POLITICS OF EASTERN EUROPE (CPO3614 / Section 7241 & EUS 3930 / Section 4826) Fall 2012 RUCHAN KAYA Course Meetings rkaya@ufl.edu T, Periods 2-3 (8:30-10:25) @ AND 34 301 Anderson Hall R, Period 3 (9:35-10:25) @ AND 101 Office Hours: T & R, 10:30 am-12:00 pm or by appointment COURSE DESCRIPTION In four separate sections, this course will provide explanations on the evolution of Eastern European countries and the region since World War II. The first two, historical parts of the course will focus on characteristics of Communism, the events in 1989, and the transitions there after. These two sections will provide a survey of Eastern European Countries under communist rule and different reactions from opposition in multiple countries, as well as their social, economic, and political transformations since the fall of Communism. The regional patterns will be evaluated in the third section, including continuous glances before and after the communist period, particularly focusing on Russia, Baltics, Visegrad Four, and the Balkans. The last section will include major issues like Color Revolutions, Dissolution of Yugoslavia, and Energy Politics within Eastern Europe.
COURSE MATERIALS There are two required textbooks for this class. Both are available at the UF Bookstore. Stephen White, Judy Batt, and Paul G. Lewis (eds.). 2007. Developments in Central and East European Politics 4 (Raleigh: Duke University Press) Gale Stokes. 2011. The Walls Came Tumbling Down: The Collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe (Oxford University press) Additional articles and book chapters will be available through e-learning (Sakai) COURSE REQUIREMENTS & ASSIGNMENTS o 2 in class exams (25% each) There will be 2 in-class exams, 50% worth of the final grade (25% each). The tests will include short answer, true-false, short essay, and multiple choice questions. The students are required to bring Blue Books to the exams. They are available at the bookstore. o 1 Research Paper (25%) A final paper, on a topic that will be covered during the semester, is required for this course. Papers should be no more than 2500-3000 words (8-to-10 pages). The following deadlines should be met for each step of the paper. Ø Each student should submit a particular research topic for the paper on Thursday, September 27, previously approved by the instructor (5%). Ø An outline and a bibliography are due on Thursday, November 1 (5%). Ø Final Papers are due on Wednesday, December 5 (15%). o Attendance & Participation (15%) Attendance and participation are compulsory and essential parts of this course. Higher attendance, frequent and quality participation will yield A for that section of the course. More than 2 unexcused absences during the semester will cause you to lose 1 letter grade per absence. Continuous late show ups and disruptive behavior in class might result with zeros for your attendance and participation grade. Every student is required to attend the class on time, having read all the material before the class, ready to participate in a meaningful manner.
All cell phones and laptops should be silenced and the students should ask for approval to use them only for class purposes (i.e. not taking, going over the readings, and notes) or emergencies. Students are encouraged to review the university s attendance policies; https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx o Pop Quizzes (10%) Policy on Cheating and Plagiarism There will be 12 quizzes throughout the semester. Best 10 grades out of 12 will be selected. Every quiz will include one simple, short answer question about the readings of the particular week. These quizzes will be held within the first 5 minutes of the class. Therefore it is important for you to be on-time for every class. University of Florida has certain standards for academic honesty. Any student that is found cheating or plagiarizing will fail the course automatically and will be reported to Student Judicial Affairs. Please read the Student Honor Code for more information; http://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/honorcode.php E-Learning & SAKAI If you are not already familiar with it, you should make yourself accustomed with e- Learning https://lss.at.ufl.edu Additional readings for class, steps for the research paper, additional assignments, and GRADES will be electronically available at the course website on e-learning. Special Needs Please register with UF s Disability Resource Center and obtain the necessary documentation for accommodating your needs during the semester. Contact the instructor within the first two weeks of classes for special arrangements (for classes, assignments, and exams) during the office hours or by appointment. Passing Grades and Grade Points https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx#grades
