VIExpert-opiskelijoilla on vapaa pääsy kaikille verkoston tarjoamille kursseille. Kursseille on ilmoittauduttava ennakkoon. Muistathan aina rekisteröidä kurssisi HY:n Sisussa. Ohjeet kurssi-ilmoittautumiselle ja Sisun käytölle löytyvät täältä.
Ilmoittaudu muiden kuin oman yliopistosi ja HY:n kursseille elomakkeella. Syksyn 2024 kurssien ilmoittautumispäivät ovat 20.8. / 21.9. / 29.10. ja kevään 2025 kurssien ilmoittautumispäivät ovat 19.12.2024 / 28.1. / 25.2. /8.4.
Huom! Tampereen yliopisto toivoo, että muut kuin TAU:n opiskelijat ilmoittautuisivat viikkoa ennen kurssia heidän omalla lomakkeella "VIExpert - Venäjän ja itäisen Euroopan asiantuntijaopinnot (TAU)"
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 3.9.–9.10.2024
Check the timetable from the course page.
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Una Bergmane
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
This research informed course offers an introduction to the history of the USSR, paying special attention to the imperial relations between the Soviet centre and the periphery. It brings together lecturers who currently conduct novel and original research on Crimean Tatar, Ukrainian, Central Asian, Georgian, and Baltic
experiences during the Soviet period. During the first seven sessions of the course students will learn about the key topics and concepts in Soviet history such as empire, nationality, race, modernity, ideology, violence. The last 30 minutes of each session will be devoted to a primary sources analysis.
Five sessions will consist of in-depth discussions of Crimean Tatar, Ukrainian, Georgian, Central-Asian, and Baltic history during the Soviet period, led by a guest lecturers.
Through lectures, readings, class discussions, and written assignments, students will learn to analyse primary sources, develop academic writing and discussion skills, independently analyse historical processes and compile relevant materials to complete assignments. Students will not only acquire knowledge about key developments in Soviet history but also develop an understanding of the multinational character of the Soviet empire.
40 % of the grade: a 500 word primary source analysis. A list of primary sources will be provided be the instructor. During the first six sessions students will learn to analyse a primary source.
60% of the grade: a 2000-word essay. Students will be allowed to freely choose a topic for their essay, but the choice will have to be validated by the course instructor.
Course plan
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 24.10.-28.11.2024
Hybrid: Zoom and Joensuu campus (Lecturer is usually present via Zoom, Heta is always present at the campus)
Thu 24th October 12-14
Thu 31st October 12-14
Tue 5 November 12 -14
Thu 7 November 12 - 14
Tue 12 November 12 -14
Thu 14 November 12 -14
Tue 19 November 12-14
Thu 21 November 12-14
Tue 26 November 12- 14
Thu 28 November 12 -14
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Hurskainen, Laitila, Fert, Ketola, Wasmuth
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Upon completing the study unit, a successful student will
Generic skills in this Lecture course era: knowledge processing, reflection, thinking skills, argumentation
Content
The course examines church-state relations and state religious policy in the Soviet Union, Ukraine and Russia in the 20th and 21st centuries, with particular emphasis on
Orthodox churches in Ukraine and its neighboring countries, especially Russia, share a common ecclesiastical tradition but have different views on the ways how to practice, live through and interpret it, in history as well as today. What kinds of narratives various churches produce to create and maintain their versions from a ‘common’ tradition? What do they emphasise, what do they ‘forget’? How do they react to the other churches’ ‘counternarratives’?
The autocephaly granted by the Ecumenical Patriarchate to the Orthodox Church in Ukraine (OCU) in January 2019 indicates that differences in narrating history may produce results that necessitate other means than narratives. Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine from 2022 onward has shown that churches’ existing ecclesial political choices and societal emphases, both before and during the war, have consequences for interreligious diplomacy as well as for church-state relations.
The course especially stresses that although Orthodoxy has traditionally talked in singular, the latest events in Ukraine has challenged this view. Solely the existence of several Orthodox Churches in Ukraine, and the various statements of representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate points out that one should talk about Orthodoxy in plural.
Lecture Titles (in chronological order):
1. Prof. Jennifer Wasmuth
2. Dos. Teuvo Laitila
3. Dos. Heta Hurskainen
4. Dos. Mikko Ketola
5. PhD Andriy Fert
Teaching methods
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 7.-10.10.2024
Students of the University of Lapland are welcome to follow the course on-site. The ExpREES students can fully participate in the lectures via live streaming.
07 October 2024, 10.00-14.00
08 October 2024, 10.00-14.00
09 October 2024, 10.00-14.00
10 October 2024, 10.00-14.00
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Olga Pushina
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
The students will learn about the ECHR standards of human rights protection. They will also learn to analyze the developments of national public policies in historical context and in comparative perspective.
The multi-disciplinary lecture course will discuss the issues of democratic transition of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE states) that have been reflected in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) since the accession of these countries to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The course will give a comparative overview of the case law of the ECtHR regarding compliance of the CEE states with the ECHR standards of human rights protection. It will also include three case studies of policy areas that are crucial for understanding of non-compliance
of transitional policies with the ECHR (the judicial system, welfare policies, and restitution and privatization policies and their economic and social consequences).
The lectures will cover the following topics:
1) The history and impacts of the accession of the CEE states to the ECHR.
2) Overview of the CEE states’ compliance with the ECHR standards.
3) Structural problems in the judicial systems of the CEE states.
4) Reforms in the welfare sector.
5) Effects of restitution and privatization on the security of property rights.
Implementation methods: Lectures (16h). Written home examination based on the lectures and recommended literature. The questions of the home exam will be given after the lecturing course is over.
Literature: The list of recommended literature will be distributed to the registered students before the course.
Learning material: The required reading is comprised of academic literature such as books and journal articles and
relevant case law of the European Court of Human Rights. The list of recommended literature will be distributed to the registered students before the course.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 21.10.2024 – 2.12.2024
Monday October 21(12-16), TAU Päätalo C213 opetustila C8 (54)
Tuesday October 22 (10 -12), TAU Päätalo C213 opetustila C8 (54)
Wednesday October 23 (10 -14): TAU Päätalo C109 opetustila C6 (54)
Thursday October 24(8-10): TAU Päätalo C213 opetustila C8 (54)
One weekly lecture online/ hybrid (Monday 28/10; 4/11; 11/11) (12-14) - AU Päätalo C213 opetustila C8 (54)
Monday 25.11. 4-hr group work presentation workshop. (12-16): TAU Päätalo F001 Lyhty (40)
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Rune Saugmann Andersen
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
The student is able to identify a wide range of issues discussed in critical approaches to peace and conflict research as well as to security studies. They include digital and visual mass surveillance practices, new patterns of political conflict fueled by digital media, the role of materiality, technology, and visuality in the understanding of peace and conflict. The student can also analyze the impact of material, technological and visual environments on issues and problems of peace, conflict and security.
Russian aggression and invasion of Ukraine has made peace in Eastern Europe a problem, not the given it was for many years assumed to be. Images relate to, represent and reflect this destruction and human suffering of the war, but also facilitate creative, critical and propagandistic responses to it. Negative media reports on current events and the focus on violence in large parts of the literature on the visual construction of reality tend to create feelings of passivity, helplessness and hopelessness among observers, denying them visual agency. Widespread alternative media practices do the opposite, while image-based interactive online media puts in question the ways in which images and their spectators act together.
In this course, we implement a new method for reflecting on the visual politics of peace and war: interactive peace imagery (IPI). We focus it on our contemporary European moment as it is reflected in the Eastern European regions most directly affected by the renewal of war and geopolitical rivalry.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 7.11.-12.12.2024
to 07.11.2024 14:30-16:00 Lectures via zoom
to 14.11.2024 14:30-16:00 Lectures via zoom
to 21.11.2024 14:30-16:00 Lectures via zoom
to 28.11.2024 14:30-16:00 Lectures via zoom
to 12.12.2024 14:30-16:00 Lectures via zoom
Lectures will be held via Zoom as live video streaming. Essays are submitted via Moodle. There will be two possibilities for students to return take-home exam via Moodle.
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Mariya Riekkinen
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
This course takes a human rights-based approach to carrying out international law obligations while combining a legalistic and interdisciplinary understanding of how Russia officially sees its performance in the arena of protecting human rights. After the completion of the course, the students are expected to gain the following advancements:
The course has three thematic clusters. Firstly, it focuses on the basics of international human rights protection and the place of international law in Russia’s legal system including the key set of arguments that the officials employ for circumscribing the rules of international law. Secondly, it reconstructs how Russia used its key arguments for non-compliance in the case studies of Russia’s relationships with the European Court of Human Rights for protecting individual human rights. The process of employing the said argumentation in relation to the collective human right to self-determination in the cases of what Russia terms “independence referendums” in Crimea and East Ukraine is reconstructed. Thirdly, the course provides an overview of Russia's performance in the CIS and its strategic importance for Russia.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 5.9.-10.10.2024.
Thu 10-12 and Mon 12-14. Check the lecture halls from the course page.
In person and live stream.
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Riikka Tuori, Anatoly Pinsky, Elina Kahla and visiting lecturers
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
This course brings together an interdisciplinary group of scholars who work on Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The course is a response to the wars in these two regions and a consequent need to deepen our understanding of them. It explores the questions: What is the relationship between antisemitism and anti-Zionism? What are the dominant narratives in the history of Russian and Ukrainian Jewry? And how has the social and political landscape in Israel changed with the arrival of refugees from Ukraine as well as Russia after February 24, 2022? In addition, to bring our concerns closer to home, we ask: How has the armed conflict in Israel/Palestine reverberated in Finland? In the course, we will seek to understand the roots of the various phenomena at issue as well as their possible future development.
Expected Learning Outcomes. Students will familiarize themselves with the history of the present-day wars in Eastern Europe and the Middle East with a focus on antisemitism. The course introduces basic concepts such as antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and pogroms; and anti-Jewish accusations such as blood libel and cosmopolitanism. The course will also help students learn about the connections between the two regions, e.g., by investigating migration and other transnational phenomena. Finally, students will develop their writing skills by analyzing both fiction and nonfiction.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 9.9.–17.10.2024
Check the time and place from the course pages.
