Featured Courses

Course Description: This course surveys the relationship between the Soviet Union and the rest of the world from 1917 to 1991. We will look at the Bolsheviks and their dream of worldwide socialist revolution, the creation of the Soviet socialist state, the postwar transformation of the USSR into a superpower, and the eventual collapse of the Soviet colossus. We will evaluate the diplomatic relations between the USSR and other states, the connections between Soviet domestic and foreign policies, and the movement of culture, ideas, armies, and institutions across borders. 

Course meeting days and times: Tuesdays 11:00 – 12:15, 1641 Mosse Humanities Building

Credits: 3-4 credits.

Instructor(s): Francine Hirsch

Course Description: This course examines causes and consequences of the Russian invasion and war on Ukraine. Analyzes the war using concepts in comparative politics (e.g., regime type, national identity, and domestic politics in Ukraine and Russia) and international relations (e.g., international security, institutions and norms, sanctions and trade, migration and human rights). This course will introduce students to political science literature relevant to Russia’s invasion of and war on Ukraine. We will begin with the question of why Russia invaded, and consider factors related to domestic politics and international relations in order to develop an answer to the question throughout the semester. We will also consider the implications of the war on Ukraine, Russia, and the international system. In the last section of the course we will consider post-war challenges including Migration and the Politics of Immigration; and War Crimes, Genocide, and Accountability. We will end with discussion of future prospects for Ukraine and Russia.

Course meeting days and times: Tuesdays & Thursdays 11:00-11:50 PM, L196 Education Building

Credits: 3 credits. 50% Graduate Coursework Requirement. Repeatable for Credit.

Instructor(s): Yoshiko Herrera

Course Description: This class introduces students to the work of historians through a difficult, controversial, and often painful, topic: civilian experiences in eastern Europe during World War II. Using a diverse range of primary and secondary sources, we’ll ask important questions about how ordinary people in the so-called “Bloodlands” under Nazi and Soviet rule responded to occupation, including: How did the Holocaust take place in Eastern Europe? To what extent did local people collaborate with the occupiers? And how were justice and revenge meted out at war’s end? 

Course meeting days and times: Tuesdays & Thursdays 11:00-12:15 PM, 1221 Mosse Humanities Building

Credits: 3–4 credits.

Instructor(s): Kathryn Ciancia