HSTK 540: Directed Readings in European History: Russia Since 1918 R 6p.m.-9p.m. Room 411, Founder’s Hall
Dr. Cadra P. McDaniel
Office Hours: M 12:00-1:00; 3:45-4:15; W 12:00-1:00; R 3:00-5:30; Or By Appointment
Course Description
The course consists of readings and discussions of selected topics in early modern and modern European history and may be repeated for credit when topics vary.
This specific course will examine Russian history from 1918 through the early 21st century. Students will examine major political, economic, and cultural developments. Some readings will encompass the late 19th and early 20th centuries so that students develop a broader basis for understanding later events in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Learning Objectives
1. Explore the growth of Communist ideas in Russia and the events which led to the Bolshevik Revolution. Focus on the reasons for the spread of Communism to various parts of the globe.
2. Analyze the development of Communism within the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe with a focus on Communist leaders’ official doctrines and citizens’ reactions.
3. Examine the origins of the Cold War; understand the Cold War as a global phenomenon; and account for changing Russia perceptions of the West and changing Western views of Russia.
4. Study the factors that caused the fall of the Soviet Union and study the results of Russia’s and Eastern Europe’s transition to capitalism in the 1990s.
5. Utilize historical knowledge to better understand Russian leaders’ policies and programs in the 21st century.
6. Analyze leading scholarly works and primary documents to improve critical thinking and research skills
7. Study history from an interdisciplinary approach by studying authors who examine not only political factors but also cultural factors in Russian history
Required Texts
Hosking, Geoffrey. Russian History: A Very Short Introduction. OxfordUniversity Press,
2012.ISBN 978-0199580989 (Used as a reference source throughout the semester)
Figes, Orlando. A People’s Tragedy: The Russian Revolution, 1891-1924. Penguin,
1998.ISBN-13: 978-0140243642
Fitzpatrick, Sheila. Everyday Stalinism: Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times, Soviet Russia in the 1930s. New York: Oxford UP, 1999.ISBN-13: 978-0195050011
Conquest. Robert. The Great Terror: A Reassessment.Oxford: Oxford UP, 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0195317008
Overy, Richard. Russia’s War: A History of the Soviet Effort: 1941-1945. New York Penguin Books, 1998. ISBN-13: 978-0140271690
Reid, Anna. Leningrad: The Epic Siege of World War II. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011. ISBN-13: 978-0802778819
Gaddis, John Lewis. We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1997. ISBN-13: 978-0198780717
Yurchak, Alexei. Everything Was Forever Until It Was No More; The Last Soviet Generation. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2005. ISBN-13: 978-0691121178
Richmond, Yale. Cultural Exchange and the Cold War: Rising the Iron Curtain, PennsylvaniaStateUniversity Press, 2004.ISBN-13: 978-0271025322
LaFeber, Walter.America, Russia, and the Cold War: 1945-2006.10th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2006.ISBN 978-0073534664
Garcelon, Marc. Revolutionary Passage: From Soviet to Post-Soviet Russia, 1985-2000. Philadelphia: TempleUniversity Press, 2005.ISBN-13: 978-1592133628
Online Sources
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Annual Address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, April 25, 2005
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly, December 12, 2013,
Course Assignments and Policies
During the semester, students will read books and primary readings that examine Russian history from 1918 to the present. Students will compose an analysis for each week’s reading assignment. These analyses should be 2-3 typed pages, double spaced, using Times New Roman Font, and with 1 inch margins. All readings and analyses’ due dates are listed on the Course Schedule at the end of the syllabus.Please submit each analysis online via Blackboard. Should students have difficulty submitting their assignment online, then students should bring a hard copy to class.
The analysis should include the author’s or authors’thesis clearly stated in the first paragraph (5 points); major themes and supporting examples (5 points); and students’ original analyses regarding any perceived major strengths and weaknesses (5 points). Each analysis is worth 15 points. No lengthy quotations will be accepted. Students may include only 2 quotations per analysis, and each quotation should be 10 words or less.Students should have a title page. The title page does not count toward the required number of pages. A handout will be distributed in class on the first day of class and posted on Blackboard, which provides example of a correct title page from the Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition.
It is important that students follow the analyses guidelines closely. Not following the guidelines willlower significantly a student’s grade. For example, the use of more than 2 quotations or quotations of more than 10 words will reduce significantly students’ grades by 3 points or more. The emphasis is that students paraphrase the material. When students paraphrase the material, they have to engage critically with the material, which leads to a more thorough understanding of the text. Also, students should keep their papers to the 2-3 page limit.Papers that exceed the length limit willreduce students’ grades by 3 points or more. One of the objectives in graduate school is to be very specific and precise when expressing written ideas. Students should proofreadtheir papers before the due date, and papers should be free generally of typographical errors and misspellings.