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Margarita Zavadskaya, Marina Vyrskaia
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
The course “Political Behavior Across Eurasia” aims at introducing students to ‘the demand side’ of politics focusing on citizens’ perspectives, preferences, opinion, actions, and values in a diverse region of Central and Eastern Europe and former USSR, sharing a communist and authoritarian legacy. ‘The demand side’ of politics means a primary focus on citizens, their values, political attitudes instead of intra-elite interactions. We combine substantive topics with the most illustrative case studies and bring insights and original materials from our own research projects. Thus, instead of focusing on intra-elite and international tensions (‘the supply side’ of politics), we seek to make citizens’ perspective more visible and to look at it through systematic comparison. We define political behavior as citizens’ engagement with politics considering the specificity and nature of political regimes and accounting for limited opportunities to affect politics in closed authoritarian set-ups. We emphasize, problematize and challenge the impact of post-communist and authoritarian legacies drawing on evidence-based empirical research.
The course brings together area studies perspectives (Central-European, Russian and Eurasian studies) with comparative politics, political economy, and history. The course seeks to familiarize the students with the overall context and specifics of political behavior in the designated region given the authoritarian past/present and communist legacy. Political behavior encompasses a wide array of political phenomena - electoral behavior, values, protest, civic engagement, political activism - which will be covered within the course. Special attention is paid to the analytical tools, theories, and conceptual frameworks that will allow the students to provide meaningful comparisons and carry out independent political analysis.
The course consists of 24 contact hours, i.e. 12 lectures) covering various aspects of political behavior combining introduction of specific topics and concepts with empirical materials. The course is taught in English and is delivered by Margarita Zavadskaya (Ph.D.), Federica Prandin, Marina Vyrskaia and Aleksei Gilev (doctoral researchers at the Aleksanteri Institute). We also invite Kristiina Silvan from FIIA as an expert in Belarusian and Central Asian politics to be a guest lecturer. Prior to each lecture a list of readings will be offered via Moodle. The in-class meetings will consist of lecturing parts and seminars in order to facilitate knowledge construction, where assignments will include problem solving, practical tasks, writing a blog post, and group presentations.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 26.08.2024–13.10.2024
The course will be held at Tampere University, City Centre Campus, and on Zoom. Prior to the course, the students should choose whether they intend to take the course on campus or on Zoom; the choice stays throughout the course.
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Iuliia Gataulina
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
This seven-week course aims to deepen understanding of different theoretical approaches and topics in studying political economies of the Global East. The concept of “Global East” is understood as both geographical and epistemological position of what have been also referred to as postsocialism, Eurasia, or, more narrowly, post-Soviet; Global East is sometimes described as liminal space between Global North and Global South.
The course starts with the introductory lecture (Iuliia Gataulina; lecture title “Political economies of/in Global East: Conceptualizations, theoretical approaches, critique”) providing the conceptual basis of what political economy and theoretically different approaches of analyzing it are. Moreover, the concept of “Global East” is studied: both scholarly endorsements and critique/alternatives to it are introduced.
Departing from the idea that Global East is characterized by liminal and understudied positionality in theorization or conceptualization of the global politico-economic processes, the course then proceeds by covering a range of different topics (labor, migration, universities, international governance and cooperation) and theoretical approaches (IPE realism, IPE liberalism, postcolonial IPE, racial capitalism, authoritarian neoliberalism) about politico-economic processes in the region (including Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia). The guest lectures also use different conceptualizations of the region endorsing or contesting the idea of “Global East”.
Composition of the course
At the concluding seminar (Iuliia Gataulina), the students will present the idea papers for their essays (approx. 2 pages). The concluding seminar will allow students to share their learning from the course, to develop their ideas and argument for the concluding written assignment (i.e. an essay), and to act as a discussant for other papers.
Learning outcomes
After the course, the students will
The course support students’ argumentation skills and critical thinking. The course contributes to the development of teamwork skills (participating in group discussions and acting as a designated discussant) as well as the ability to work independently (an essay).
Assignments and assessments
The course will include pre-readings (1-2) and the written pre-assignments submitted through Moodle before each lecture. In each pre-assignment, the students will reflect on the following four points and engage with others:
The students will be expected to a) post their own four points and b) comment on at least two (2) posts from other students.
Each lecture will consist of a lecture part as well as group discussions based on the pre-readings and pre-assignments. The duration of each lecture is 90 minutes.
The course will end with a 2-hour student seminar.
The final written assignment is an essay. Essay instructions:
or books/book chapters
The assessment is done on 1-5 grading criteria. The final grade is composed out of: 1) 30% - pre-assignments before the lectures; 2) 70% - final essay.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 4.10.-29.11.2024
Teaching will take place in the autumn term 2024 on following Fridays: 4.10. at 10-13 / 11.10. at 10-13 / 1.11. at 10-13 / 15.11. at 10-13 / 29.11. at 10-13
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Olga Dovbysh
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
The course studies the conditions of exile – in which the political aspect of displacement is accentuated – as large socio-cultural and political phenomenon affecting peoples and societies at different levels. The course invites students to ponder on problems of knowledge and cultural production in exile, significance of exilic professional communities for home and host countries, politics of exile.
The course places these problems into the context of Russia after February 2022, when a massive exodus of people occurred. The course puts a special attention on the defining role of digital technologies that on one hand empower exilic communities but on the other hand create new forms of (dis)connection with home and host countries.
This course brings together experts in Russian studies to examine how different aspects of exile processes and to explore the role of digital technologies for the practices in exile.
While the lectures focus primarily on the case of Russia, throughout the course the students will be invited to reflect on the discussed questions in relation to other countries and ponder how the (dis)similarities of the cases can be explained.
The course is suitable for all students interested in Russian studies, migration studies, and digital media and internet studies.
Learning outcomes: After the course, the students will be able to:
Assessment
The course will include formative and summative assessments. After each session the students are to write individual reflection papers (1-2 pages long). Teacher of the lecture will read the papers and give feedback. By the end of the course, students in groups of 4-5 people produce a final assignment on the extended analysis of a complex problem related to exile and elaborate own vision/solution of it. The final assignment is presented and discussed at the last session, after that students have time to improve their work and submit the final versions.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page. Note! Use TAU's own registration form "ExpREES (Tampere University)"
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 11.9.-9.10.2024
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Pallavi Pal and Minna Hanhijärvi
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Course Outline: We will understand nuclear energy from the perspective of social science. In this lecture you will be able to understand about Russia’s energy and climate politics and the role of nuclear energy diplomacy before and after Russia’s war against Ukraine. The nuclear energy diplomacy will be approached by focusing on Russia’s nuclear energy technology export and the actors involved and their interests, and the structures shaping their operations abroad. You will also get to understand Russia’s nuclear energy diplomacy through two example cases: Finland in the European framework and India within the Asia-Pacific context. You will be able to participate in a simulation game to discuss the issues of nuclear energy diplomacy and Russia’s role in the global and European framework. This series of lectures will provide introduction to the nuclear energy diplomacy of Russia.
Learning Outcomes: Students will have enhanced understanding of changes of the global and European energy landscapes and Russia’s role as an energy producer and exporter before and after Russia’s war against Ukraine. The contribution of Russia to the global energy transfer and climate change mitigation cooperation will be discussed as well. The students will get to familiarize with the structural approach to nuclear energy diplomacy in Russia with focus on nuclear energy technology export, the key actors and their interests and the policy framework. Through two example cases of Finland in the European framework and India within the Asia-Pacific context, students will get to understand the practices of Russia’s nuclear energy diplomacy. Through participation in a simulation game and familiarization of the course reading material, students will get to better analyze the issues regarding the global and European effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict 2014 and war since 2022 on the energy landscape and the role of nuclear energy in the energy transfer.
Lectures: The Lectures will be of two hours per lecture (45 min + 45 min) spread across eight times. The simulation game model participation sessions will be three hours each (45 min + 45 min + 45 min).
Learning assessment: Students will be required to submit either a learning diary or write a brief paper on one of the lecture topics of their choice. Participation in the simulation game will help both students and teachers understand and assess the learning outcomes intended from the course. Feedback from students will be collected via Flinga or through survey questions.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 21.10.2024 – 4.12.2024
Teaching will take place in the 2nd period (Autumn 2024) at 15-17 on following days:
MON 21.10.
WED 23.10.
WED 30.10.
WED 6.11.
WED 13.11.
WED 20.11.
WED 27.11.
WED 4.12.
The deadline for all course work (that is the learning diaries or paper) is January 15th 2025 about a month from the end of lectures.
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Tatu Laukkanen
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
The course introduces students to the (geo)politics and aesthetics of films from the Eurasian region. These films are explored through different methods of film and cultural analysis stressing charting changes in the ideological constellation, close textual and formal analysis through comparative juxtaposition, and geopolitically informed approaches to culture. Seminal works of Russian film are used to introduce the students to film form and analysis after which Russian film from its different territories, and Sino-Russian screen relations, become central points of study. Sino-Russian cinematic relations are looked at from a variety of angles from the impact of the early Soviet avant-garde to Chinese film, representations of Russians in Chinese films and vice-versa, comparative studies of critically acclaimed independent films about the marginalized and massively popular nationalist blockbuster war films to contemporary industry collaboration. In addition to comparative analyses, cinematic flows, and co-productions between these polities, the manifestation of Sino-Russian geopolitical ambitions and BRICS cultural statecraft will be examined in the field of cinema. As the course moves across different geopolitically contested locations such as the Arctic, we participate in a process of cognitive mapping and comparative analysis that will underscore these regions, their peoples and countries different positions in, and their relation to, the world system. Particularly the impact of economic liberalization, authoritarian capitalism, and the post-socialist condition in these films production, distribution, ideology, and aesthetics will be analyzed.
Course texts and lectures will introduce students to the social contexts and the major aesthetic and political currents informing these films as the course charts changes in the ideological constellation through these works. Concepts such as propaganda, censorship, socialist realism, gender, genre, auteurism, censorship, cultural stetecraft, modernism, militainment, globalization, popular geopolitics, postmodernism, and nationalism will be explored and instrumentalized to screen analysis.
