Module HIST2791: THE COMMUNIST EXPERIMENT: THE SOVIET UNION, 1917-1991

Department: HISTORY

HIST2791: THE COMMUNIST EXPERIMENT: THE SOVIET UNION, 1917-1991

Prerequisites

• None.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• Soviet History (RUSS3321)

Aims

• To equip students with an understanding of the history of the Soviet Union from its origins to its collapse.
• To encourage students to evaluate critically both the successes and failures of Soviet socialism.
• To acquaint students with debates and concepts pertaining to socialism and communism.
• To develop an awareness of how Western historiography of the USSR evolved during and after the Cold War.
• To contribute towards meeting the generic aims of Level 2 study in history.

Content

• For over 70 years the people of the former Russian Empire were subjected to a giant experiment in social engineering.
• The aim was the liberation of mankind, the creation of a communist utopia.
• In practise, the experiment produced a Frankenstein-like monster, a system based largely on terror and coercion.
• Nevertheless, this system functioned viably for a remarkably long period, enabling the USSR to defeat Hitler and to become a modern superpower with a highly educated population.
• Yet it was a system which was deeply flawed, perhaps fundamentally.
• Despite attempts at reform by Khrushchev and Gorbachev, it collapsed under the weight of its contradictions in 1991.
• This module will take an approach which is both thematic and chronological to try to understand how and why the experiment was undertaken, what were its results, and why it ultimately failed.
• It will focus on specific debates about the Russian Revolution, Stalinism, and the Khrushchev and Gorbachev reform movements.
• There is a rapidly expanding literature on this subject.

Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge and understanding of the development of the Soviet Union from its origins in the 1917 Revolution to its collapse in 1991.
• Familiarity with the debates and concepts associated with socialism and communism.
• Awareness of how Western historiography of the USSR evolved during and after the Cold War.

• Subject specific skills for this module can be viewed at:
• http://www.dur.ac.uk/History/ugrads/ModuleProformaMap/;
• In addition students will acquire the ability to evaluate the successes and failures of Soviet socialism.

• Key skills for this module can be viewed at: http://www.dur.ac.uk/History/ugrads/ModuleProformaMap/

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Student learning is facilitated by a combination of the following teaching methods:
• lectures to set the foundations for further study and to provide the basis for the acquisition of subject specific knowledge. Lectures provide a broad framework which defines individual module content, introducing students to themes, debates and interpretations. In this environment, students are given the opportunity to develop skills in listening, selective note-taking and reflection;
• seminars to allow students to present and critically reflect upon the acquired subject-specific knowledge, methodologies and theories, and to identify and debate a range of issues and differing opinions. The seminar is the forum in which students are given the opportunity to communicate ideas, jointly exploring themes and arguments. Seminars are structured to develop understanding and designed to maximise student participation related to prior independent preparation. Seminars give students the opportunity to develop oral communication skills, encourage critical and tolerant approaches to reasoned argument and historical discussion, build the students' ability to marshal historical evidence, and facilitate the development of the ability to summarise historical arguments, think in a rapidly changing environment and communicate in a persuasive and articulate manner, whilst recognising the value of working with others and, occasionally, towards shared goals.
• Assessment:
• Unseen Examinations test students' ability to work under pressure under timed conditions, to prepare for examinations and direct their own programme of revision and learning, and develop key time management skills. The unseen examination gives students the opportunity to develop relevant life skills such as the ability to produce coherent, reasoned and supported arguments under pressure. Students will be examined on subject specific knowledge;
• Summative essays remain a central component of assessment in history, due to the integrative high-order skills they develop. Essays allow students the opportunity to recognise, represent and critically reflect upon ideas, concepts and problems; students can demonstrate awareness of, and the ability to use and evaluate, a diverse range of resources and identify, represent and debate a range of subject-specific issues and opinions. Through the essay, students can synthesise information, adopt critical appraisals and develop reasoned argument based on individual research; they should be able to communicate ideas in writing, with clarity and coherence; and to show the ability to integrate and critically assess material from a wide range of sources.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

One or more short assignments submitted in writing or delivered orally and discussed either 1:1 or in a group context.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University