HISTORY OF RUSSIA
Instructor: Denise Youngblood
Office/Hours: Wheeler 210; Wed. 1:30 – 4:30 and by appointment
Telephone: 656-4497 (direct); 656-3180 (main office)
Email: denise.youngblood@uvm.edu
Course website: http://www.uvm.edu/~dyoungbl/Home_DJY_Courses.html
This course is a survey of Russian history from medieval times to the revolutions of 1917. Special attention will be paid to the evolution of the autocracy and to the multiple tensions engendered by enforced Westernization and modernization beginning with the reign of Peter the Great. By the end of the course, you should understand why Peter I is the central figure in modern Russian history and why for Russians, Europe was both a potent and a destabilizing "cultural invention."
In terms of content, our goals are to understand:
· The statist interpretation of Russian history and the origins of Russian political culture
· Russia as an alternative model of development (neither East nor West)
· Russia as a revolutionary society
· The role of ideas and the intelligentsia in effecting change in Russia
· The development of art and artists as an alternative power base in Russian society
In terms of skills, our goals are to:
· Improve your critical thinking, writing, speaking
· Develop your ability to understand another culture through its own frames of reference
· Learn how to judge the merits of varying interpretations and ideologies both historically and methodologically
Roger Bartlett, A History of Russia
Robin Bisha, Jehanne M. Gheith, Christine Holden, and William G. Wagner, comps., Russian Women, 1698-1917, Experience & Expression: An Anthology of Sources
Basil Dmytryshyn, ed., Imperial Russia: A Source Book, 1700-1917, 4th ed.
George Gibian, ed., The Portable Nineteenth Century Russian Reader
W.J. Leatherbarrow and D.C. Offord, eds., A Documentary History of Russian Thought from the Enlightenment to Marxism
All books are available for purchase at the bookstore and are also on two-hour reserve at the library.
(Schedule subject to change, with notice)
Regular attendance in class is expected. The lectures will focus on advanced content and problems of interpretation, so you should be prepared to supply the basic context from your reading assignments in A History of Russia. Plan therefore not only to show up and to take extensive notes, but also to think and to speak. Be ready to challenge the readings—and the lectures! Please note that the reading assignments vary in length from section to section, so plan ahead.
PROBLEMS IN EARLY RUSSIAN HISTORY (ca. 900-1682)
Read: History of Russia, pp. 1-83; handouts.
Aug. 29 Introduction
Aug. 31 Kievan Rus and the Mongol Yoke
Sept. 5 The Rise of Moscow
Sept. 7 Ivan IV and the Time of Troubles
Sept. 12 The Early Romanovs
ABSOLUTISM AND WESTERNIZATION (1682-1801)
Read: History of Russia, pp. 83-120; Imperial Russia, docs. 1-3, 5-7, 9-12, 14, 16-18, 20-21, 23-24; Russian Thought, pp.17-31; Russian Women, pp. 21-26, 60-73, 100-02, 111-24, 165-74, 215-20.
Sept. 14, 19 Peter I: War and Reform
Weekly paper #1 due Sept. 15
Sept. 21, 26 Catherine II: Reform and War
Weekly paper #2 due Sept. 22
THE APOGEE OF ABSOLUTISM (1801-1881)
Read: History of Russia, pp. 120-93; Imperial Russia, docs. 26-32, 37-38; 42-43; 47-49, 51; Portable 19th Century Russian Reader, pp. 4-33 (Pushkin), 129-98 (Lermontov), 199-240 (Gogol), 293-333 (Goncharov), 334-91 (Turgenev); Russian Thought, pp. 32-58, 67-107, 117-59, 184-91, 199-243, 253-93. (No assignments from Russian Women.)
Sept. 28, Alexander I and the Decembrist Revolt
Oct. 3 Weekly paper #3 due September 29
Oct. 5 Nicholas I
Midterm exam due Friday, October 6
Oct. 10, 12 Revolutionary Ideologies, I (Slavophiles, Westerners, and Herzen)
Weekly paper #4 due Oct. 13
Oct. 17, 19 Alexander II and the Great Reform Era
Weekly paper #5 due Oct. 20
Oct. 24, 26 Revolutionary Ideologies, II (Populists and Anarchists)
THE END OF THE EMPIRE (1881-1917)
Read: Imperial Russia, docs. 52-53, 57-60, 63-66; Portable 19th Century Russian Reader, pp. 410-36 (Dostoevskii), 437-89 (Tolstoi), 532-49 (Chekhov), 616-29 (Gorkii); Russian Thought, pp. 294-96; Russian Women, pp. 51-55, 135-40, 319-71.