Lectures (tentative plan):
Lecture 1: Changing film form and ideology, Alexandr Sokurov, Russian Ark (2002) vs. Sergei Eisenstein, October (1928) and Storm Over Asia (dir. V. Pudovkin, 1928)
Lecture 2: Sino-Russian flows of culture, capital, and people
Lecture 3: Cinemas of the peripheries through a Eurasian lens, the ´losers of globalization´ in Russia and China
Lecture 4: Conquering the Arctic and the atom
Lecture 5: The Soviet and postmodern Chukotka
Lecture 6: Late socialist and post-socialist sci-fi and the geopolitical aesthetic
Lecture 7: The rise and development of the nationalist blockbuster in China and Russia
Lecture 8: Sino-Russian co-productions, BRICS cinema and cultural statecraft, future directions
Learning Objectives: After the course students are
Assessment:
8 two hour lectures, do the required course readings, and watch the films of the course available online before class. Engaging in class discussion and the digital media of the course.
4 part learning diary or one film analysis essay.
Length of the learning diary entry: ca 1100 words per entry for about a total of 4300 words or a 4000 word film analysis essay.
The Learning Diary or Paper will be 80% of the grade
Class participation/attendance will form 20% of the grade.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page Note! Use TAU's own registration form "ExpREES (Tampere University)"
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 16.9.-2.10.2024
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Larissa Remennick, Ekaterina Protassova, Sasha Razor, Olga Caspers
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
This graduate-level course offers a broad overview of the formation and development of the global diaspora of former-Soviet (mostly Russophone) citizens – reflecting mass emigration from the USSR/FSU over the last 35 years. These emigres left the (former) Soviet countries in the wake of Perestroika and subsequent demise of the USSR and resettled on the three continents (Europe, Asia, and the Americas) using a variety of entry channels – as ethnic returnees, labor and business migrants, students, family migrants, and refugees. As of today, former Soviet immigrants and their children form a large and diverse archipelago of communities embracing Israel, US, Canada, Germany, France, Greece, Cyprus, Finland, and a host of other countries. Most of them retain elements of their Russian-Soviet socialization and identity, keep speaking Russian, and many keep social and economic ties with their former homelands. The course draws on the sociological perspective to paint a broad and comparative picture of resettlement, adaptation, and social inclusion of these immigrants in their adopted countries. It starts from explaining the background of mass emigration from the USSR/FSU in the late 1980s and across the 1990s, and then zooms on specific streams among the emigres: Ethnically driven (Jews, ethnic Germans, Armenians, Greeks, and Finns), education and work-related, refugees from ethnic and political conflicts (including Chechen wars and the current war in Ukraine). The remainer of the course explores the key issues in integration processes as they reflect age/generation and gender differences, human capital, and other features of the immigrants, as well as different contexts of their reception in Europe, US, Israel, and elsewhere.
Lectures:
1-2. Migration waves in the post-Soviet era: sociological perspectives and historical contexts. Basic concepts in sociology of international migration. Perestroika, Glasnost, and the Soviet collapse as a background for mass emigration from the USSR/FSU in the late 1980s and 1990s. The main streams and time waves of post-Soviet emigration; destination countries and entry routes. (Larissa Remennick)
3-4. Ethnic return migration. “Russian” Jews, Germans, Greeks, Finns and their reception in historic homelands. Lost relatives or Soviet ‘invaders’? The gaps between host societies’ expectations and actual integration. (Larissa Remennick)
5-6. Former Soviet countries as ‘open societies’. Economic and educational migrations of (ex)Soviet citizens during the 1990s and 2000s. Transnational networks, secondary and circular migrations, brain drain and brain gain. (Larissa Remennick)
7-8. Integration and economic success of ex-Soviet immigrants: comparative analysis and influencing factors. Comparative view of integration and economic success of ex-Soviet immigrants in different host countries. The role of age, gender, human capital, and integration policies. (Larissa Remennick)
9-10. Generational Shifts in Diaspora. Cultural and linguistic processes in subsequent generations of (Ex)Soviet immigrants: Is Homo Sovieticus still alive? How long is the Russian Street in Israel and in the West? (Larissa Remennick)
11. Everyday linguistic and cultural practices of the Russophone diaspora. The general situation with the Russian language in the world is multifaceted and sometimes ambivalent. For example, historically, there are lovers and haters of the Russian culture. Some do business with Russia, and others develop stable antagonism towards any connections with it. Around the world, there are various constellations of the presence of the Russian language and its speakers. We focus on the combination of home-making practices, language and culture maintenance, work and leisure habits, and virtual life as different aspects of survival principles of the Russian speakers outside the nation. (Ekaterina Protassova)
12. Russian as a pluricentric language. The corpus of the language use embraces everything spoken and written in a certain community on different occasions. Even when we look at individual families living outside Russia, we will see that they have their language abounding in mannerisms, private jokes, and new coinages. The examples of linguistic landscape illustrate the situation. We explore language commodification and show inseparable ties between language and society. (Ekaterina Protassova)
13. Russian Hollywood. Historical context of Russian influence in the global film industry. Early Russian filmmakers and their impact on cinema. (Sasha Razor)
14. Russophone migration to California. The lecture will address historical contexts, demographics, integration challenges, cultural contributions, economic roles, and future trends. (Sasha Razor)
15-16.TBA (Olga Caspers)
The course will combine frontal lectures with interactive/ participatory forms of teaching, including small research assignments like observations and interviews with recent immigrants. English is the language of instruction, with possibility of some interactions in Russian – as Prof. Remennick is a fluent speaker of both languages.
Assignments
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 03.09.2024 - 20.10.2024
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Jussi Jalonen
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
The lecture series focuses on the representations and narratives of the “Great Patriotic War” of the Soviet Union against the Nazi Germany. The primary emphasis in on cultural history of warfare, both in the political construction of wartime narratives and the cultural resonance of wartime narratives in subsequent politics in the USSR and the present-day Russia. The lecture series covers the construction of war propaganda and wartime narratives in 1941–1945, their significance in the Soviet era and their exploitation in the memory politics by the Putin regime, especially in the present-day invasion of Ukraine, where old images and narratives have been deliberately revived.
The lecture series aims to illustrate to the students such matters as the role of the Great Patriotic War as the cornerstone of Soviet patriotism comparable to the Revolution and as the paramount cornerstone of subsequent post-Soviet Russian patriotism; intersections between Soviet patriotism and Russian nationalism and their resonance to this day; importance of war propaganda and demonization of the enemy to the culture of war; significance of gender in the construction of wartime heroic myths and images; and the impact of the memory of war on the fault lines between loyalists and dissidents and its ability to transcend these fault lines.
Learning outcomes: Participants will gain a broad understanding of how the culture of war can be constructed, appropriated and utilized as a tool for political goals, and how it can be revived as the opportunity presents itself. They will be able to analyze and understand the far-reaching impact of war on Soviet and present-day Russian society and culture, particularly the role of the memory of war in the construction of identity in the 20th century Soviet Union and the 21st century Russia.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 29.10.2024 - 10.12.2024
Online for ExpREES students or Lecture hall H 306
29.10.2024 14.15 - 15.45
05.11.2024 14.15 - 15.45
12.11.2024 14.15 - 15.45
19.11.2024 14.15 - 15.45
26.11.2024 14.15 - 15.45
03.12.2024 14.15 - 15.45
10.12.2024 14.15 - 15.45
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Tatiana Romashko
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
This course explores the evolution of cultural policy in Russia, focusing on its organisational features and approaches to cultural governance across three distinct political regimes: the total control of culture during Stalin’s rule, the liberal state during the post-Soviet period, and the authoritarian state under Putin’s leadership. By analysing cultural legislation, the role of ideology and the dynamics of cultural memory and subversion, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of how cultural policy shapes and is influenced by the political landscape.
Learning objectives
Description
The course lectures will explore the dynamic evolution of Russian cultural policy in three key periods: the era of dual control under the Communist Party and Stalin’s regime, the transformative period following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the current landscape under President Putin’s administration. This research will go beyond a simple chronological account of cultural policy shifts to explore the complex interplay between political power and cultural expression. It aims to examine how successive governments have sought to harness, shape and, at times, suppress cultural spheres.
Under Communist Rule: My course will begin with an analysis of the Communist Party’s establishment of pervasive control over all facets of life in the early twentieth century. We will look at the core principles of Socialist Realism and Stalin's use of culture as a means of self- promotion. The strict regulations imposed on art and culture to propagate Soviet ideals and suppress dissent will be examined. The fate of those who deviated from these prescribed norms and the use of culture to forge a distinct Soviet identity will also be explored.
The 1990s and early 2000s: Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia entered a period of cultural and artistic liberalisation and decentralisation. During this period, the government retreated from strict cultural control, allowing a proliferation of artistic expression and cultural production. The lectures will focus on the freedoms and challenges of this era, analysing the adaptation of culture within a nascent market economy and democratic social context.
The Putin era: The course will then move on to an examination of contemporary cultural policy in Russia, characterised by a regression towards increased state control and conservatism. The focus will be on the resurgence of nationalism, the promotion of traditional values, and the curatorial role of the state in promoting certain cultural narratives while sidelining others. The session will highlight how culture has re-emerged as a contested arena for political and social struggles.
Seminars and case studies: Complementing the lectures, seminar discussions will use case studies to highlight how cultural policies reflect and influence broader social and political developments in each historical period. Topics of discussion will include the contested regulation of cultural production by professional unions, party cells or public councils (obschestvennye sovety), the significance of public art, and the representation of national identity in literature and the visual arts. This examination aims to provide students with a nuanced understanding of the relationship between cultural policy and political authority in Russia, and to reflect on the consequences of these interactions for artistic expression and social identity.
Learning outcome
The course aims to provide an understanding of how cultural policy has developed in Russia and why it matters. It will help students critically analyse cultural phenomena and approach the complex relationship between power, culture and society in Russia. Upon successful completion of this course students will be able:
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 2.9.2024–31.5.2025
Itsenäinen suoritus (Moodle)
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Outi Tanczos
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Opintojakson suoriettuasi tunnet Unkarin historian tärkeimpiä kausia ja tapahtumia sekä nykypolitiikan pääpiirteitä. Tunnistat historian heijastumat nykypolitiikkaan.
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivulle
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 1.11.–13.12.2024
Online course. Tue and Fri 14.15–15.45.
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Alina Mozolevska
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
The course examines how new media shapes the mediatization of the Russo-Ukrainian War, focusing on digital platforms’ role in documenting the conflict, shaping wartime narratives, and exploring the war's influence on contemporary popular culture.
