| Course title | Conflicts in the Post-Soviet Area |
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| Course code | KPE/MCPSA |
| Organizational form of instruction | Lecture + Seminary |
| Level of course | Master |
| Year of study | not specified |
| Semester | Winter and summer |
| Number of ECTS credits | 7 |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Status of course | Compulsory-optional |
| Form of instruction | Face-to-face |
| Work placements | This is not an internship |
| Recommended optional programme components | None |
| Course availability | The course is available to visiting students |
| Lecturer(s) |
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| Course content |
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Week 1 INTRODUCTION. COURSE OVERVIEW. Week 2 L/S: CONFLICTS IN THE POST-SOVIET EURASIA. INTRODUCTION. Week 3 L/S: THE FIRST CHECHEN WAR. Week 4 L/S: THE SECOND CHECHEN WAR AND BEYOND. Week 5 L/S: GEORGIA. THREE WARS AT ONCE. Week 6 L/S: THE 2008 WAR. Week 7 EASTER HOLIDAYS. NO CLASS. Please, continue reading. Week 8 L/S: NAGORNO-KARABAKH. ROOTS OF THE CONFLICT AND ITS DEVELOPMENT TILL 1994. Week 9 L/S: NAGORNO-KARABAKH. 2016 FOUR-DAY WAR. 2020 WAR. Week 10 L/S: NAGORNO-KARABAKH. 2023 DEVELOPMENT; SEPTEMBER 2023 WAR. 2024 DEVELOPMENT AND THE PROSPECT OF THE T?TE-?-T?TE NEGOTIATIONS: IS RUSSIA OUT? Week 11 L/S: UKRAINE CONFLICT. PART I. Week 12 L/S: UKRAINE CONFLICT. PART II. Week 13 COURSE WRAP UP, EVALUATION. DISCUSSION.
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| Learning activities and teaching methods |
Lecture
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| Learning outcomes |
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In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed, creating fifteen new states with many security challenges. After decades of totalitarianism, disputes over future arrangements and political systems flared up in the successor states, and ethnic unrest broke out in many places. Finally, armed conflicts erupted between successor states, rooted in history and problematic borders; the situation was not helped by the rising tide of nationalism and the interests of new elites and armies. Post-Soviet Eurasia has thus become a turbulent region whose wars and their consequences have posed a major security challenge for more than 30 years, including for Europe. The year 2022 was a turning point, however, when Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine started a war that threatened the very existence of Ukraine and brought the greatest security threat to Europe. The course discusses armed conflicts and connected security issues that have plagued the post-Soviet space since the late 1980s. After a more general introduction the following conflicts, their roots, development and consequences are discussed: the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Russo-Georgian conflict, the Chechen wars. The last third of the course is devoted to the ongoing Ukraine war.
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| Prerequisites |
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The course is intended for M.A. level students of politics, IR, conflict resolution studies.
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| Assessment methods and criteria |
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Student performance
Final grade is a combination of the following items: - Reading; participation in discussions (2 credits) - Team presentations (2 credits) - Essay (3 credits) Team presentation: - Each student will be a member of one presentation team. Teams will be established in the first seminar. - There will be short (8-10 min) presentations by each team in almost every class. See specific topics below. - Each team focuses on the assigned text(s). Nevertheless, the teams are encouraged to add information/context from other sources! - Each team is supposed to highlight 3-5 most important points of their presentation. These points and a list of the most important sources will be distributed on A4 to all participants of the course. Essay: During the first four weeks of the course, each student chooses an essay topic. The topic must relate to one of the conflicts discussed. The topic must be discussed and finally agreed upon by the course instructor no later than halfway through the course. The course participant then works on an academic essay of 2000-2500 words, referencing at least 10 academic sources. |
| Recommended literature |
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| Study plans that include the course |
| Faculty | Study plan (Version) | Category of Branch/Specialization | Recommended semester | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): War and Peace Studies (2019) | Category: Social sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Governance and Democracy (2023) | Category: Social sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Governance and Democracy (2019) | Category: Social sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Political Analysis and Strategy (2019) | Category: Social sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): European Union (2023) | Category: Economy | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Governance and Democracy (2019) | Category: Social sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): War and Peace Studies (2023) | Category: Social sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): European Union (2023) | Category: Economy | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): European Union (2023) | Category: Economy | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Political Analysis and Strategy (2023) | Category: Social sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Political Analysis and Strategy (2019) | Category: Social sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): War and Peace Studies (2019) | Category: Social sciences | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): European Union (2019) | Category: Economy | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): European Union (2023) | Category: Economy | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): European Union (2019) | Category: Economy | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): European Union (2023) | Category: Economy | - | Recommended year of study:-, Recommended semester: - |