned by width. Student’s full name and group number, as well as the document’s word count, should be specified additionally on the first page. Plagiarism and/or usage of generative AI result in automatic 0 for the paper.
- Group presentationFor one of the seminars the students prepare an analytical group presentation devoted to one of the relevant issues of that seminar’s topic: an important personality, a faction of the Russian elite, a prominent political event or process, etc. The topic of the presentation may be proposed by the students themselves or announced by the instructor in advance. In each academic group, students are divided into groups of 4-5. The presentation is to last up to 15 minutes, followed by a Q&A session, for which the group is expected to prepare questions for the audience. In their presentations, students are advised to add references to academic literature and/or relevant empirical data; include not only narration of factual information, but analytical discussion as well; interact with the audience; present their topic in their own words, avoiding reading of the material. Students must be present during their presentation but it is not required for all team members to participate in the speech.
Interim Assessment
- 2025/2026 2nd module0.2 * Group presentation + 0.25 * In-class Tests + 0.25 * Reaction paper + 0.3 * Written Exam
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Fish, M. S. (2005). Democracy Derailed in Russia : The Failure of Open Politics. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=148155
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Desai, P. (2006). Conversations on Russia: Reform from Yeltsin to Putin. Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.b.oxp.obooks.9780195300611
- Sakwa, R. (2002). Russian Politics and Society (Vol. 3rd ed). London: Routledge. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=73688