This course critically engages with the mediatization of the Russo-Ukrainian War, focusing on how new media has transformed the landscape of modern warfare. By examining the evolution of the relationship between media and technology during this conflict, the course highlights how digital platforms have become arenas for popular mobilization, artistic resistance, activism, and propaganda. Students will explore the role of social media in shaping public opinion and framing wartime narratives and study the use of technology in documenting and narrating the war. The course will also explore how popular culture has been influenced by and has responded to the war, reflecting the broader societal impacts of the conflict. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with a comprehensive understanding of how media and technology intersect to shape the modern wartime experiences, as well as the complex roles they play in both perpetuating and challenging narratives during conflicts.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 30.10.–13.12.2024
Check the time and place from the course page
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Arto Luukkanen
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
TBA
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 28.10.–12.12.2024
See time and the lecture hall from the course page.
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Anna-Liisa Heusala, Katalin Miklossy
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
The students learn about circular, material and immaterial processes and flows that take place in the Eurasian post-socialist space. The students gain an understanding of the significance of such processes for the development of the area´s societies. The lectures may include such topics as global migration.
The course introduces the students to a selected global process or several global processes which have a major impact in the Russian, Eurasian and Eastern European societies. The lectures may include such topics as global migration in the Eurasian space.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 29.10.–27.11.2024
See time and the lecture hall from the course page.
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Kaarina Aitamurto, Katalin Miklossy, Jouni Järvinen
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
The course focuses on the interaction of the state and the society as well as the responses to societal changes and challenges. The lectures address such themes as, for example, civil society, nationalism, gender and religion.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 3.9.–9.10.2024
See time and the lecture hall from the course page.
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Veli-Pekka Tynkkynen
The course looks at Europe–Russia relations through the resource-(inter)dependency frame that guided European foreign policy practice until 2022. The European side of the story, as seen from the German and Finnish contexts, is juxtaposed to the Russian: the course unfolds how Russia managed to utilise the interdependency frame for its imperialist objectives. Russian understanding of the nation as a “Great Power of flows”, a concept related to “energy Superpower”, is central explaining steps taken to weaponize different commodity flows. Therefore, the course also sheds light on Europe’s strategic mistakes in trying to pacify Russia.
By bringing together geoeconomical, material and environmental approaches concerning trade and interdependency, and security and violence the course discusses the possibility of a new Russia Strategy for Europe. The course discusses the need for a Russia Strategy that outlines Europe’s objectives and action both in the case of less violent but also belligerent Russia.
Objectives: The course provides a much-needed analysis how Europe in concrete terms could engage with Russia considering both European values, as well as Russia’s imperial mindset and polity. It will inform students how to understand Russia, and how to encourage both European and Russian actors to work for a common democratic and sustainable future.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 17.09.2024 - 24.11.2024
See time and the lecture hall from the course page.
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Minna Piipponen, Joni Virkkunen, Aija Lulle.
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content The course deals with Russia's historically diverse regional and societal structures as well as its economic and political development. Perspectives on the course are brought by e.g. state and regional governance and population development. Ethnicity and migration are analysed through (post) socialist and (post) colonial lenses. The course further explores contradictory issues of environmental and natural resources, civil society and media, and Russia as an international actor. Contemporary topics are based on the common history of the former Soviet Union. We examine Russia as a distinct transnational and global player beyond common divisions of North and South. The discussions take into account e.g. Russia’s social and political situation, dynamics in neighbouring regions and international actors such as the United Nations and European Union.
Learning outcomes: The student • develops analytical skills about the regional and societal structures as well as socio-economic and political development in contemporary Russia • understands the history and contemporary developments of structures and societal processes in Russia • is able to assess the diversity of those processes and the influence of national and international actors in them • learns critical thinking • written and oral communication • self-management
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page Note! The course is BA-level course
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 05.11-27.11.2024
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Marja Sorvari
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Opintojaksolla perehdytään kulttuurintutkimuksen keskeisiin käsitteisiin, joiden kautta tarkastellaan nyky-Venäjän kulttuurin ilmiöitä, sekä selvitetään ilmiöiden historiallista taustaa ja yhteiskunnallista kontekstia.
Osaamistavoitteet: Opiskelija
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivulle
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 2.9.–2.10.2024
ks. kurssisivuilta tarkka aika ja paikka
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Arto Luukkanen
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Opintojaksossa perehdytään Ukrainan historiaan, sen alueelliseen kehitykseen ja historian merkitykseen nykypäivässä sekä tarkastellaan ukrainalaisen kulttuurin muutoksia ja sen eri ilmentymiä.
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivulle
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 3.9.–10.10.2024
Tue and Thu 14.15–15.45. See the lecture hall from the course page.
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Eugenia Pesci, Anna-Liisa Heusala
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
The student gains an understanding of how norms and views on ethics have been produced, disseminated and contested in the REEE area, and their implications for societal transformation. The student gains skills and knowledge to analyze and situate governance trajectories in a global context.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 29.10.–10.12.2024
Tue 16.15–17.45. Metsätalo, B525 (sali 25), Helsinki
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Marco Siddi
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
TBA
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 3.9.–10.12.2024
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Outi Tanczos
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Käännöskirjallisuuden avulla muodostetaan yleiskuva Unkarin kirjallisuuden eri vaiheista (renessanssi, barokki, romantiikka, realismi, modernismi, postmodernismi) sekä tutustutaan eri kausien tärkeimpiin kirjailijoihin. Vaihtoehtoisesti keskitytään eri teemoihin kirjallisuudessa (esim. yhteiskunta- ja historian kuvaus).
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivulle Huom! kurssi on kanditasoinen
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 28.10.–4.12.2024
Maanantaisin ja keskiviikkoisin 14.15–15.45. Metsätalo, B214 (sali 4), Helsinki
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Ira Jänis-Isokangas, Sari Autio-Sarasmo
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Opintojakso kattaa Venäjän historian soveltuvilta osin ja keskittyy Venäjän historiaan ja kulttuurin vaikuttaneisiin tapahtumiin.
Osaamistavoitteet: Opiskelija tunnistaa Venäjän historiaan ja kulttuuriin liittyviä ominaispiirteitä. Opiskelija tunnistaa Venäjän historiaan liittyviä kehityskulkuja sekä jatkumoita menneisyydestä nykypäivään.
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivulle Huom! Kurssi on kanditasoinen.
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 5.9.–12.12.2024
To 14-16
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Sigrid Kaasik-Krogerus
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Opintojakson jälkeen olet hankkinut perustiedot Viron yhteiskunnasta ja kulttuurista. Osaat tulkita virolaisen kulttuurin ilmiöitä ja analysoida yhteiskuntaa kuulumisen käsitteen avulla. Tunnet Viron historian keskeiset vaiheet ja tapahtumat ja osaat tarkastella Viroa ja virolaista kulttuuria alueellisessa kontekstissa. Osana opintojaksoa olet harjoitellut argumentaatiotaitoja.
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivulle Huom! kurssi kanditasoinen
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 9.9.–9.12.2024, maantaisin 12-14, U3030, Päärakennus, Helsinki
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Sigrid Kaasik-Krogerus
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Osaamistavoitteet: Opintojakson jälkeen tunnet Viron nykykirjallisuuden keskeiset suuntaukset ja kirjailijat. Olet perehtynyt tarkemmin muutaman kirjailijan tuotantoon ja lukenut heidän teoksiaan. Osaat analysoida Viron nykykirjallisuutta laajemmassa yhteiskunnallisessa ja kulttuurikontekstissa.
Asiasisältö: Opintojakson aikana tutustutaan Viron nykykirjallisuuteen ja perehdytään sen tärkeimpiin suuntauksiin, teoksiin ja kirjailijoihin. Opintojakso tarjoaa katsauksen 1990-2000-luvun keskeisiin kirjailijoihin, kirjallisuuden päälinjoihin ja merkittävimpiin aiheisiin, joita tarkastellaan Viron yhteiskunnallisessa ja kulttuurikontekstissa.
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivulle
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 28.10.–2.12.2024
Mon and Wed 14.15–15.45. Metsätalo, B308 (sali 12), Helsinki.
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Katalin Miklóssy
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
TBA
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 11.3.-6.5.2025
Distance teaching
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Dawid Bunikowski
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
The course presents problems concerning abortion and homosexuality in the light of nationalism and religion in Poland and chosen countries of East Central Europe and the Balkans (such as Czechia, Bulgaria or Romania and Serbia). This concerns abortion laws and debates as well as LGBT rights discourses and discussions about homosexuality and homosexuals or nonheterosexuals. Relevant laws, social attitudes and practices concerning abortion and homosexuality are analysed in both the communist and post-communist/democratic periods.
Learning outcomes: The student is acquainted with the complexity of relations between abortion, homosexuality, nationalism and religion in Poland, East Central Europe and the Balkans. The student knows and understands different relevant debates, regulations, and arguments.
Lectures:
Methods of teaching: All together 20 hours of lectures online (Teams). 10 topics, each for 2 h. Activating tasks for students to pass the course: active participation with reading and discussion as well as short written assignments (writing a 5-7-page essay on a topic agreed with the lecturer).
Other notes:
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 10.1.-21.2.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Natalya Bekhta
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
During the five centuries of its history, Utopia has taken many forms. But at its heart, inevitably, lies a desire for a better world. In the midst of war, catastrophic climate crisis, and new forms of fascism – to name but the most urgent global crises – the very mention of Utopia seems odd: surely dystopia or apocalypse would be more suitable lenses for understanding the present? Miguel Abensour famously described the persistence of Utopia as an impulse “toward freedom and justice,” which is continuously “reborn in history, reappears, makes itself felt in the blackest catastrophe, resists as if catastrophe itself called forth new summations”. If catastrophes are an indicator, it is no wonder that Utopia has returned with new force into scholarly and cultural debates today.
This course offers a general introduction to the contemporary theories of Utopia, as human impulse and literary form, drawing on philosophy, semiotics and literary theory. It then puts theory into practice by offering an overview of Utopia in Eastern European literatures, with a special focus on the 21st-century texts. The students will be expected to read a selection of literary excerpts (in the English translation) and theoretical texts (book chapters and articles).
Expected learning outcomes
The course will provide students with an understanding of the current meanings of the concept of Utopia and of a variety of reading methods, which pay attention to content, form and structure of a literary text. Its main goal is (1) to introduce the students of literature to a canon of Utopian writing that has scarcely – if at all – figured in the utopian studies and mainstream literary theory. And (2) to familiarize the students with a complex meaning of Utopia in the context of contemporary literary theory.
