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PEOPLES AND CULTURES OF POST-SOVIET EURASIA

(Anthropology 164P (60300), Political Science 154F (67440), International Studies 179 (64570)

Course approved as a required elective for the Minor in Conflict Resolution

Evaluation and Course Schedule

Week 1/Week 2/Week 3/Week 4/Week 5/Week 6/Week 7/Week 8/Week 9/Week 10

Paula Garb, Fall 2011, T Th 12:30-1:50, Social Science Lab 140

  • Office: SST 565; 824-1227 (ph); e-mail: pgarb@uci.edu  
  • Office Hours: Wednesdays 2:15-3:30, Thursdays: 2-3 pm, or by appointment
  • Office Hours for TA, Kelsey Norman, kpnorman@uci.edu in SST 640, Fridays 11-noon, or by appointment

 

Course Goals
This course is about the dozens of ethnic groups living in the countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia. These are the European and Asian territories that, until 1991, were part of the Soviet Union. As the Soviet empire collapsed, the process was not peaceful. All of the countries we will study in this course have been riveted by economic and political tumult since the breakup of the Soviet Union. We will examine the history of the indigenous peoples and cultures of the former USSR's independent successor states, the wars of independence within the successor states, and current developments. Emphasis will be on the issues of culture, conflict and conflict resolution.

Our learning objectives are the following:
1) To have a clear understanding of the ethnic and cultural diversity of the Caucasus and Central Asia
2) To know the developments that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the current developments related to conflicts within the successor states.
3) To understand how people and governments of post-Soviet Eurasian countries are coping with the cultural, political and economic legacies of the Soviet era; how they are reinventing their identities and societies; and building new relationships with their neighbors and other countries. 

 

Required Reading:

 
Evaluation:
Grading will be based on:

--2 map and short question quizzes on Oct. 11 and Nov. 8 (10% each). There will be no makup quizzes.

--3 pop quizzes (20%)

--2 five- to six-page double-spaced take-home essay exams due in class on Nov. 3 and on June 1 (30% each).  The essays will present your commentary on the readings, videos, and class discussions. Class attendance is necessary to do well on the essays. Five points will be taken off for every day the assignment is late. Essays will not be accepted by e-mail.

 

 

LECTURES/READING ASSIGNMENTS:

 
Week 0 and 1 Week 2 Week 3

Readings

 Readings Readings

Week 0. Th. Sept. 22

  • Introduction of course and requirements

Week 1. T Sept. 27, Th. Sept. 29

  • Breakup of the Soviet Union
  • Post Soviet Russia and its policies toward the former Soviet republics.

video: "Inside Gorbachev's USSR: Coming Apart"

 

T Oct. 4, Th. Oct. 6

  • Introduction to the North and South Caucasus
  • video about the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict

Preparation for map quiz in week 3

 

 T Oct. 11, Th. Oct. 13
  • Armenia and Azerbaijan
  • video about Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Thursday: in class map quiz with short questions. See mail archive for questions.

Week 4 Week 5 Week 6

Readings

 Readings Readings

T Oct. 18, Th. Oct. 20

  • current developments in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

T Oct. 25, Th. Oct. 27

The war in Chechnya and other conflicts in Russia's North Caucasus

video about the war in Chechnya

Th. Oct. 27. Essay #1 questions explained in class. See mail archive for questions.

T Nov. 1, Th. Nov. 3.

Th. Nov. 3, Essay #1 due in class. Click here for essay questions

Uzbekistan

Preparation for Map Quiz on Central Asia, next week. For a map of Central Asia click here.

video: Master of Samarkand

Week 7 Week 8 Week 9

Readings

Readings

Readings

Week 7: T Nov. 8, Th. Nov. 10 

Tuesday: Map Quiz on Central Asia. For a map of Central Asia click here.

Tajikistan and its civil war

map of environmental damage in Central Asia
http://enrin.grida.no/aral/maps/asiecen1.htm

 

Week 8: T Nov. 15, Th. Nov. 17:

 

Turkmenistan

Week 9. T Nov. 22, Th. Nov. 24. No Class. Happy Thanksgiving

Kazakhstan and Kyrghyzstan

T. Nov. 22. Final essay questions provided in class.

Week 10
Tuesday, June 2. Conclusion & Review

T Nov. 29, Th. Dec. 1. : Essay #2 is due in class on Th. Dec. 1. Essays will not be accepted by e-mail.  Late essays will be accepted only with Vicki Ronaldson's signature and the date submitted. Her office is in SSPA 3120, phone 824-5487. Five points per day will be lost for papers turned in after 11:30 am in class on Dec. 1.

Click here for final essay questions.

updated October 27, 2011.

 

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