The aim of this module is to examine the social, political and economic development of the fifteen post-Soviet states since 1991. It will examine why reform has been so much more difficult than in CEE, discuss whether ‘post-Soviet’ is still a valid concept and whether common patterns (corruption, oligarchs, informal politics, political technology) can still be found in the various successor states. The largely failed ‘coloured revolutions’ of 2003-05 will be examined; as will the crisis around Ukraine in 2014 as a turning point for would-be reformers, for the prospects for developing relations with the EU, and for Russia’s continuing influence in the post-Soviet space.

New Language: Russian is a very intensive and accelerated academic Reading module which includes an Oral component. The main purpose of this module is to...

New Language: Russian is a very intensive and accelerated academic Reading module which includes an Oral component. The main purpose of this module is to provide students with the ability to use original Russian sources in their study, research and professional work. The module provides an intensive introduction to Russian grammar and broad knowledge of vocabulary as well as the ability to retrieve and translate information from original sources. The oral component of the module enables the students to communicate in Russian in everyday situations.

The module is design for beginners. It requires intensive and daily self-study beyond the contact hours.

This module aims to provide a competent reading knowledge of Slovene and basic communicative skills in the language. Students who complete the module...

This module aims to provide a competent reading knowledge of Slovene and basic communicative skills in the language. Students who complete the module successfully will be able to assure both potential employers and academic supervisors that they possess the necessary foundation-level Slovene language skills to work with original Slovene texts and to enable them to undertake study and/or research in Slovenia. The module provides an intensive introduction to Slovene grammar, a knowledge of basic vocabulary, practice in the skills of oral communication in Slovene in straightforward situations, translation and information retrieval skills, using Slovene texts on regional as well as on international cultural, political, and social themes. The module is designed for beginners. It requires intensitve study including learning and practising independently beyond the contact hours.