Tentative lecture plan:
Assessment:
Requirements for the course completion include:
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page Note! Use TAU's own registration form "ExpREES (Tampere University)"
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 12.3.-16.4.2025
Online course, on Wednesdays at 10:15-11:45
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Inna Häkkinen, invited lecturers
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
The course is to introduce students to major theoretical and practical frames of narrating nuclear heritage of East Central European within the current nuclear agenda of the region in order to provide with the critical toolkit for assessing political/social/cultural perspectives of current nuclear narratives of East Central Europe and beyond. Such approach equips students with the basic knowledge of debating the nuclear heritage of East Central Europe from intersectional perspective and expands their understanding of conceptualizing and contextualizing nuclear power in the region.
Learning goals. Students are able to:
Lectures
Completion: attending online lectures, participation in the Q&aA sessions after the lectures, ‘question list’ on obligatory readings, and ‘reflection paper’ (one page writing on the topic of one lecture or on one book from the obligatory/recommended reading list).
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 11.3.–10.4.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Marianna Muravyeva
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Would you like to know about gender and anti-gender movement? What makes Eastern European countries resist human rights of women and LGBTQI+ peoples' rights? Come and join the discussion
This course asks how do gender (in)equalities work in Russia and Eastern Europe? What are the main challenges to implementation of human rights of women and LGBTQI+ people in these countries? What are the reasons for strong anti-gender movements and gender-sensitive policy backsliding? These and more issues will be discussed using feminist lenses and localised gender studies theories and frameworks. Therefore, this course examines the main tenets, methodologies, and controversies in gender development of Russia and Eastern Europe including the meaning of equality, the intersection of race and law, the public/private divide, concepts of objectivity and neutrality, and how gender is central to reproducing hierarchies while also having the ability to contribute to significant social change. We will also analyse debates regarding essentialism, women’s sexual agency, masculinity, and concepts of the family and basic rights of citizenship.
Using these methodologies we then examine a number of areas of gender development including equal protection, reproductive rights, the sex trade, work family issues, and violence. The goal of the course is to think broadly and critically regarding the interaction of law, society, and gender taking into account regional diversities and different post-Soviet choices.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 14.3.-16.5.2025
Fri 14.3 9.00 – 11.00 online
Fri 21.3. 9.00 – 11.00 online
Fri 28.3. 9.00 – 11.00 online
Fri 4.4. 9.00 – 11.00 online
Fri 11.4. 9.00 – 11.00 online
Fri 25.4. 9.00 – 11.00 online
Fri 2.5. 9.00 – 11.00 online
Tue 6.5. 9.00 – 11.00 online
Fri 9.5. 9.00 – 11.00 online
Tue 13.5. 9.00 – 11.00 online
Fri 16.5. 9.00 – 11.00 hybrid, onsite venue – room 107, Seminaarisali M 107 (Joe), UEF, Joensuu Campus
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Olga Tkach
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
The course aims to introduce students to the interdisciplinary field of home studies, drawing mainly on the insights from sociology, anthropology and human geography. It invites a critical approach to the phenomenon of home from the perspectives of intersecting social inequalities and mobilities, in the context of different societies, including the Baltics and Eastern Central Europe, Ukraine and Russia. The course aims to create of the links between home studies and other disciplinary areas and to evaluate how different sociological themes are viewed through the lens of home studies. In the end of the course, the students will be able to orient themselves in the roadmap of home studies, define the sociological meaning of home, to critically read and interpret the texts on home studies, and to apply their new knowledge in the everyday life.
14.3.2025: Setting up home studies and the post-socialist lens: Introduction
Section I: Geographies of home: Spanning over scales and spaces
21.3.2025: Home as housing, dwelling and domesticity
29.3.2025: Home as neighbourhood and city
4.4.2025: Home on the move: Multilocal, transnational and unmade homes
11.4.2025: Home as nation and homeland: Is home transportable?
Section II. Home and labour: Feminist and post-socialist lenses
2.5.2025: Paid domestic labour and specificity of post-socialist context
Section III. Home across the lifespan
6.5.2025: Home and youth: Transit to emancipation?
9.5.2025: Home and adulthood: Moral and financial responsibilities
13.5.2025: Home and the elderly: Space of care
16.5.2025: Presentations of students’ mini-projects and final discussion
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Tämä kurssi on saanut valtakunnallisen yliopistoverkoston VIExpert-opetusrahoitusta
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 10.3.–26.3.2025
Verkkokurssi
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Marina Vituhnovskaja-Kauppala
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Keisari Nikolai II nousi valtaistuimelle 130 vuotta sitten, 1. marraskuuta 1894. Hän on yksi Venäjän historian avainhahmoista, joka edelleen herättää suuria erimielisyyksiä ja riitoja sekä historioitsijoiden piirissä että Venäjän yhteiskunnassa. Oliko tämä tsaari taitamaton poliitikko, joka oli syyllinen moniin virheellisiin poliittisiin päätöksiin, jotka veivät Venäjän imperiumin romahdukseen? Tai, päinvastoin, oliko hän katkeran kohtalonsa, monien sisäisten vihollisten ja ratkaisemattomien ongelmien uhri? Missä määrin keisarista riippuivat kohtalokkaat tapahtumat, jotka veivät Venäjä kriiseihin, alkaen väentungoksesta Hodynkan kentällä ja nk. ”verisunnuntaista” ja päättyen maan liittymiseen ensimmäiseen maailmansotaan? Olisiko ollut mahdollista ratkaista monenlaisia keisarikunnan ongelmia taitavammin, ja oliko oikeassa Anton Tšehov, joka kirjoitti Nikolai II:sta: ”Hänestä sanotaan väärin, että hän on sairas, tyhmä ja ilkeä. Hän on vain tavallinen kaartinupseeri”?
Kurssin tarkoituksena on mainittujen ja monien muiden kysymyksien käsittely. Viimeisen Venäjän keisarin onneton hallintokausi, joka päättyi sotaan ja vallankumoukseen, on yksi tutkituimmista ja edelleen kiistellyistä periodeista. Silloin maahan oli kasaantunut lukuisia ongelmia, ja jokaisen niistä ratkaisu vaati poikkeuksellisia poliittisia kykyjä ja rohkeutta. Venäjällä oli kehittyvä teollisuus, mutta takapajuinen maataloussektori. Sen poliittinen järjestelmä oli vanhoillinen ja jälkeenjäänyt eikä tyydyttänyt väestön enemmistöä. Maassa, missä väestön suurin osa kuului vähemmistökansallisuuksiin, toteutettiin hyvin epäjohdonmukaista imperiaalista politiikkaa, joka vain herätti tyytymättömyyttä eri kansallisalueilla. Venäjällä oli kasvamassa entisestään kuilu eri sosiaalisten ryhmien välillä. Näitä ja monia muita ongelmia piti tsaarin ratkaista, joka vuonna 1894 nousi valtaistuimelle.
Kurssin alussa puhutaan keisarin persoonallisuuden muotoutumisesta ja hänen luonteensa erikoispiirteistä. Samalla luonnehditaan monenlaisia ongelmia, joita hänen oli pakko kohdata. Puhumme siitä, millaiseksi jätti maansa Nikolai II:n edeltäjä, hänen isänsä keisari Aleksanteri III. Seuraavilla luennoilla käsitellään Nikolai II:n hallituskauden tärkeimpiä solmukohtia, kuten Japanin sota, vuoden 1905 vallankumous ja parlamentarismin synty, pääministeri Stolypinin aika, vähemmistökansapolitiikka ja sen rooli vallankumouksellisen mielialan kasvussa, venäläistämispolitiikkaa ja juutalaiskysymys, ”Rasputinin tapauksen” rooli sisäpoliittisen kriisin syvenemisessä. Tutkimme jokaisen näistä kriiseistä juuria sekä keisarin roolia niiden ratkaisemisessa. Pohdimme, minkälaisia hallinnollisten strategioiden vaihtoehtoja olisi ollut ja miksi keisari valitsi juuri käsillä olleen poliittisen ratkaisun. Luennoilla kerron myös tärkeimmistä historiallisista tutkimuksista teemoista.
Erityistä huomiota kiinnitetään keisarikunnan historian viimeiseen vaiheeseen: ensimmäiseen maailmansotaan ja vuoden 1917 vallankumouksiin. Sotaan astuminen oli kohtalokas Venäjän imperiumille, mutta olisiko ollut mahdollista välttää sitä? Historioitsijat ovat erimielisiä. On tärkeää myös perehtyä Grigori Rasputinin ilmiöön ja hänen rooliinsa sodan aikaisessa sisäpolitiikassa sekä kysymykseen, missä määrin hänen personallisuutensa ja mielipiteensä vaikuttivat Nikolai II poliittisiin päätöksiin. Miten oli mahdollista, että Rasputinin hahmo herätti niin suurta vihamielisyyttä maan korkeimman eliitin piirissä? Miten vaikutti Rasputinin murha Venäjän yhteiskunnallisiin ilmapiiriin? Lopuksi puhumme siitä, miten tsaarin päätös tulla Venäjän armeijan ylipäälliköksi ja hänen päätöksensä sotasuunnitelmista vaikuttivat sodan kulkuun ja armeijan johdon mielialoihin. Miksi vuoden 1917 helmikuun lopussa, kun rintamien ylipäälliköiltä kysyttiin, pitäisikö keisarin luopua vallasta, he kaikki (yhtä lukuun ottamatta) vastasivat ”kyllä”?
Professori Boris Kolonitski teoksessaan ”Traaginen erotiikka: kuvia keisarillisesta perheestä ensimmäisen maailmansodan aikana” antaa hyvin tärkeän käsityksen siitä, miltä keisari ja keisarinna näkyivät kansan silmissä. Kurssi käyttää tätä tarkastelutapaa myös myöhemmän periodin, erityisesti neuvostojälkeisen vaiheen, suhteen. Tulemme puhumaan siitä, mitä ja miksi tapahtui Nikolai II ja hänen hallituskautensa nouseminen kansantajunnassa Venäjän postsosialistisessa vaiheessa. Tutkitaan sitä, miten ja miksi Venäjän ortodoksinen kirkko vuonna 2000 julisti Nikolai II perheineen pyhimyksiksi. Puhumme Nikolai II:n kuvasta nyky-Venäjän historiapolitiikassa ja siitä, miten, millä keinoilla ja missä muodossa esitetään viimeisen idealisoitu myytti Venäjän keisarista.
