View Specification DocumentEurope-Russia Relations in the Post-Cold War Era [Nankai] CEES5095
- Academic Session: 2026-27
- School: School of Social and Political Sciences
- Credits: 20
- Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
- Typically Offered: Semester 2
- Available to Visiting Students: Yes
- Collaborative Online International Learning: No
- Curriculum For Life: No
Short Description
This course explores the problems and potential solutions that have been driving the relations between Europe (the EU and its Member States in particular) and Russia for the last 40 years. While this is essentially a political science course, it takes a historical approach to exploring this relationship. This approach enables us to examine the major turning points in Europe-Russia relations (like the Chechen wars or the annexation of Crimea), their determinants, and immediate consequences, but also to evaluate the lasting impact of the actions and decisions taken at the early stages onto the current shape of the relations in a path-dependent manner.
Timetable
Ten two-hour sessions
Requirements of Entry
Open to postgraduate students only
Excluded Courses
None
Co-requisites
None
Assessment
There are three forms of summative assessment in this course that add up into 100% of the grade:
■ 15% for in-class participation;
■ 20% for quizzes;
■ 65% for a 3,000-word analytical piece.
Adjustments and/or alternative modes of assessment will be available to students with disabilities that hinder attendance and/or public speaking.
Course Aims
The core aim of this course is to introduce students to the major turning points in the relations between Europe and Russia over the last 40 years, to develop their knowledge of both domestic politics of the individual European states and EU-level political developments and how their interplay has been influencing the relations between Europe and Russia, and to help them appreciate how Russia's regime trajectory has been affecting those relations.
The course also equips students with the analytical toolkit to explain how and why these turning points came to be what they are in Europe-Russia relations, to evaluate the lasting impact of the historical events of the last 40 years onto the current shape of Europe-Russia relations, to critically engage with commentary on the present-day developments in Europe-Russia relation, and to contribute in writing to the expert discussions on the topic.
Intended Learning Outcomes of Course
By the end of this course students will be able to:
-examine and explain the determinants of the outcomes around major historical events in the relations between Europe and Russia over the last 40 years;
-evaluate the impact of the historical events of the last 40 years on the current shape of Europe-Russia relations through the lens of historical institutionalism, the path dependence approach, and other relevant theoretical frameworks (like normative power Europe, etc);
-compare and contrast roles played by different European actors in Europe-Russia relations over the last 40 years;
-trace the evolution of Russia's political regime and its impact on the relations between Europe and Russia;
-critically assess commentary on the present-day development in Europe-Russia relations and produce analytical pieces on the topic of various genres.