Courses

Section Description

The war in Ukraine is the first major geopolitical conflict in Europe since World War Two. The dramatic current events turn our attention to the origins of the war, thus to history.
This course studies the Soviet Union in global context. It covers major domestic developments, starting with the World War One and the Bolshevik Revolution, the Civil War, formation of the USSR, Stalin’s terror and industrialization, World War Two, Khrushchev’s De-Stalinization, Brezhnev’s “mature socialism,” Gorbachev’s Perestroika, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. The evolution of communist ideology in the form of Leninism and Stalinism is discussed, including the concept of “building socialism in one country.” The course examines Soviet impact in the world, stimulating revolutions and communist take-overs in Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa. It covers the global Cold War history and proxy wars, such as the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
This course offers an introductory survey of Russian history. We will study pre-Revolution Russia and Eastern Europe as well as post-Soviet Russia and former Soviet republics to facilitate better connection with more recent times of Russian history and the current war in Ukraine. By making these historical connections, we will study longer-view history of empire and the genesis of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The course combines histography and contemporary history by trying to comprehend the current events through historical prism.