Russian Politics & Society

Course detail Description

As part of King’s Russia Institute’s Russian Policy Studies course, we have designed our MSc in Russian Politics & Society to provide you with the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to analyse a broad range of contemporary Russian policy challenges in practical and theoretical contexts. You will gain an in-depth knowledge of the interlocking social, political and economic challenges that have faced Russia in recent decades, a comprehensive knowledge of Russian current events and an understanding of a range of disciplinary and theoretical approaches to policy and academic analysis. In addition, you will pursue specialised research and study in a relevant field of your choice. Throughout, you will be aware of the comparative context and we will encourage you to use your knowledge of the Russian case to challenge existing global theoretical and policy approaches.

Our Russian Policy Studies course provides you with a thorough knowledge and understanding of:

• The history of social, political and economic change in post-Soviet Russia.
• Key challenges facing political, economic and other social actors in today’s Russia.
• Practical approaches to the collection and analysis of empirical data relevant to policy or academic puzzles in the Russian context and beyond.
• The perspectives of policy practitioners professionally engaged with Russia.
• Policy-relevant implications of developments and possible developments for policymakers and other relevant actors in the UK, Europe or elsewhere.

Additionally, our MSc Russian Politics & Society course will focus on:

• The complexity of and connections between social, political and economic processes in changing societies such as Russia.
• Theoretical and practical approaches to the analysis of processes of social, political and economic change.
• The comparative relevance of the Russian experience for the study of social, political and economic processes elsewhere in the world.

Our course will particularly appeal if you are a graduate of Russian/Slavonic studies, European, energy or security studies, comparative politics, or another course and have developed an interest in Russia and/or if you are looking for a career involving work in or about Russia.

Teaching

You will typically have 20 hours of teaching per 20-credit taught module as well as 180 hours of self-study (some modules may involve lab work or e-learning which would require less self-guided learning). Typically, one credit equates to 10 hours of work.

For the dissertation module, you will have 16 contact hours of workshops and one-to-one or group consultation with
supervisors to complement 584 hours of self-study and project work.

If you are taking the part time course, you will take at least 60 credits of required modules during your
first year, and take the remaining credits and your dissertation in your second year. This can, however,
be individually discussed with the student.

Assessment

Russia Institute modules will be assessed by essays, other written work (including policy briefs and memoranda, scenario analyses and models), in-class quizzes and presentations, and class participation and attendance. The dissertation module assessment will be 100 per cent on the dissertation itself (14,000 words); a 1,000-word dissertation proposal is required but not assessed. Assessment of modules from other departments/institutes may vary.

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Structure

Year 1

Courses are divided into modules. You will normally take modules totalling 180 credits.

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on this course page for updates.

• Contemporary Russian Politics & Policy (40 credits)
• Practice of Policymaking in Contemporary Russia (20 credits)
• Dissertation (60 credits)

In addition, you are required to take the following module:

• Governance & Economic Growth in Transition (20 credits)

You are also required to take one of the following
modules:

• Politics of Energy Security in Eurasia (20 credits)

or

• New & Emerging Security Threats in Post-Soviet Eurasia (20 credits)

• European Identities & the EU (20 credits)
• Corruption (20 credits)
• Power & Social Conflict (20 credits)
• Communicating in Crisis: State-Citizen Relations in Societies under Stress (20 credits)