Kurssin tarkoituksena on yhden, mutta hyvin tärkeän historiallisen hahmon monipuolinen analyysi. Pyrin näyttämään keisari Nikolai II:n päätösten ja tekojen taustaa ja logiikkaa, hänen toimintansa seurauksia ja vaikutusta Venäjän historiaan ja tulevaisuuteen. Missä määrin yksi historiallisen hahmo voi vaikuttaa maansa ja maailman historiaan? Ja miten voivat nykyiset ideologit ja poliitikot käyttää historiallisia toimenpiteitä maan nykypolitiikan konstruoimista varten?
Sisältökuvaus luennoittain.
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivulle
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 14.1.–25.2.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Marina Khmelnitskaya, invited lecturers
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Come and learn how domestic policy is made in this tumultuous world region, under the influence of which actors, institutions, and factors, and important issues on the political and societal agendas of diverse countries in Eurasia.
This research-led study module is devoted to one of the most salient dimensions of a political process in the Eurasian region: policymaking and implementation. How are policy decisions made and policies adopted and implemented in Eurasia? What is the influence of the political regime type over policy? Are the autocratic rulers in the region free of constraints when making policy and under which conditions? Who are the other important policy actors and what is their role? Where do new ideas come from and what is the role of knowledge and expertise in Eurasian policymaking?
To answer these and other questions, EURASIAPOLICY will combine the insights of (1) area studies literature with political science scholarship on (2) democratisation and authoritarian politics and on (3) public policy. Using this interdisciplinary perspective, we will discuss processes, actors, institutions and issues involved in policymaking in post-Soviet Eurasia.
The policy issues and approaches considered during our lectures and practical classes will include economic and social reforms, gender and the environment; neo-liberalism, statism, the impact of globalization and different policy recipes in individual policy fields.
We will use a comparative method. Lectures and seminars will be based on illustrative examples/case studies from different Eurasian countries and cross-country comparison of policy processes and outcomes across the region, and in different fields.
The course is suitable for master’s degree students interested in Post-Soviet Eurasia, its politics, policy and political economy and questions of policymaking more generally.
Learning goals and outcomes: After the completion of the course, students will understand and will be able to critically assess the factors and processes shaping policymaking in post-Soviet Eurasia.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 11.3.–12.3.2025
Tue 11.3. at 14-16 PR U3030
Wed 12.3. at 14-16 PR U4071
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Alberto Priego Moreno, Sirke Mäkinen
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
he lecture aims to raise awareness of public diplomacy, how it works and what it brings to states regarding public reputation. The concepts (public diplomacy, non-traditional diplomacy, place branding, nation branding, etc.) will be reviewed.
Other cases that have been particularly significant, such as those in the United States, Qatar, and Germany, will be analysed before finally analysing the case of Azerbaijan.
In the case of Azerbaijan, the resources used by the Caucasian country to improve its international image will be analysed, with special attention to the organisation of cultural and sporting events and the promotion of tourism.
Intended learning outcomes
The course is composed of streamed hybrid lectures (4 hours) and a learning diary.
To earn 1 credit, write a 3-page learning diary and use at least one peer-reviewed article in addition to the pre-reading material. For 2 credits, write a 5-page learning diary, in which you use at least two peer-reviewed articles in addition to the pre-reading material.
Please return your learning diary to Sirke Mäkinen by 27th of March.
Compulsory pre-reading material: Snow, N. (2012). Public diplomacy and propaganda: Rethinking diplomacy in the age of persuasion.
Priego, A. (2005). The creation of Azerbaijani identity and its influence on foreign policy. Unisci Discussion Papers.
Priego, A. (2009). The Southern Azerbaijan question and its implications for Iranian national identity. Azerbaijan in the World (ADA), 2(7).
Priego, A. (2015). Spanish soft power and its structural (non-traditional) model of diplomacy. In R. Pachecho & D. García (Eds.), Contemporary Spanish foreign policy. Routledge.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Tämä kurssi on saanut valtakunnallisen yliopistoverkoston VIExpert-opetusrahoitusta
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 13.1.-16.3.2025, ke 14-16.
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Pia Koivunen (koordinointi ja opetus), vierailevat luennoitsijat: Jussi Jalonen, Kristiina Silvan, Jussi Lassila, Elina Viljanen ja Pertti Grönholm
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Kurssikuvaus: Kurssilla käsitellään Venäjän lähihistoriaa Vladimir Putinin valtaan noususta tähän päivään. Putinin aikana Venäjä on pyrkinyt palauttamaan Neuvostoliiton romahtamisen jälkeen menettämänsä aseman maailman politiikassa ja muovannut uudelleen kansallista identiteettiään sosialismin jälkeisessä ajassa. Kurssilla tarkastellaan Putinin vallankäyttöä, suurvaltaidentiteetin luomista sekä venäläisen yhteiskunnan suhdetta näihin ilmiöihin putinismin, nuorison, Ukrainan, taiteen, historianpolitiikan ja megatapahtumien näkökulmista. Menetelmällisesti kurssin keskeisenä teemana on lähihistorian tutkimus, sen haasteet ja mahdollisuudet.
Oppimistavoitteet: Kurssi antaa opiskelijalle perusvalmiudet ymmärtää Venäjän lähihistoriaa, siihen liittyviä muutoksia ja kehityskulkuja sekä hahmottamaan suurten poliittisten tapahtumien vaikutusta siihen, miten katsomme ja arvioimme lähimenneisyyttä. Kurssin suoritettuaan opiskelija tuntee lähihistorian tutkimusmenetelmiä ja tutkimuksen ajalliseen läheisyyteen liittyviä mahdollisuuksia ja riskejä.
Suoritukset: Strukturoitu oppimispäiväkirja
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivuille
Tämä kurssi on saanut valtakunnallisen yliopistoverkoston VIExpert-opetusrahoitusta
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 10.02.2025 - 28.02.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Ilya Solomeshch ja Seija Jalagin
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Karjalan historiaa käsittelevää tieteellistä tutkimusta on tähän mennessä kertynyt melko paljon. Iso osa tästä tutkimuksesta perustuu kuitenkin edelleen valtiokeskeiseen lähestymistapaan. Näin on erityisesti Venäjällä. Tällä maisteritason kurssilla Karjalaa tarkastellaan alueena, joka on sijainnut eri aikoina ja eri tavoin osana hallinnollista tai valtiollista Suomea ja Venäjää, käytännössä se tarkoittaa Karjalan tasavaltaa ja Suomen Karjalan eri osia.
Rajaa lähestytään niiden karjalaisten historiana, joille elämä rajamaalla oli jokapäiväistä todellisuutta. Raja toi mukanaan sekä haasteita ja uhkia että myös mahdollisuuksia ja vuorovaikutusta. Historiapolitiikan käänteet, muistipolitiikka ja viimeaikaiset "muistisodat" lisäävät aiheen ajankohtaisuutta. Karjalaa esimerkkinä käyttäen pohditaan rajaseudun ominaispiirteitä. Luentokokonaisuus ei lähtökohtaisesti rajoitu vain alueen historiaan Venäjän ja Suomen valtiokeskeisten kansallisten historiallisten narratiivien näkökulmasta. Luennoitsijat kutsuvat tarkastelemaan aihetta Karjalassa asuneiden ihmisten näkökulmasta, heidän arkielämänsä prisman kautta. Miten arjen käytännöt sopeutumisesta elämään rajaseuduilla kehittyivät naapurivaltioiden välisten lukuisten konfliktien keskellä? Millainen rooli rajalla ja sen takana asuvalla naapurilla oli kansallisten, etnisten ja paikallisten identiteettien muodostumisessa? Miten valtiovalta on eri aikoina hyödyntänyt mielikuvia naapurista politiikassaan? Miten Karjalan historia kaikuu nykyajan "muistisodissa", muistipolitiikassa, historiapolitiikassa ja poliittisessa propagandassa?
Luentojen teemat:
Sisältö: Luennot 18 h (Solomeshch 14 h, Jalagin 4 h) hybridiopetuksena ja luennoille etukäteen luettavat tekstit. Lähiopetus Oulun yliopistossa ja Zoom-yhteydellä etäopiskelijoille. Luennot nauhoitetaan ja ne ovat kurssin Moodle-työtilassa katsottavissa suoritusten palautuspäivään asti.
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivuille
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 15.1.2025–9.4.2025
Opetus järjestetään hybridiopetuksena Zoomin kautta.
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Anna Kyppö
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Opintojaksolla esitellään erilaisia slaavilaisia kieliä ja maita. Slaavilaisia kieliä ovat yleensä esittelemässä kieltä äidinkielenään puhuvat henkilöt, jotka myös tarjoavat ensikäden tietoa omista maistaan ja niiden kulttuureista.
Sen lisäksi opintojaksolla keskitytään monikulttuuriseen ja monikieliseen vuorovaikutukseen, jonka tarkoituksena on jakaa tietoa eri slaavilaisista kulttuureista. Opintojaksolla keskustellaan myös kulttuuri-identiteetin käsitteestä slaavilaisten maiden näkökulmasta - keskustelut slaavilaisten maiden historiasta, arvoista, kokemuksista pyrkivät lisäämään opiskelijoiden monikulttuurista tietoisuutta ja kykyä kriittiseen ajatteluun.
Kun opiskelija on suorittanut opintojakson, hän
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivuille
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 10.3.–2.5.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Anna Tarasenko, Elena Bogdanova
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
The course is aimed at introducing main trends in social policies in East Europe and Eurasia and relevant academic and experts’ debates which frame their understanding. The course will engage into discussions of approaches, studying individual level of experience of health care and social provision (expectations, needs, lay knowledge, legal consciousness), organizational level and activity of social and healthcare institutions and organisations (outsourcing, deinstitutionalization of care) and level of governance (welfare models and neoliberalism).
The course includes 10 recorded lectures, covering mainstream debates and empirical studies on welfare development in East European countries and Eurasia. It also contains reading materials and small tasks for self-studying. The course ends with the test.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
This course has received ExpREES course funding
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 17.1.–28.2.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Mika Perkiömäki
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
After completing the course, the student
There will be six online lectures in Zoom. In Lecture 1, the students will be introduced to the general field of environmental humanities and the significance of nature for the Russian national identity. Lecture 2 gives an historical overview of environmental issues and reactions to them in Russia and the Soviet Union. Lecture 3 presents the recommended theoretical and methodological base of the course work by giving the students the ecocritical tools needed to conduct a small study on the field of Russian and Soviet environmental imagination. Before Lecture 4, the students practice conducting a small ecocritical study, and the lecture itself is devoted to discussing the problems they faced. Lecture 5 focuses on an historical review of cultural representations of the Russian and Soviet environment. Lecture 6 samples three different case studies of ecocritical research of East-Slavic cultures: rivers, Arctic Indigenous peoples, and nuclear power.
