Brock University History 2P98 – Fall 2011
Modern Russia
David Schimmelpenninck
Office: GL 233
Tel: 688-5550, ext. 3507
Email: [email protected]
Office hours: Thursday 1400-1530, or by appointment
Lectures are on Wednesday 1200-1400 in TH 259
Seminar 2 meets on Monday 1600-1700 in IC 119
Seminar 3 meets on Thursday 1500-1600 in MC A323
Films will be screened on Monday, Sept. 19, Oct. 17, and Nov. 14 1900-2200
In TH 248
Course Overview
This course surveys the history of Russia from the early nineteenth century
to the present, a time of considerable political upheaval. It covers the late
Imperial era (from the accession of Tsar Alexander I in 1801 to the reign of
Nicholas II), the Revolution of 1917, the Soviet era, and the transition to
post-Communism. We will pay particularly close attention to the problems
of modernisation and reform, the impact of war on society, the fall of the
Romanov dynasty, Stalinism, the USSR’S collapse, and the imperfect path
to a post-Soviet order.
Hist 2P98 – Modern Russia
Requirements & Grading
•
Prospectus – 5% of grade
A 1-page statement of intent for the paper to be written during the term. Must
include proper bibliographical citations of at least 5 sources you plan to use.
Due at the start of lecture on October 5.
•
Paper – 25% of grade
A 10-page paper on a topic relevant to the course. Due at the start of lecture
on November 23.
•
Seminar Preparation – 20% of grade
Prepare and lead 1 seminar during the semester. This includes studying the
assigned text or film a week in advance and leading the discussion.
•
Seminar Participation – 20% of grade
Attendance at seminars is mandatory. You are also expected to read assigned
texts before all seminar meetings and to participate in the discussions.
•
Final Exam – 30% of grade
A 3-hour exam, which will be based on the lectures, the texts and the films.
Required
Texts
and
Films
1. Books to buy at Brock University Bookstore
Catherine Evtuhov, et al., A History of Russia (Boston, 2004)
Henri Troyat, Daily Life in Imperial Russia under the Last Tsar (Stanford, 1961)
Alexander Solzhenitsyn, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (New York, 1990)
Recommended: Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing History
(Boston, 2001)
Nb - This is the History Departmentʼs authority for writing essays.
2. Films
Oblomov (Nikita Mikhailkov, 1979).
Agony (Elem Klimov, 1977).
Moscow Does not Believe in Tears (Vladimir Menshov, 1981)
2
Hist 2P98 – Modern Russia
3
Housekeeping
•
Instructors will consider extensions for medical or personal emergencies, but they
must be substantiated by the appropriate documentation and will be granted
entirely at the instructor’s discretion. Emergencies do not include ill-tempered
computers, nor the exigencies of other courses, jobs or your love life.
•
Please note the university’s official medical exemption policy: The University
requires that a student be medically examined in Health Services, or by an offcampus physician prior to an absence due to medical reasons from an exam, lab,
test, seminar, assignment, etc. If your medical condition requires special
consideration for academic activity (e.g. missed seminars or labs, assignment
extensions or examination/test rescheduling) and is on a day or at a time when
Health Services is not open, then you must go to another medical facility to obtain
the necessary written medical documentation, which is the completion of Brock
University's Medical Certificate.
•
Late work handed in without the instructor’s permission will be penalised by 20% of
that assignment’s grade for every 24 hours after the time it is due.
•
Plagiarism will not be tolerated and is subject to severe penalties. Brock
University’s Academic Misconduct Regulations define plagiarism as “presenting work
done (in whole or in part) by someone else as if it were one’s own.” If you have any
doubts about what constitutes plagiarism, please refer to
http://www.brocku.ca/library/plagiarism.htm or consult the instructor.
Written work must be screened by plagiarism detection software (Turnitin.com).
•
To pass the course you must get a passing average grade and complete all
assigned work, including both exams.
•
Two or more unexcused absences from seminars will jeopardise your grade.
•
Students will maintain proper decorum during lectures and seminars. This means
refraining from conversations or any other behaviour that may distract others. The
instructor and TAs reserve the right to have a student leave the class if he/she is
being disruptive.
