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GO 327: Politics in Russia and the Post-Soviet States
Fall 2015
Prof. Kate Graney
Tu / Th 9:40-11
Ladd 307
Office Hours: Wednesdays 10-1 and by appointment
Office: Ladd 309
Email: kgraney@skidmore.edu
Office Phone: 580-5242
I will try to respond to your emails promptly, but please be advised that I tend not to
respond late at night or until Monday morning on weekends.
Required Books:
Ukraine Crisis: What it Means for the West. Andrew Wilson. Yale University Press.
2014.
Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin. Fiona Hill and Cliff Gaddy. Brookings Institution
Press. 2013.
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. Anthony Marra. Hogarth Press. 2013.
Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot. Masha Gessen. Riverhead Books.
2014.
Sex, Politics and Putin: Political Legitimacy in Russia. Valerie Sperling. Oxford
University Press. 2015.
The Brothers: The Road to an American Tragedy. Masha Gessen. Riverhead Books.
2015.
Re-Orienting Europe: The Politics of Europeanization in the Former Soviet Union. Kate
Graney. Manuscript. 2015. PDF via BLACKBOARD
Occasional articles / chapters in PDF form via BLACKBOARD
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Course Description:
Why did Russia invade Ukraine? Was it really to prevent a NATO and/or NAZI
occupation of Ukraine and, ultimately, Russia? Are we in the midst of “a new Cold
War”? Should we be?
Why does Vladimir Putin enjoy the types of approval ratings that American politicians
can only dream of? Does he really run Russia like a: corporation, personal fiefdom, KGB
operation, Tsarist realm, totalitarian nightmare? Why does he so often take his shirt off?
Why do Russian men die at rates exponentially higher than Russian women (and
represent a much smaller percentage of the population), but still almost totally dominate
Russian political and economic life? How do women in the post-Soviet world attempt to
influence politics and society given the hyper-masculinist political and social
environment that they live in?
Where and what is Chechnya, and what do the two Chechen wars of the 1990s have to do
with the Boston Marathon Bombings of 2013?
What are the 14 ex-Soviet republics, and does ANYTHING unite them except the fact
that they used to be part of the USSR? Should we continue to look at these 15 countries
together as a coherent unit? Who from these former Soviet states will get to join Europe,
and who will not? Who wants to, and who does not? If they cannot or do not want to
become European, what do they want to be? Will Russia, or China, let them be what they
want to be?
WE WILL DISCUSS ALL THIS AND MORE !
Learning Goals. In this course, it is my hope and expectation that you will:
*Acquire knowledge of the historical, political, economic and social dynamics that shape
political and private life in Russia and the 14 ex-Soviet republics, particularly to
appreciate the social and cultural diversity that characterize this huge and complex area.
*Learn to think critically, creatively and independently about the matter at hand,
including: the nature of political rule in Russia and the former Soviet states, the structure
of the economy, international relations, and the role of gender, ethnicity and religion in
the same.
*Gather, analyze, integrate, and apply varied forms of information—historical accounts,
reports, primary materials, novels, visual sources. Understand and use evidence to make
persuasive arguments in analytical essays and policy reports and presentations.
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*Communicate effectively on paper and “in person”, through written assignments, class
participation, and formal presentations to the class.
*Interact effectively and collaboratively with individuals and across social identities
through collaborative work and respectful class participation.
*Engage in and take responsibility for learning; strive for excellence every day! This
means embracing intellectual integrity, humility, and courage, fostering habits of mind
and body that enable a person to live deliberately and well, and develop an enduring
passion for learning! EVEN AT 9:40 IN THE MORNING ! 
Assignments:
1. Class Participation (15%):
*Close and careful reading of texts
*Frequent and informed participation in DAILY class discussion
*Announced and Pop-quizzes, including MAP QUIZ ON
*In-class writing assignments and small-group activities
*ATTENDANCE AT ONE EVENING MOVIE SESSION: TH. NOV
5 @ 7pm in LIBRARY VIEWING ROOM
2. Group Presentation on an Assigned Topic (15%) (see Handout)
Topics include:
*Social Conditions in Russia (Tues September 29)
*The Russian Oligarchs: Who are they and what do they own? (Thursday
October 1)
*Russia’s Military: How Big and How Big a Threat? (Tuesday October
13)
*US-Russian Relations After the Cold War (Tuesday October 20)
*Crime and Punishment in Putin’s Russia (Tuesday November 10)
*Energy Politics in the Former Soviet Union (Tuesday November 24)
3. Take-home Midterm (2 Analytical Essay Questions) (20%): DUE
THURSDAY OCTOBER 29 (Analysis of the Putin Regime)
4. Thematic Essay on Political Resistance in Russia and the Former Soviet
Union (20%): DUE THURSDAY NOVEMBER 19
5. In-Class Final Exam on Politics of the ex-Soviet Republics (30%) :
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 16 @1:30
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*Combination of short-answer and essay questions
Schedule of Daily Readings and Assignment Due Dates:
**Th Sept 10: Syllabus and Introduction
**Tu Sept 15: The Yeltsin Era: Political and Economic and Chaos
*Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin, Ch. 2 “Boris Yeltsin and the Time of
Troubles”, p.22-37
*The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival, John Valliant, Knopf, 2010.
