Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Seminar | 10 x 2 Hour Seminars |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Written Essay - 1 x 2,500 words | 50% |
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours - Examination | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | (resit) Written Essay - 1 x 2,500 words | 50% |
| Supplementary Exam | 2 Hours - (resit) Examination | 50% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of the Stalin era in the period after the First Five Year Plan, during the 1930s, the Second World War and High Stalinism, including important aspects of the politics and culture of the Stalinist 1930s, the Terror, Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War and the post-war situation.
2. Identify and evaluate different historical debates surrounding Stalinist society in the 1930s, the Kirov Murder, The Great Terror, the Great Patriotic War and the period of High Stalinism.
3. Read, analyze and assess a range of different types of historical evidence relating to the Stalin era in the period 1933-1953, including documents, literature, art, film and music.
4. Express understanding and discuss issues related to the Stalin era in the period 1933-1953 through writing in an academic context.
Aims
This module and its companion HQ37920 will introduce students to the Soviet Union under Stalin and what Stalinism entailed in theory and practice. Engaging with a rich and controversial historiography, translated documents and cultural productions students will gain an understanding of key areas in the political, cultural, social and economic History of the Soviet Union under Stalin, an understanding of a range of relevant primary sources, and the currents and debates in the historiography surrounding the subject.
Brief description
Following Stalin’s Great Break, Stalinist society and politics became entrenched in the Soviet Union. In the 1930s, the Soviet Union was shaped by the regime from the top down, as the state responded to domestic matters and addressed the challenges of a hostile world situation during the decade. By the 1940s, the Soviet Union became embroiled in the Great Patriotic War. Emerging victorious, Stalin was at the zenith of his power, both domestically and on the world stage as the Soviet Union dominated Eastern Europe.
Debates still continue over the nature of Stalinist society during the 1930s, with questions about Stalinist culture, the Great Terror, the Kirov Murder and Soviet foreign affairs. The Soviet fight against Nazi Germany remains an area of keen interest, and debates continue as to both how the Soviets were victorious as well as the reasons why Stalin sought to dominate Eastern Europe in the years following the Second World War.
Content
2. Consumption and Culture
3. Gender
4. Gulag
5. The Kirov Murder
6. The Great Terror, 1936-38
7. Foreign Policy and the Nazi-Soviet Pact
8. The Nazi Invasion
9. High Stalinism, 1945-1953
10. Conclusions
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | |
| Communication | Written communication skills will be developed through the coursework and written examination; skills in oral presentation will be developed in seminars but are not formally assessed. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Students will be advised on how to improve research and communication skills through the individual tutorial providing feedback on submitted coursework. |
| Information Technology | Students will be encouraged to locate suitable material on the web and to apply it appropriately to their own work. Students will also be expected to word-process their work and make use of Blackboard. These skills will not be formally assessed. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Students will develop a range of transferable skills, including time management and communication skills, which may help them identify their personal strengths as they consider potential career paths. |
| Problem solving | Students are expected to note and respond to historical problems which arise as part of the study of this subject area and to undertake suitable research for seminars and essays. |
| Research skills | Students will develop their research skills by reading a range of texts and evaluating their usefulness in preparation for the coursework and the written examination. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Develop a knowledge of, and familiarity with, a range of different late modern sources, including unpublished and published documents; develop the ability to use appropriate historical research tools effectively. |
| Team work | Students will be expected to play an active part in group activities (e.g. short group presentations in seminars) and to learn to evaluate their own contribution to such activities. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6