Due to the conversational character of the course, attendance at all the lectures is compulsory. The course includes six meetings between Jan 17 and Feb 21. The last slot (Feb 28) is reserved as a backup date in case one of the scheduled lectures has to be cancelled.
A final essay is a compulsory part of the course, and the students will write it after the lectures. The deadline will be around late March. Another compulsory part is peer assessments of two student essays, which will be done in April.
All students will need to reserve time for collaborative work between lectures 3 and 4.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Tämä kurssi on saanut valtakunnallisen yliopistoverkoston VIExpert-opetusrahoitusta
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place PERUTTU
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Reeta Kangas
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Kurssilla perehdytään propagandaan käsitteenä, sen erityispiirteisiin ja käyttötapoihin. Yleisen tarkastelun lisäksi kurssilla tutustutaan visuaaliseen propagandaan erityisesti Neuvostoliiton ja Venäjän konteksteissa. Tarkastelu keskittyy Neuvostoliiton ja Venäjän visuaalisen propagandan historiaan ja toimintamekanismeihin erilaisten temaattisten kokonaisuuksien kautta, kuten kuvien käyttö henkilökulttien rakentamisessa ja sotakuvaukset visuaalisessa mediassa. Temaattisissa kokonaisuuksissa visuaalista propagandaa tarkastellaan aina tsaarin Venäjältä Neuvostoliittoon ja Neuvostoliitosta nyky-Venäjälle. Näin visuaalisen propagandan erityispiirteet ja merkitykset historian eri vaiheissa hahmottuvat kokonaisuutena, jossa on mahdollista havainnoida myös erilaisia jatkumoja.
Kurssi tutustuttaa opiskelijat propagandaan käsitteenä ja visuaalisen propagandan erityispiirteisiin keskittyen erityisesti Neuvostoliiton ja Venäjän propagandahistoriaan ja sen kehitykseen. Kurssin jälkeen opiskelijat osaavat analysoida Neuvostoliiton ja Venäjän visuaalista propagandaa suhteessa niiden historialliseen taustaan sekä tarkastella laajemmin kuvien käyttöä osana propagandaa. Lisäksi opiskelijat perehtyvät Venäjän ja Neuvostoliiton visuaaliseen perinteeseen ja ymmärtävät siihen sisältyvät jatkumot. Kurssi avaa myös näkökulmia nykyhetken poliittisen tilanteen ja sitä ympäröivän propagandan käsittelyyn. Ennakkotehtävät ja oppimisportfolio harjaannuttavat opiskelijoiden analyyttista ajattelua, propagandakuvan lukutaitoa sekä kriittistä kirjoitus- ja keskustelutaitoa.
Kurssisuoritus koostuu 7 luennosta (7 x 1,5 t), oheislukemistosta, ennakkotehtävistä Moodlessa sekä oppimisportfoliosta. Kurssille voi osallistua joko lähi- tai etäopetuksessa (Zoom).
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivuille
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 22.1.–21.2.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Brendan Humphreys
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
This course offers students a concise, informative overview of a fascinating country and region of Europe.
Although it only lasted about eight decades, Yugoslavia had an extraordinary history. Many of the great dramas and extremes of European history in the 20th century – fascism, communism, total warfare, the Cold War – took place in Yugoslavia.
Taking a broad and interdisciplinary approach, this course offers students a concise, informative overview of a fascinating country and region – almost a micro-history of 20th century Europe.
The course has been designed to be as inclusive as possible, and should be rewarding to students of history, political science, East European area studies, and other disciplines. The pedagogic approach is innovative, challenging, and engaging.
The course completion method will be an essay (details to be confirmed when the course begins).
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 10.3.–28.4.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Jani Korhonen
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
The course explores the role of ethnicity in shaping the societal and political landscapes in ex-Yugoslavia. The course challenges traditional narratives that portray ethnicity as a clear-cut dividing factor in the region, instead highlighting its fluid nature. Through lectures, readings and audiovisual materials, students will learn about how ethnicity is intertwined with other cultural dimensions, such as religion and language, which have both divided and united communities. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the tools to critically analyze questions of ethnicity in the Balkans and beyond.
Outline of the lectures:
Learning goals:
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 10.1.2025 – 23.2.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Rinna Kullaa
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
The course consists of lectures. We study historical works and historians of Ukraine published in English language or in English translation as well as additional primary sources written by experts. The course addresses core questions of how Ukraine´s statehood and identity was formed and cemented. We discover how Ukraine´s history has been impacted by economic, political, societal and international relations developments and begin our examination from the 17th century onwards. The course deals with the emergence of the Soviet Union from the perspective of Ukraine´s development and also the contribution Ukrainian historical figures made towards the USSR. We examine the post-Soviet transition towards democracy. Key topics including the Orange Revolution (2004-2005) and Euromaidan (2013-2014) uprisings as well as Nato´s 2008 Bucharest summit to shed light on the nature of development of Ukraine as a regional and international actor. We consider the relationship between Ukraine´s post-Communist development and the European Union and international politics. We examine the ongoing Russia´s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page Note! Use TAU's own registration form "ExpREES (Tampere University)"
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 11.3.–11.4.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Katri Pynnöniemi
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
TBA
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivulle Huom! Kandi-tasoinen kurssi.
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 15.1.–30.4.2025, keskiviikkoisin 14-16, B314 (sali 7), Unioninkatu 40 (Metsätalo)
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Sigrid Kaasik-Krogerus
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Opintojakson suoritettuasi olet perehtynyt kulttuurisen muistin käsitteeseen ja merkitykseen Virossa. Osaat tarkastella Viron kulttuurista muistia laajemmassa alueellisessa ja yhteiskunnallisessa kontekstissa ja analysoida Viron menneisyyttä suhteessa kulttuuriseen muistiin. Kykenet analysoimaan Viron kulttuurista muistia eri muistivälineiden kuten kirjallisuuden, elokuvan ja rituaalien pohjalta. Osana opintojaksoa olet harjoitellut argumentaatiotaitoja.
Opintojakso rakentuu kulttuurisen muistin käsitteen ympärille. Viron kulttuurista muistia tarkastellaan laajemmassa alueellisessa ja yhteiskunnallisessa kontekstissa sekä analysoidaan suhteessa Viron menneisyyteen. Opintojakso lähestyy kulttuurista muistia Virossa eri muistivälineiden kautta. Käsitteellistä pohdintaa havainnollistetaan käytännön esimerkkien avulla. Kulttuurisen muistin välineinä analysoidaan esimerkiksi kirjallisuutta, elokuvaa, rituaaleja ja kulttuuriperintöä.
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivulle
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 15.1.–30.4.2025, keskiviikkoisin 10-12. B525 (sali 25), Unioninkatu 40 (Metsätalo), Helsinki
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Sigrid Kaasik-Krogerus
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Osaamistavoitteet: Opintojakson suoritettuasi olet perehtynyt Viron lähimenneisyyteen ja yhteiskunnalliseen kehitykseen alkaen perestroikasta ja laulavasta vallankumouksesta 1980-luvun lopulla. Kykenet analysoimaan erilaisten yhteiskunnallisten ja kulttuuristen toimijoiden roolia Viron lähimenneisyydessä ja tunnet niiden merkityksen yhteiskunnallisten muutosten ja demokratian näkökulmasta. Osaat tarkastella Viron poliittisia, yhteiskunnallisia ja kulttuurisia muutoksia laajemmassa alueellisessa ja eurooppalaisessa kontekstissa ja analysoida niitä erilaisista näkökulmista, mm. kansalaisten näkökulmasta. Osana opintojaksoa olet harjoitellut argumentaatiotaitoja.
Asiasisältö: Opintojakso keskittyy Viron lähimenneisyyteen Neuvostoliiton hajoamiseen johtaneesta perestroikasta EU-jäsenyyteen asti ja tarkastelee sen aikakauden keskeisiä prosesseja demokratian kehyksessä. Siinä analysoidaan eri toimijoiden roolia sen aikaisissa yhteiskunnallisissa ja kulttuurisissa muutoksissa, ja tarkastellaan näitä muutoksia muun muassa kansalaisten näkökulmasta. Opintojakson aikana harjoitellaan tapahtumien ja yhteiskunnallisten muutosten analyysiä erilaisista näkökulmista sekä yhteiskunnallisten ja kulttuuristen tekstien kriittistä tulkintaa.
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivulle
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 10.3.–24.4.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Arto Luukkanen
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Operation BLOK - KGB's battle against Ukrainian national identity
This series of lectures focus on the Ukrainian generation of "Thaw" (sixtiers) and examines how the Soviet secret police launched a massive operations against the "anti-Soviet intelligentsia" of Ukraine during 1970's
The Ukrainian national identity was seen as a major threat to the Soviet ideology and Soviet state when L.I. Brezhnev became as a leader of the Communist Party in 1964. Especially, the new generation of Ukrainian dissidents such as Ivan Svitlychny, Ivan Dziuba and Vyacheslav Chornovil were active to protest in special underground magazines as Ukrainsky Visnyk. This relatively small group of national minded artists and journalists (approx. 30) were considered as deadly enemies of the existence of the Soviet rule in Ukraine; especially after the Prague's Spring 1968. On one hand, in 1972 the Soviet Union celebrated its 50th Anniversary the Soviet Union and was talking about the "our multicultural state". On the other hand, in 1972 KGB launched a massive operation against the Ukrainian national minded intelligentsia and tried to liquidate it totally (Operation BLOK). The series of lectures inspects the fates of these dissidents during 1980's and then later in 1990's when they were given an amnesty. This series of lectures gives students an inner view of the operations of KGB and the their activities during 1970's and 1980's. The method of teaching is a) lecturing b) dialectical discussions. It is most pivotal that during these discussions we are able to listen and discuss respectfully (especially when discussing sensitive topics), criticize ideas not individuals, avoid blame and inflammatory language.UH disapproves of any kind of inappropriate behaviour, bullying or harassment.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 12.3.–25.4.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Zea Szebeni
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
TBA
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 18.02.2025 - 10.04.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Heino Nyyssönen
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Kurssi ”Politiikka ja konfliktit Baltiasta Balkanille” jatkaa politiikkaa käsittelevää kokonaisuutta, jossa tarkastellaan jonkin tietyn alueen nykytilaa ja historian osuutta nykypolitiikassa. Kevään 2025 kohteeksi ovat valikoituneet ns. EU:n itäiset maat sekä Länsi-Balkan ja mahdollinen EU:n laajentuminen Ukrainaa myöten.
