UNIVERSITY OF NORTHAMPTON

MA IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

M047: THE INTERNATIONAL POLITICS OF THE POST-SOVIET SPACE

Autumn Semester 2016-17
Module Guide

Lecturer contact details

Leslie Benson: Fawsley 32
Tel: 01604 894525
Leslie.benson@northampton.ac.uk

Office Hours
I do not keep conventional office hours, though you are welcome to e-mail
me to see when I am in during any given week. Instead, I shall reserve
the break between lecture and seminar to deal with anything you want to
talk about. If you need to contact me urgently, please use e-mail. It may
be possible then to arrange time for an individual tutorial.
Course information
For course information keep a close eye on NILE (Northampton Integrated
Learning Environment).
Teaching Arrangements
The module is taught over 6 weeks, two hours per week and is timetabled
for Wednesday 12-2 in H39.
Teaching is through a combination of lectures, seminars, video screenings
and tutorials. Seminar activities will include discussions of specified
reading, themes and topics. Lectures are to provide you with the basic
outlines of particular issues and debates within the field, and to draw your

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attention to questions and issues which you will pursue further in seminar
discussions, reading groups and in self-guided research outside class.
Seminars allow you to discuss issues raised in the lectures or in your
preparatory reading/research in more depth. Discussions in seminars
should be student-led, with the tutor acting mainly as a facilitator. How
much you get out of seminars depends very much on your preparation.
and willingness to enter into discussion with your colleagues.
While lectures and seminars are essential elements of the module, your
success will depend largely on how much reading and research you do
around the subject. You should allow around two to three hours per week
for self-directed study, in addition to the two hours per week in class for
this module. In order to become an efficient researcher, it is important
that you familiarise yourself with the services and facilities offered by the
library, especially the availability of electronic and on-line sources as well
as the short loan section.
Attendance
Regular attendance is essential. If you cannot attend a particular session,
you should inform me in advance, please, by e-mail.

ABOUT THE MODULE

The aim of the module is to acquaint students with the background history
and the current state of international relations in post-Soviet regions,
focusing specifically on the nexus of Russia, Eastern Europe and the
emergent place of Russia in global politics.
LEARNING OUTCOMES

On completion of the Module students will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding
a)

Understand with confidence the rationale for treating the postSoviet space as a geo-political entity for the purposes of analysis.

b)

Show critical awareness of the significance of the international

relations of the post-Soviet Union for understanding the changing
global balance of power.

Subject Specific Skills

c)

Critically discuss selected themes relating to international relations

and security in the post-Soviet Union.

d)

Demonstrate a substantive knowledge of the historical development

of one or more countries of the post-Soviet space in its (their)

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regional context, during the period after the collapse of the former
Soviet Union in 1991.
Key Skills
e)

Conduct a sustained and cogent argument in appropriate written

format.

f)

Marshal an appropriate range of sources, referenced according to

the accepted academic conventions.

g)

Show evidence of advanced skill in oral communication.

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Module Programme

Week 1 (05/10/16)

From Stalin to Gorbachev

Week 2 (12/10/16)

Gorbachev and his successors

Week 3 (19/10/16)

Russia, NATO and the new Europe

Week 4 (26/10/16)

Essay tutorials

Week 5 (02/11/16)

Echoes of the Cold War

Week 6 (09/11/16)

Russia in a global world .

Assessment
There is ONE assessment item for this module:
1 x 2500 word essay, titles below (see page 6)
Submission Date: Wednesday 30 November 2016.
You essay must be submitted on NILE.
Reading: the readings for each topic will be discussed and confirmed as
we progress through the sessions.
Internet Resources
The internet is becoming an increasingly important and popular learning
resource. However, while there are many valuable sources available online, the use of web-based sources carries a serious health-warning. As
anybody can publish anything on the internet, net-based sources have to
be approached with caution. For those already familiar with the basics of
internet use, the library's learning resources homepage holds a number of
subject specific resources : http://www.northampton.ac.uk/lrs/subjects.
The faculty support team in the library also runs some very helpful
sessions on how to identify and use 'good' web-based sources to best
effect in your research.
Library
We have a librarian specifically attached to our Faculty. She is there to
help you with any problems you may encounter in the library and you
should contact her if you are in difficulty.

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Referrals and Deferrals
Rather than resubmitting work after the end of the academic year, you will
be given an opportunity to resubmit the assessment before the end of the
module. If you are granted a referral or deferral, the deadline for the
essay assignment will be as follows:
Assessment deadlines
Assessment Item
2500-word Essay

Deadline
November 30 2016

Referral / Deferral deadline

End of the second trimester

Essay Guidelines
For the essays, students will be expected to conduct in-depth research, to
demonstrate knowledge and understanding of central concepts and
perspectives, and to advance critical analysis in a rigorous, articulate and
creative manner. It is expected further that students will engage with a
variety information sources and will evidence appropriate skills of
referencing.
Return of Assignments
Assignments where possible will be handed back to you within three working
weeks of their being handed in. They are always returned with an Assignment
Feedback Sheet which not only tells you your grade but also provides you
with a summary commentary on what you have written, dealing with content,
technique and presentation. The cover sheet is intended to help you identify
strengths and weaknesses so that you can improve the quality of your written
work. Specimen cover sheets for some of the types of assessment you may
be asked to undertake are provided at the end of this guide.
Marking Procedures for Written Work
All written work is moderated internally and may later be submitted to an
external examiner. We endeavour to have written assignments turned
around and returned to you within three working weeks from the deadline.
Each year, samples of coursework are sent to an external examiner to
ensure that our marking standards are comparable to those of other
universities. Please note that all marks are provisional until confirmed
by the exam board at the end of the academic year. Examination scripts
are double-marked and, as with coursework, a sample of scripts is sent to
the external examiners for moderation
Problems Affecting Study

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If a problem arises which may affect your studies, you are encouraged to
discuss this in the first instance with one of the module tutors, or if the
problem is likely to affect more than one module, with your personal tutor.
Alternatively, if you do not wish to discuss the problem with a member of
the teaching staff, you might contact the Dean of Students, or the Student
Support Team.
If you are experiencing medical or other personal
problems that may prevent you from submitting an assignment on time,
you should request a Mitigating Circumstances Form (available from the
Frameworks Office). For support with study skills, you are strongly
encouraged to make use of the services and facilities available in the
Centre for Academic Practice (CfAP):

http://www.northampton.ac.uk/info/20427/centre-for-academic-practice

Essay titles
(Choose ONE only)

1. Examine the place of Russia in the new Europe created by the fall
of communism.
2. Consider the view that Russia is re-emerging as a great power.