Oct. 31, Alexander III, Nicholas II, and the Counter-reforms
Nov. 2 Weekly paper #7 due Nov. 3
Nov. 7, 9 Revolutionary Ideologies, III (KDs, SDs, and SRs)
Weekly paper #8 due Nov. 10
Nov. 14, 16 The Revolution of 1905-1907 and the Constitutional Experiment
Weekly paper #9 due Nov. 17
Nov. 21, 23 NO CLASS (THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY)
Nov. 28, 30 The Great War and the Revolutions of 1917
Weekly paper #10 due Dec. 1
Final exam questions handed out Nov. 30
Dec. 5 Russia "on the Eve"
Dec. 15 Final exam due, 4 p.m.
Grades will be based on:
Weekly papers: 50%
Take-home exams: 40%*
Participation: 10%
*The midterm will be evaluated as 15% of your grade; the final exam, 25%.
And will be assigned as follows:
97-100 = A+ 83-86 = B 70-72 = C- <60 = F
93-96 = A 80-82 = B- 67-69 = D+
90-92 = A- 77-79 = C+ 63-66 = D
87-89 = B+ 73-76 = C 60-62 = D-
Because of the nature of the work we do in class, attendance is mandatory. You are allowed a maximum of two free cuts (although I do not advise missing a week of class); above that, each unexcused absence will lower your final grade by 1 percent. Absences are excused for the usual reasons: illness, religious observance, UVM sports or debate participation, etc. Please see me with any questions.
Please try very hard to be on time. Habitual tardiness will lower your final grade by 0.5 percent per episode.
You will be reading many different types of historical source material in this class.
Each week you will write a short essay (2-3 typed pages, 500-750 words) based on your choice of several topics designed to help you understand the primary source reading assignments. Important: The textbook A History of Russia is useful as an outline for the course and preparation for the lectures and the exams, but it cannot serve as a basis for your weekly papers, which must focus on independent historical analysis of the primary sources.
First and foremost, I expect to see that you're thinking about the assignments, so don't just summarize—analyze! Quality (which includes clear and precise formulation of your ideas) is more important than quantity, but if you're really grappling with the material, you should find yourself writing more than the two-page minimum.
Remember that you're trying to demonstrate to me what you are learning. Correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, and overall clarity and legibility (typing is required) are part of communicating your ideas effectively and so will be evaluated as part of your grade. This applies to all written assignments in this course.
Papers are due in my Wheeler House mailbox each Friday by 4 p.m., as noted on the schedule. You are allowed two “free” late papers, without penalty. All other late papers will be penalized at 10% per day, including weekend days. No papers will be accepted later than one week after they are due.
TAKE-HOME ESSAY EXAMS (40%)
There will be two take-home essay exams, due on the dates noted on the schedule. The midterm exam, weighted as 15% of your grade should be 4-6 pp. typed. You will have your choice of questions that reflect the work we have done to that date, focusing on major issues and themes. The questions will be handed out one week before the exam is due.
The final exam, which is worth 25% of your grade, will cover the material since midterm. You will have your choice of questions; the approximate length of this exam will be 6-8 typed pages.
The late penalty for the midterm will be 10% per day, including Saturday and Sunday; no “freebies” here. NO LATE PAPERS ACCEPTED FOR THE FINAL EXAM.
PARTICIPATION (10%)
Your participation is essential to the success of this class. This component will be based on a number of factors:
· Your preparation (keeping up with reading assignments, as well as reviewing your notes from previous lectures)
· Your ability and willingness to express (and defend) your views in class
· Attendance (you can't contribute to class discussions if you're not in class)
· Individual consultations with me will also be factored in, so if you're shy, come by to talk to me one-on-one
· Lectures, films, or other events during the semester for which I will give participation credit (or credit where you need it most).
Please remember that 10 percent, while a fraction of the coursework, is still the equivalent of one letter grade. Active engagement in the course is the key.
I've spent a lot of space here telling you what you need to do in order to get the most out of this class. My pledge is to be in class on time, to be well prepared, and to grade your work promptly and fairly. I am also available to answer your questions during office hours or by appointment.
My office hours are noted on the first page of the syllabus; please make an appointment if scheduled hours aren't convenient. We can also talk on the phone or communicate via email. I like getting to know my students and never tire of talking about Russia and all things Russian. You don't have to have a problem to drop by my office or to call me.