Social Issues in Russia/USSR, Eastern Europe and the Balkans in Modern Times

Pre-requisites: completed masters studies and knowledge of a foreign language

Course objectives:  To develop general and specific knowledge, capabilities and skills needed for studying the fundamental processes and phenomena in contemporary social history of Eastern Europe, especially of Russia/USSR, the Balkans and for holistic and comparative independent academic research.

Course description: This course is devoted to examining the social history of Eastern Europe, especially Russia/USSR and the Balkans, by analyzing the most important social, demographic and economic aspects of development of nations in these territories during the 20th century and the effects of those developments on contemporary social phenomena(ideology, political change and social developments, history of everyday life) A special focus will be put on analyzing the broad transformations from pre-industrial society to rapid industrial development(socio-modernization), to the beginnings of post-industrial, consumer society and its engaging in the process of globalization, multi-cultural world and technology.

Learning Outcomes: Students will be capable of factually, conceptually and problematically understanding, analyzing and editing scientific problems, issues and phenomena from the political history of Eastern Europe, especially Russia/USSR and the Balkans. Writing and defending a masters thesis in this area of study.

Literature/Reading:

• Stevan K. Pavlović, Istorija Balkana, Beograd 2001
• Mihail Geler, Aleksandar Nekrič, Utopija na vlasti. Istorija Sovjetskog Saveza, Podgorica 2000
• E.H. Carr, Ruska revolucija. Od Lenjina do Staljina (1917-1929), Zagreb 1984
• Ivan Berend, Centralna i Istočna Evropa 1944-1993. Od periferije zaobilaznim putem natrag do periferije, Podgorica 2001
• V.A. Kozlov, Nepoznati SSSR: sukobi naroda i vlasti (1953–1985), Beograd 2007
• Miroslav Jovanović, Ruska emigracija na Balkanu 1920-1940, Beograd 1996
• Oleg Ajrapetov, Generali, liberali, preduzetnici: Rad za front i za revoluciju (1907-1917), Beograd 2005
• E.Ю. Zubkova, Obщestvo i reformы 1945-1964, M. 1993
• J. Lampe, M.R. Jackson, Balkans Economic History 1558-1950, Bloomington 1982
• Marija Todorova, Imaginarni Balkan, Beograd 1999