In addition to the analyses, students will discuss each week’s reading in class on Thursdays. To prepare for each discussion, students should have read thoroughly the book or collection of readings. As students read the material, it may be helpful to make notes as they read. Be sure to read the introduction and conclusion as many times the author(s) will outline the thesis in these sections. Then as students read each chapter, they should keep in mind that in each chapter, the author(s) is attempting to advance the book’s argument. Careful reading and note taking will aid students with discussion and should prepare them for writing a good analysis.Each week’s discussion is worth 7 points.
Throughout the semester, students will take turns leading discussion. Each student must lead discussion once, and students will sign up for leading discussion on the first night of class.On the night that the student leads discussion, the student needs to come prepared with a list of 20-25 questions about the reading(s).Also, students will be part of a group of 2-3 students on other nights and will lead discussion as a group. For these meetings, each member of the group should come prepared with a list of 10 questions that cover the reading material(s) for the week. Students may link the readings to previous works that have been read in class or to information discussed in Hosking’sRussian History: A Very Short Introduction. All students who are not leading discussion are expected to contribute to discussion. Students will need to submit a copy of their discussion questions to the professor before class begins. Questions for discussion will not be distributed to the class early. Students should bring a copy of that week’s reading material to class and are free to refer to the texts when answering questions. Leading discussion individually is worth a total of 20 points and leading discussion as a group is worth 10 points.
The final component of each student’s grade will be a short paper of 5-6 typed pages, with 1 inch margins, double spaced, using 12 point Times New Roman Font. The paper will examine a theme from Russian history from 1918 to the present. Students only need to use the books and other materials that we have read in class. No other sources are needed or required.Students must use at least 7 sources from the assigned readings. Students should examine how the various authors have approached this theme in their works. As students read the books and other materials, they may want to take notes, and these notes will help with completing the final paper. Also, the class discussions will examine some of the major themes in Russian history. This material will further aid students with their paper. Students are welcome to take notes during class meetings, but there is NO recording of class discussions.Students are free to select the topic that most appeals to their interests.
An effective paper will have a well-developed thesis clearly stated in the first paragraph (45 points); will use material form7 sources that were read in class to support the paper’s thesis (55 points); will be written clearly with correct grammar and punctuation and be free generally of typographical errors and misspellings (20 points); and will have all information cited properly using Chicago Style endnotes, a Chicago style bibliography, and a Chicago Style title page(20 points). The paper is worth 140 points. Students may only use 2 quotations, and each quotation must be 10 words or less. All material that is either quoted or paraphrased MUST be cited using Chicago Style.A handout on Chicago Style will be distributed during the first class meeting, and links to this material will be posted on Blackboard. The material will provide examples from the Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition. The student will need a title page, an Endnote Page, and a Bibliography, which do not count toward the required 5-6 pages.
As with the weekly analyses, it is important that students follow the paper guidelines closely. Not following the guidelines will lower a student’s grade. For example, the use of more than 2 quotations or quotations of more than 10 words will reduce students’ grades by 5 points or more. The emphasis is that students paraphrase the material. When students paraphrase the material, they have to engage critically with the material, which leads to a more thorough understanding of the text. Also, students should keep their papers to the 5-6 page limit. Papers that exceed the length limit willreduce students’ grades by 5 points or more. One of the objectives in graduate school is to be very specific and precise when expressing written ideas. Students should proofread their papers before the due date, and the papers should be free generally of typographical errors and misspellings.
Since this may be the first time that students have composed a history paper at the graduate level, students have the entire semester to ask the professor various questions about their analyses or final paper. While the professor will not read drafts of the analyses or papers, the professor is more than happy to answer specific questions.
All papers are due on Thursday, May 12 BEFORE6:00pm. Students may submit the paper early anytime during the week of May 9-12.Students must turn in the paper via Turn-It-In.Com on Blackboard. Only in cases of documented extreme hardship will an extension be granted for the final paper.
Class Grading Scale
This class follows TAMUCT’s traditional grading scale of 100-90=A; 89-80=B; 79-70=C; 69-60D; and 59 and below=F.
Analyses210 points
Discussion98points
Leading Discussion20 points
Group Leading Discussion10 points
Russian Theme Paper140 points
Total 478 points
Students may determine their grade by taking the total number of points earned and dividing by the total number of points possible. For example, if a student has 445 points and divides by 478the grade would be a 93A.
