From Serfdom to Stalin: Rural life in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union 1853-1932
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| HIST3006 | History | 3 | 20 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- HIST3006
- School
- History
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
This module explores the lived experience of rural people in the spaces of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, from the outbreak of the Crimean war in 1853 up until the consolidation of the collectivisation process in 1932. This module explores the diversity of the peoples living in this region, the challenges and patterns of their everyday life, and the relationships of rural people with State power. The module is organised thematically, moving week by week through issues including faiths and beliefs, family and community, politics and protest, military service and population movement, Questions around gender and the specific roles and experience of women are raised throughout the course. A diverse array of primary sources are utilised through the course, including memoirs, fictional literature, ethnography, paintings, photographs, posters and official documents.
Target Students
Students must have taken HIST1001 or HIST1002. Open to Liberal Arts students.
Classes
- One 2-hour seminar each week for 10 weeks
- One 1-hour lecture each week for 10 weeks
Assessment
- 50% Coursework 1: Assessed seminar (seminar presentation and 1,000 word seminar report)
- 50% Coursework 2: Individually assessed coursework item (3,000 words)
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
This module should provide students with:an understanding of the problems associated with studies of rural societyknowledge of the major developments in the Russian countryside in this periodan introduction to different historical perspectives on the peasantry (cultural, political, social, economic) and an appreciation of the links between these schoolsan understanding of the historiographical debates around the subjectA critical understanding of the nature of multiple different primary source typesLearning Outcomes
a. Knowledge and understanding of:
- the major underlying forces that shaped understandings of the Russian rural life in the period under discussion
- the major events in this period, and the themes and stasis and change that characterised it
- the multiplicity of different historians' responses to and interpretations of the Russian peasantry between 1853 and 1932
- The rich diversity of cultures, experiences and peoples living in the Russian Empire/Soviet Union.
b. Intellectual skills:
- think critically and imaginatively on the development of Russian peasant society
- engage with the key problems arising in studies of peasant life generally, and to be aware of the comparative context
- assess and evaluate competing historical explanations put forward in the literature
- construct coherent and independent arguments on the subject matter
c. Professional/practical skills:
- analyse information and arguments from a range of secondary sources, and selected primary sources
- provide appropriate footnotes and a bibliography in their essays
- use IT to complete written assignments, and use the university Intranet to access the library catalogue
d. Transferable skills:
- manage large, incomplete and disparate bodies of knowledge
- develop oral and written communication skills
- work with other students on the module researching in secondary sources
- take responsibility for their own learning
- respect the reasoned views of others
- improve IT skills in word processing