Course Description
Traces rise of Russian state from Kievan Rus through Tsardom of Nicholas I. High points include Mongol legacy, rise of Muscovy, the "Time of Troubles," and creation of modern state structure by Peter I (The Great). Final focus is on nineteenth-century reform beginnings and rise of revolutionary movement.
Athena Title
RUSSIA TO REFORMS
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Students will gain familiarity with the broad sweep of early Russian history, from the eighth century to the 1860s. A principal objective of the course is to teach students to think critically for themselves about the relationships between the past and the present, to learn to ask questions of the past that enable them to understand the present and mold the future, and to become attuned to both the limitations and possibilities of change. The course seeks to acquaint students with the ways in which past societies and peoples have defined the relationships between community and individual needs and goals, and between ethical norms and decision-making. In general students will be expected to: 1. read a wide range of primary and secondary sources critically. 2. polish skills in critical thinking, including the ability to recognize the difference between opinion and evidence, and the ability to evaluate--and support or refute--arguments effectively. 3. write stylistically appropriate and mature papers and essays using processes that include discovering ideas and evidence, organizing that material, and revising, editing, and polishing the finished papers.
Topical Outline
Kievan Rus’ Novgorod, the Appanage Princes, and Power Struggles The Mongol “Yoke” and the Slavic Princes The Muscovite Order Ivan IV and the Problems of Power The Time of Troubles and Colonial Expansion Peter the Great Catherine the Great and Two Cultures From Superpower Status to Constitutional Revolt, 1801-1825 Building a Russian Empire Social Change and Political Conservatism Under Nicholas I Crisis of Old Russia The Era of Great Reforms
Syllabus