Russia and Eurasia in a Changing World

Courses

International Relations Theory

The Course provides students with key theoretical concepts encompassing behavior of different state and non-state actors on the world stage.  It examines causes of war and peace as well as the interplay of globalization and regional integration.    Major IR theories such realism, liberalism, and constructivism as well as  models of analysis will be applied to grasp the interaction of different actors during the most dramatic events of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Russian-American Relations

The main content of the course is a historical retrospective of the relations between Russia and the United States. The current state of Russian-American interaction is analyzed in the contexts of diplomatic traditions, cycles of technological transfers and the development of images of each other. Within the course, we will examine every aspect of the relations in different historical periods and try to find the patterns in the intercourse. At the final discussion, we will attempt to create a policy recommendation based on knowledge from the course that would be useful for policy-makers and pundits in both countries.

Energy policies in International Relations

The extent to which international relations are linked with energy policies can be surprising. States are often dependent on imports of energy resources (or technology), or income from selling energy resources abroad, which makes energy considerations relevant to their foreign policies. In fact, throughout the past century, a number of foreign policy decisions in various countries were taken in line with energy policy needs. This connection only strengthens as energy markets become more international. In this course, we overview some of the cases where energy policies have had major implications on international relations. International relations as such can be shaped by actions of various actors, and energy policies are one of the driving forces of this continuous ‘construction’. Preliminary course outline (subject to adjustment / change) is as follows:

• Course introduction: theoretical background on links between energy policy and international relations
• Key concepts in energy policy
• Case 1: Coal and oil. The British Navy goes for oil during WWI, what does it mean for Britain’s foreign relations?
• Case 2. Energy at the heart of integration? Coal and steel community as the predecessor of the EU + other examples in APR
• Case 3: Oil in the XXth century. The Seven Sisters and the OPEC-to-be: capitalism and resource nationalism framing some of the largest political and economic crises
• Case 4: Natural gas. ‘The Bridge’ between East and West. How gas for pipes deal lifted the Iron curtain
• Case 5. China and renewables? How ‘energy transition’ changes energy geopolitics

Science, Technology and Public Policy: Science Advisers as Policymakers in Comparative Perspective

This class aims to show to what extent contemporary public policies and society are interwoven with science and technology and study the way science advisers shape public policies in comparative perspectives. States are one of the leading actors in the governance of science and technology; they drive and regulate technological innovations and protect the environment and the public’s health and safety. At the same time, policymakers all over the world create various scientific advisory bodies in order to utilize the expertise of scientists and engineers and, with the help of scientific and technical information, legitimize many public decisions in the eyes of the public. As some STS scholars claim, in this role as advisers, scientists have emerged as a new, unique power — a fifth branch of government. In our class, we will learn about the evolution of this branch of government and focus on expertise in action, studying the roles and positions of scholars and engineers as science advisers in policy decision-making. To examine the topics taught during the class (climate, large technological systems, big data regulation) we will rely both on existing studies and on some well-discussed empirical cases of scientific advising from both the U.S. and Russia.

European Neighborhood Policy in the Post-Soviet Space

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Academic writing

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Russian language

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