Module Information

Module Identifier
IP37320
Module Title
COMMUNIST AND POST-COMMUNIST POLITICS
Academic Year
2008/2009
Co-ordinator
Dr Elena A Korosteleva-Polglase
Semester
Intended for use in future years

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Lecture 16 x 1 hour
Seminars / Tutorials 6 x 1 hour
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment 1 x 3500 assessed essay  60%
Semester Assessment 1 x 2500 word report  40%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

Brief description

The module examines the communist and post-communist experience of Central and East European states in a broadly chronological manner by (i) looking at the principal features of communist rule; (ii) evaluating East European transitions and (iii) discussing the post-communist future of the new states of a wider Europe.

Content

Part 1 - The Politics of communism
  • conceptualising communism
  • 'mature socialism' in the USSR
  • 'reform communism' in Poland, Czechoslovakia and Hungary
Part 2 - The politics of transition in Central and Eastern Europe:
  • patterns of transition in Central and Eastern Europe: case-studies
  • the 3rd wave of democratisation and Eastern Europe: differences and commonalities
  • are the transitions over?
Part 3 - The Politics of Post-Communism
  • consequences of transition & the quality of democracy in post-communist Europe
  • a wider Europe: policies, divisions and perspectives
  • the future of communism

Reading List

Essential Reading
Holmes, Leslie (1997) Post-Communism: An Introduction Polity Press Primo search Swain, Geoffrey. (2003.) Eastern Europe since 1945 /Geoffrey Swain and Nigel Swain. Primo search White, Stephen, Butt, Judy, & Lewis, L Paul (2003) Developments in Central and East European Politics 3 Palgrave Primo search

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 6