Ch. 7, 73-86 PDF ON BLACKBOARD
**Th Sept 17: The Yeltsin Era: The First Chechen War
**BBC NEWS TIMELINE “CHECHNYA”, (Focus on years 1922-1996)
Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asiapacific/country_profiles/2357267.stm
*The Brothers: The Road to An American Tragedy, p. 1-36
*A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, Ch. 12 (p.167-184) and Ch. 14 (193-199)
**Tu Sept 22: The Rise of Vladimir Putin
*Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin, Ch.1 (all) , Ch.3 (all) , Ch.5 (76-95 only),
Ch.6 (106-120 only)
**Th Sept 24: How Does Putin Rule? Part I
*Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin, p.120-131, 174-183, 190-202
**Tu Sept 29: How Does Putin Rule? Part II (Economic Policy)
GROUP PRESENATION ON SOCIAL CONDITIONS IN RUSSIA
*Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin, p.132-152, 183-186
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**Th Oct 1: How Does Putin Rule? Part III (Russia, Inc?):
GROUP PRESENTATION ON OLIGARCHS
*Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin, p. bottom 186-189, 203-224
*”The Fate of Every Citizen Is Being Decided,” Mikhail Khodorkovsky,
NYTIMES, November 2, 2010, Available at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/03/opinion/03ihtedkhodorkovsky.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0
**Tu Oct 6: What Does Putin Think? What Does He Want Russians to Think?
History, Ideology and Media Control
*Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin, p. 63-75, 99-105, 265-280, bottom 326328
*”What Should Students Know about Russia’s Enemies: Conspiracy Theories in
Russian Geopolitical Textbooks.” Serghei Golunov, PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo
#358, February 2015. PDF ON BLACKBOARD
*”Everyone Lies: The Ukraine Conflict and Russia’s Media Transformation,” Jill
Dougherty, Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public
Policy, Discussion Paper #88, July 2014. PDF ON BLACKBOARD
**Th Oct 8: The Second Chechen War
**BBC NEWS TIMELINE “CHECHNYA”, (Focus on years 1997-2010)
Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asiapacific/country_profiles/2357267.stm
*The Brothers: The Road to An American Tragedy, 37-65
*A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, Ch. 10 (p.135-155), Ch. 18 (p.229-267),
Ch. 23 (301-309), Ch. 24 (p.321-327 only)
**Tu Oct 13: Re-establishing Order in Chechnya and the Russian Military?
Looming Threat of Islamic Radicalism?
GROUP PRESENTATION ON RUSSIAN MILITARY
*Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin, 331-341
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*”Kadyrov’s Chechnya—Template, Test or Trouble for Russia’s Regional
Policy?”, John Russell, Europe-Asia Studies, 63:3, 509-528. PDF ON BLACKBOARD
**Th Oct 15: Putin 2.0: What is Different? What’s the Same?
*Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin, p.227-265 and 312-326
*”Putin’s Rasputin,” Peter Pomerantsav, London Review of Books, VOl 33, #20,
20 October 2011, 3-6. PDF ON BLACKBOARD
**Tu Oct 20: Putin and America
GROUP PRESENTATION ON US-RUSSIAN RELATIONS
*Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin, p.285-311, 342-347
*”Countering Color Revolutions: Russia’s New Security Strategy and Its
Implications for US Policy,” Dmitry Gorenburg, PONARS Eurasia Policy Memo #342,
September 2014. PDF ON BLACKBOARD.
**Th Oct 22: Ukraine Crisis
*Ukraine Crisis: What it Means for the West, Introduction, p.38-98
**Tu Oct 27: Ukraine Crisis
*Ukraine Crisis: What it Means for the West, 99-160, 183-207
**Th Oct 29: Sex, Politics and Putin: TAKE HOME MIDTERM ON PUTIN
DUE
*Sperling, Sex, Politics and Putin: Political Legitimacy in Russia, p.1-79
**Tu Nov 3: Sex, Politics and Putin
*Sperling, Sex, Politics and Putin: Political Legitimacy in Russia, p.80-221
**Th Nov 5: Sex, Politics and Putin: Pussy Riot: EVENING MOVIE @ 7pm in
LIBRARY VIEWING ROOM : “I AM FEMEN”
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*Sperling, Sex, Politics and Putin: Political Legitimacy in Russia, p.222-309
**Tu Nov. 10: Political Resistance Under Putin: Pussy Riot, Khodorkovsky
GROUP PRESENTATION ON CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN
RUSSIA
*Gessen, Words Will Break Cement: The Passion of Pussy Riot, p.97-224,
Epilogue
*Adam Michnik and Mikhail Khordorkovsky Exchange Letters,” The New
Republic, April 29, 2012, Available at:
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/113815/mikhail-khodorkovsky-and-adammichnik-exchange-letters
**Th Nov 12: NO CLASS : PROF. GRANEY AT CONFERENCE
**Tu Nov 17: Introducing The “Former Soviet Union”
*Graney, Re-Orienting Russia: Chapter One, Two, PDF ON BLACKBOARD
**Th Nov 19: EU, NATO, and UEFA Enlargement
*Graney, Re-Orienting Russia: Chapter Three, Four, Five, PDF ON
BLACKBOARD
**Tu Nov 24: Russia and Europe: ESSAY ON POLITICAL RESISTANCE
DUE
*Graney, Re-Orienting Russia: Chapter Six (Pages TBA), PDF ON
BLACKBOARD
GROUP PRESENTATION ON ENERGY POLITICS IN FORMER
SOVIET UNION
**Th Nov 26: NO CLASS / THANKSGIVING : RELAX AND ENJOY !
**Tu Dec 1: The Baltic States: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania
*Graney, Re-Orienting Russia: Chapter Seven, PDF ON BLACKBOARD
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**Th Dec 3: Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova
*Graney, Re-Orienting Russia: Chapter Eight, PDF ON BLACKBOARD
**Tu Dec 8: The Caucasus: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan
*Graney, Re-Orienting Russia: Chapter Nine, PDF ON BLACKBOARD
**Th Dec 10: The Central Asian States: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan
*Graney, Re-Orienting Russia: Chapter Ten and Conclusion, PDF ON
BLACKBOARD
**FINAL EXAM: WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 16 @ 1:30 in LADD 307