Grading Scale A A- B+ B B- C+ C C- D+ D D- E 90 or ABOVE 87-89 84-86 80-83 77-79 74-76 70-73 67-69 64-66 60-63 57-59 56 or BELOW COURSE SCHEDULE (SUBJECT TO CHANGE) SECTION I COMMUNISM Week 1: August 23 Course Introduction and Setting the Objectives Week 2: August 28-30 Communism (Characteristics) ***Thursday, August 30: NO CLASS! [Annual Meeting of American Political Science Association (APSA), New Orleans] Kenneth Jowitt, The Leninist Phenomenon, in New World Disorder: The Leninist Extinction, University of California Press, 1992: pp. 1-49 (e-learning) --------------------, Leninist Legacy, in New World Disorder: The Leninist Extinction, University of California Press, 1992: pp. 284-306 (e-learning) Andrew Janos, What was Communism: A Retrospective in Comparative Analysis, Communist and Post-Communist Studies 29(1): 1-24 (e-learning) Week 3: September 4-6 Communism (Experiences) Stokes, Introduction 1-15 and Ch 1-3, pp. 15-123. Week 4: September 11-13 Revolutions of 1989
White et al. Ch2, pp. 20-37 Stokes, Ch5, pp. 157-203 & pp. 252-259. Bernhard, Michael. 2010. The Revolutions of 1989: Twenty Years Later, Angelaki 15: 109-122. (e- Learning) Week 5: September 18-20 Post-Communism (Transitions) Economic White et al. Ch15, pp. 245-264. Social White et al. Ch13, pp. 213-229. Political White et al. Ch11-12, pp. 174-213. Week 6: September 25 27 Democratization in Eastern Europe SECTION II - POST-COMMUNIST TRANSITION *** Research Paper Topics are due before class, on Thursday, September 27. White et al. Ch16, pp. 264-276. Gerardo L. Munck and Carol Skalnik Leff (1997). "Modes of Transition and Democratization: South America and Eastern Europe in Comparative Perspective," Comparative Politics 29:343-362. Week 7: October 2 4 EU Accession *** EXAM I: Thursday, October 4 White et al. Ch7, pp. 110-127 Stokes, pp. 259-264 Week 8: October 9 11
Failures of Democratic Transition in Eastern Europe White et al. Ch6, pp. 90-110 Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way, The Evolution of Post-Soviet Competitive Authoritarianism in Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes after the Cold War, Cambridge University Press, pp. 183-235 (skip Georgia and Armenia) (e-learning) Week 9: October 16 18 Russia SECTION III- REGIONAL PATTERNS Kernen, Beat. Putin and the Parliamentary Elections in Russia: The Confluence (Slijanie) of Russian Political Culture and Leadership, East European Quarterly, Vol. 38, Iss. 1; Spring 2004. (e-learning) Week 10: October 23 25 Romania and Bulgaria White et al. Ch4, pp. 56-72.. Pridham, Geoffrey. 2007. The Effects of the European Union's Democratic Conditionality: The Case of Romania during Accession, Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics. 23(2): pp. 233-258. (e-learning) Week 11: October 30 - November 1 Visegrad Four *** Paper Outlines and Bibliographies are due before class, on Thursday, November 1. White et al. Ch3, pp. 37-56.. Dangerfield, Martin. 2008. The Visegrád Group in the Expanded European Union: From Preaccession to Postaccession Cooperation, in East European Politics & Societies, 22: 630-667. Week 12: November 6 8 East and West Germany and Unification Stokes, pp. 243-252 EXAM II: Thursday, November 8 SECTION IV MAJOR ISSSUES AND EVENTS
Week 13: November 13 15 Color Revolutions Yugoslavia Bunce and Wolchik, Defeating a Dictator at the Polls and in the Streets: The 2000 Yugoslav Elections, in Defeating Authoritarian Leaders in Postcommunist Countries, Cambridge UP, 2005: pp. 85-114. (e-learning) Ukraine Bunce and Wolchik, Ukraine: The Orange Revolution, in Defeating Authoritarian Leaders in Postcommunist Countries, Cambridge UP, 2005: pp.114-148. (e-learning) Week 14: November 20 Dissolution of Yugoslavia Stokes, ch6, pp. 203-243 & 317-334. White et al. Ch5, pp. 72-90. Week 15: November 27 29 Energy Politics and Pipelines M. Steven Fish, The Structural Problem: Grease and the Glitter, in Democracy Derailed in Russia: The Failure of Open Politics, Cambridge UP, 2005: 114-139 (e-learning) Week 16: December 4 *** Final Papers are due on Wednesday, December 5 th. LAST DAY OF CLASSES Wrap-Up *6-7 Reading Days (no class)