Kurssilla käsitteet politiikka ja konfliktit ymmärretään laajasti. Neljän yleisemmän esittelyluennon jälkeen osa kurssilaisista jakaantuu ryhmätöihin ja esittelee jälkimmäisessä seminaariosuudessa sekä jonkin yksittäisen maan puoluepolitiikan nykytilaa että maan identiteettiä tai identifikaatiota muovanneen konfliktin. Pääpaino kurssilla on toisen maailmansodan jälkeisessä ajassa, mutta myös aiempaan tilanteeseen liittyvät esitykset ovat mahdollisia.
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivulle Huom! kurssi on kanditasoinen
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 14.3.–14.4.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Anatoly Pinsky
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
The course introduces students to the history, politics and culture of Russia and the Soviet Union from the early 19th century to today. Main overarching themes are the interplay between liberal and conservative (at times, totalitarian) tendencies, on the one hand, and between the state and culture, on the other. Emphasis will be on Russian-language culture, but attention will be paid to the multinational character of the Russian Empire, the USSR and the Russian Federation. Main phenomena and trends will be discussed, from the “golden” and “silver” ages of Russian culture to the Soviet times, including censorship and political and cultural regimentation and the method of socialist realism, until the short period of freedom in the 1990s, and the changes and continuities in politics of culture and history in the early 21st century.
Learning goals: After completing the course students have a thorough overview of the main cultural currents and political events of 19th, 20th and early 21st century Russia and an understanding of how politics influenced culture, how culture was used to promote political aims, and how these two trends sometimes contradicted, sometimes overlapped with each other. Furthermore, students will be able to name some of the most important Russian and Soviet authors, painters, composers and film directors and understand how their works interacted with high politics and why their works have become classics. Individual and group work (in the form of an analysis of a Soviet movie) introduces the students to searching and using academic research in cultural studies, gives experience of academic co-operation and presentation, as well as practice in argumentation skills.
Assignments and assessment: The course consists of ten sessions: nine lectures and a final session, where students present their group-work analyses of Soviet films. The group work includes individual analysis with the help of research literature; participation in group work; and presenting the analysis (40 % of the grade). During the course, students write a study diary entry (1-1,5 pages) for each lecture and the final session with reflection of one’s own learning process (60 % of the grade). Attending the lectures is obligatory for a minimum of 80 %; for extra absence extra assignment will follow.
Course structure
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page Note! The course is BA-level course
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 31.03.2025 - 28.04.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Jeremy Smith
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
The course begins with a review of imperial Russian history and then turns to the Russian Revolutions of 1917. It then traces the course of historical development through the leadership of Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev and Gorbachev. While focusing on the major events of the period of Soviet rule, it also explores the nature of Soviet society and its diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and social position. It examines broad and specific explanations of why, ultimately, communism in the Soviet Union failed and the USSR collapsed. Finally, it examines the emergence of Russia and the other post-Soviet states from 1991 onwards.
The student should be:
Study methods: The course consists of lectures (20 hours), including discussions, and an examination (60%); and a final research essay (40%), to be graded 0-5. Regular attendance is required.
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 21.1.–21.2.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Ryhor Nizhnikau
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
This course will study the effects of the Russian invasion on the EU foreign policy, its neighbourhood policy and identify new political and societal developments in the region, specifically Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Belarus.
Learning goals: Students will learn key approaches to understanding processes, drivers and causes of social and political transformations in the region; key theories of institutional change and the EU integration and its evolution since 2022; be able to better understand the broad repercussions of the war on politics and society in Ukraine and the region.
Course outline: This course looks at how the Russian invasion has reshaped the EU's Eastern neighbourhood policy and subsequently how has the new policy affected the domestic politics and foreign policy strategies of the new EU candidate countries (Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia) and Belarus. During the course, policy responses to the war of the EU and the countries of the EU-Russia contested neighbourhood will be critically reviewed. The course will also identify new patterns in foreign policy behavior of these states and key domestic societal and policy changes.
Working methods and assessment: The course is built on lectures, seminars, in-class discussions. The course will be assessed through an essay written by students, as well as in-class participation.
Lectures (preliminary outline)
Lisätietoa / More information Link to the course page
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 16.1.–24.4.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Outi Tanczos
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Unkarin maantuntemuksen perustiedot sijoitamme itäisen Keski-Euroopan kontekstiin. Unkarin maantuntemuksen keskeisimmistä asioista nostamme esille mm. seuraavat: Unkarin maantieteelliset alueet, historia ja nykyaika, unkarin kieli menneisyydessä ja nykyään, unkarilaisen kulttuurin tärkeimpiä tekijöitä.
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivulle Huom! Kurssi on kanditasoinen.
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place Ma 12-14
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Sigrid Kaasik-Krogerus
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Mikä sinulle tulee mieleen Viron kirjallisuudesta - tiedätkö joitain kirjailijoita tai oletko lukenut heidän teoksiaan? Vaikka et tietäisikään, niin tervetuloa perehtymään aiheeseen Viron kirjallisuus -kurssilla!
Kurssin osaamistavoitteet
Kurssin suoritettuasi
* tunnet Viron kirjallisuuden kehitysvaiheet ja keskeiset kirjailijat eri aikakausilta
* olet tutustunut erilaisten kirjailijoiden teoksiin sekä niihin liittyvään kirjallisuuden tutkimukseen
* olet perehtynyt tarkemmin jonkun kirjailijan tuotantoon, ja osaat esitellä sitä myös muille
* osaat analysoida Viron kirjallisuutta yhteiskunnallisessa ja kulttuurikontekstissa sekä itsenäisesti että yhdessä muiden kanssa.
Kurssin sisältö
Kurssi tarjoaa kronologisen katsauksen Viron kirjallisuuden kehitykseen ja keskeisiin suuntauksiin. Tutustut merkittävimpiin kirjailijoihin ja heidän teoksiinsa sekä niihin liittyvään kirjallisuuden tutkimukseen. Luet eri aikakausien kaunokirjallisia tekstejä viroksi tai suomeksi, ja tarkastelet niitä laajemmassa yhteiskunnallisessa ja kulttuurikontekstissa. Osana opiskelua kehität analyysi-, vuorovaikutus- ja keskustelutaitoja.
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivulle
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 08.01.2025-19.02.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Marja Sorvari
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Teemana Vähemmistöt ja kirjallisuus Venäjällä
Osaamistavoitteet: Opiskelija
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivulle
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 20.1.–19.2.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Arto Luukkanen
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Miten kommunismin jälkeinen demokraattinen Venäjä muuttui "sekurokratiaksi"?
Vuonna 1991 NL hajosi ja sen tilalle tuli Uusi Venäjä. Tämä presidentti Boris Jeltsinin johtama maa pyrki markkinatalouteen mutta tuloksena oli poliittinen umpikuja, jonka korvasi vuonna 2000 Putinin "sekurokratia"
Ymmärtääksemme nykyisen Venäjän poliittista tilanne meidän on hyvä tarkastella sitä 9 vuoden jaksoa, jolloin Uusi Venäjä yritti löytää oman paikkansa markkinataloudessa ja kansainvälisessä yhteistyössä Lännen kanssa. Elintason äkillinen lasku, organisoidun rikollisuuden nousu, kerskakulutus kapitalismin nousu oli kommunismin jälkeiselle Venäjälle kova isku. Valtion omaisuus jaettiin niiden kesken, jotka ymmärsivät sen arvon ja maan luonnonvarat joutuivat muutamien haltuun. Seurauksena oli poliittinen kriisi, jossa maa ei päässyt irti kommunismin jälkeisistä ongelmista eikä kyennyt myöskään luomaan edellytyksiä kansalaisten hyvinvoinnille. Oligarkkien poliittisen merkityksen kasvaessa nousi Venäjällä toiveita siitä, että valtio kykenisi toimimaan päättäväisemmin. Lopulta tilanne johti siihen, että turvallisuusviranomaisten edustaja Vladimir Putin tuli pääministeriksi. Aloitettiin ulkoinen sota Tshetsheniaa vastaan ja kun Jeltsin erosi vallan otti presidentti, joka keskitti kaiken vallan itselleen ja omalle viiteryhmälleen: sekurokratialle.
Kurssilla analysoidaan sekurokratian rakennetta, sen suhdetta oligarkkeihin, liike-elämään ja kansalaisyhteiskuntaan. Samalla tutkitaan sitä miten aggressiivinen ulkopolitiikka ja uhkapolitiikka oli kudottu sekurokratian sisimpään olemukseen. Seurauksena oli 2007 ilmoitus oman linjan ajamisesta, vuonna 2008 Georgian kurittamisesta ja vihdoin vuonna 2014 Krimin ja Itä-Ukrainan valtaamisesta. Kaiken takana oli sekurokratian haave entisen Venäjän imperiumin uudelleen pystyttämisestä. Tätä poliittista projektia pyrittiin hoitamaan ensin rauhanomaisesti mutta jo vuonna 2020 lähtien sotilaallista ratkaisua suunniteltiin.
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivulle
Aika ja paikka / Time and Place 14.1.–25.2.2025
Luennoitsija(t) / Lecturer(s) Jan Senius
Tavoite ja sisältö / Aim and content
Oletko kiinnostunut elokuvataiteesta, sen syntyprosessista ja kehityksestä? Tule perehtymään Tšekkoslovakialaisen elokuvan vaiheisiin suurten muutosten vuosikymmeninä 60. luvulta nykypäivään.
Kurssilla
Kurssi soveltuu elokuvasta kiinnostuneille opiskelijoille yleensä, mutta tarkastelee tapahtumia myös historiallisesti laajemmasta näkökulmasta. Kurssi ei edellytä aiempaa osaamista tai opintoja.
Lisätietoa / More information Linkki kurssisivulle