Course Policies
Absences: Absences in graduate school are generally not acceptable. The professor does understand that in some circumstances, such as a major illness, there may be missed classes. Should a student miss class, then he or she needs to contact the professor as soon as possible.Unexcused absences will affect negatively students’ grades. Only excused absences are allowed. Should students miss a class, make-up assignments will be allowed only for excused absences. Students, when they return, must give the instructor written documentation, such as a note from their doctor, which covers the days that they missed. ONLY with this form of note will students be granted an excused absence and be able to make-up work. Students cannot make up work or turn in late work with unexcused absences. ALL make-up work must be turned in no later than 1 week after students return to class. No work will be accepted after the 1 week period. Make-up work will take the form of a lengthier book analysis of 5-7 pages. This lengthier analysis will count as both the weekly analysis grade and the discussion grade.
UNILERT: UNILERT is the Emergency Warning System for TexasA&MUniversity – Central Texas (TAMUCT). UNILERT is an emergency notification service that gives TAMUCT the ability to communicate health and safety emergency information via email and text message. By enrolling in UNILERT, university officials can pass quickly on safety-related information, regardless of a student’s location. To enroll or to find out more about UNILERT, please visit the website
Students with disabilities: In accordance with university policy, the professor will make every effort to accommodate students with disabilities. It is the student’s responsibility, however, to inform the professor of the nature of the disability and to obtain appropriate documentation from the Division of Student Support Services. The documentation should note clearly the needed accommodations.
Incompletes: A grade of an Incomplete is granted rarely. Incompletes will only granted only after the last day to drop a course and will be granted only to students who have experienced a major catastrophic event. Students must provide some form of written documentation that provides evidence of the catastrophic event.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is copying or imitating the language, ideas, and thoughts of another individual(s) and submitting that work as one’s own original work. This action will not be tolerated. All material taken from any source, including books, articles, journals, the Internet, or other sources, must be paraphrased (put in your own words), if quoted, set off in quotation marks, and cited correctly. Plagiarism will be discussed in detail on the first day of class. Should students have any questions about paraphrasing, using quotations, citing material, or documenting sources, please ask questions before, during, or after class, or come by the professor’s office and discuss these concerns.
Work that is deemed plagiarized will result in the grade of a zero for the assignment. Students will be using Turn-It-In.com for major assignments, which checks for plagiarism.The final Russian Theme Paper is a major assignment. Students who receive a mark of 50% or more for plagiarism from Turn-It-In.com will earn a failing grade for the class. This 50% from Turn-It-In.com will not count the Bibliography, other source materials, or quoted materials as being plagiarized. Also, students will earn a failing grade for the class when there is evidence that the plagiarism is from a “purchased” paper or blatant copying of sources, without citations.
Cheating: Cheating isassisting other students with taking examinations or with completing other class projects. The penalty for cheating will be a zero for the assignment.
The UniversityWritingCenter: Students should feel free to visit the University Writing Center (UWC) throughout the semester. The UniversityWritingCenter at Texas A&M University-Central Texas is a free workspace open to all TAMUCT students. The UWC is located in 416 Warrior Hall. The center is open 11am-6pm Monday-Thursday during the spring semester. Students may work independently in the UWC by checking out a laptop that runs Microsoft Office suite and connects to WIFI, or by consulting resources on writing, including all of the relevant style guides. Students may arrange a one-on-one session with a trained and experienced writing tutor. Tutorials can be arranged by visiting the UWC. Tutors are prepared to help writers of all levels and abilities at any stage of the writing process. Sessions typically last between 20-30 minutes. While tutors will not write, edit, or grade papers, they will help students develop more effective invention and revision strategies.
Withdrawal, Drop Dates, and Assignment Due Dates: Students who feel that they need to drop the class must go to the Registrar’s Office and complete the withdrawal forms. It is each student’s responsibility to withdraw from a class. Also, it is each student’s responsibility to be aware of all add and drop dates for classes and to be aware of all guidelines in the syllabus as well as due dates for class assignments.
Contacting the Professor:Students should contact the professor if they have any questions about the class or assignments. Please contact the professor as soon as possible so that any concerns may be resolved before it becomes midpoint or later in the semester. Students may contact the professor via e-mail. The professor will respond to all e-mail in a timely manner, usually within 1 business day. Also, students may come by the professor’s office during office hours, or students may make an appointment. Announcements for the class will be posted on Blackboard under the Announcements section. Please check this section regularly.