•
All electronic devices, including cellphones, smartphones, iPods, iPads, etc.,
must always be turned off and put away during lectures and seminars. Laptops
are permitted in lectures, but only to take notes. Playing games, watching videos,
reading email, checking Facebook, etc., is strictly forbidden. The instructor
maintains the right to impose supplementary discipline on students who choose to
repeatedly ignore this rule.
•
Emails to me or your TA must be written like proper letters. Please use the
appropriate salutation, e.g., “Dear Professor,” etc., rather than “Hello,” “Hey”, “Yo!”,
or other casual forms address. We will not respond to emails that are overly
familiar. While we read our emails, we may not reply immediately. Don’t be alarmed
if it takes up to three days to get an answer.
Hist 2P98 – Modern Russia
4
Readings
Sep 14
- 1. Alexander I
- 2. 1812
No Seminar
Read Evtuhov, A History of Russia, chapter 16; Troyat, Daily Life in Russia under the
Last Tsar, chapters 1-2
Sep 19
See Oblomov at 1900 in TH 248
Sep 21
- 3. Town & Country
- 4. Nicholas I
- Introduction
Seminar
Read Evtuhov, chapters 17-19; Troyat, chapters 7, 9.
Sep 28
Seminar
- 5. The Intelligentsia
- 6. The Great Reforms
- The Superfluous Man
Read Evtuhov 21, Troyat 6, 10, 12-13.
Oct 5
Seminar
- 7. The Last Reform
- 8. Counter-Reform
- The Intelligentsia
Read Evtuhov 20
Martin Malia, “What is the Intelligentsia,” Dædalus, vol. 89, no. 3, pp. 441-458 (E)*
Vissarion Belinskii, “Letter to Gogol”
http://academic.shu.edu/russianhistory/index.php/Vissarion_Belinsky,_Letter_to_Gogol
Alexander Herzen, “The Russian People and Socialism”
http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008571120
+ Paper prospectus due at the start of lecture on Oct. 5.
* (E) – Available electronically from the Gibson Library.
Hist 2P98 – Modern Russia
5
Lectures, Readings and Films, cont’d
Oct 12
- 9 & 10. Revolutionary Terrorism
No Seminar. Happy Thanksgiving!
Read Evtuhov 22-23. Troyat 5, 8.
Oct 17
See Agony at 1900 in TH 248
Oct 19
- 11. The Constitutional Autocracy
- 12. The Radical Opposition
- Daily Life
Seminar
Read Evtuhov 24-28, Troyat 11, 14-15.
Oct 26
Seminar
- 13. The End of the Dynasty
- 14. Lenin
- Decadence
Read Evtuhov 29-30.
“Study. Study.”
Nov 2
Seminar
- 15. Bolshevik Consolidation
- 16. Early Challenges
- Leninism
Read Evtuhov 31-32.
Karl Marx & Friedrich Engels, “The Communist Manifesto”
http://www.anu.edu.au/polsci/marx/classics/manifesto.html
Vladimir Lenin, What Is to Be Done?, Chapters 1.4, IV. A-C, V.C
http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1901/witbd/
Rosa Luxemburg, “Leninism or Marxism?”
http://www.marxists.org/archive/luxemburg/1904/questions-rsd/index.htm
Hist 2P98 – Modern Russia
6
Lectures, Readings and Films, cont’d
Nov 9
Seminar
- 17. Stalin’s Rise
- 18. Planning Utopia
- New Serfdom?
Read Evtuhov 33-34
Joseph Stalin, “Concerning Questions of Agrarian Policy in the USSR”
http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/stalin/works/1929/12/27.htm
James C. Scott, Seeing Like a State (New Haven, 1998), 193-222 (R)*
Lynn Viola, “Bab’i Bunty and Peasant Women’s Resistance during Collectivization,”
The Russian Review vol. 45, no. 1 (Jan. 1986), pp. 23-42 (E)
Nov 14
See Moscow Does not Believe in Tears at 1900 in TH 248
Nov 16
- 19. Father and Teacher
- 20. Big Chill
- GULAG
Seminar
Read Evtuhov 35-37, Solzhenitsyn, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.
Nov 23
Seminar
- 21. The Thaw
- 22. Stagnation
- Daily Life in the Soviet Union
Read Evtuhov 38-40.
+ Paper due at start of lecture on Nov. 23
Nov 30
- 23. Perestroika and Rebirth
- 24. Review
Read Evtuhov 41-43.
“It is never too late to study.”
*(R) – On reserve at the Gibson Library