General

Class time: Thursdays 17:30 – 19:05
Office hours: Fridays 15:00-16:00

ZOOM REGISTRATION

Dr Ivan Simic

Description:

This course introduces students to major themes in the field of the Soviet gender, race and religious history. Covering the period from the revolution to the collapse of the country, the course examines experiences, identities and gender relations. Among many topics, the course will explore issues such as racialisation of minorities, race in the cold war context, religious policies in Central Asia, religion and dissident movement, gendered labour relations, family roles, maternity, fatherhood, sexuality, sex-work, abortion, political engagement, gender representations in posters and films, etc.

Course Material

Readings and films are available through moodle. Podcasts are linked to their original page.

Requirements and Grading

Undergraduate Students 

1. Class Participation and discussion questions:  20%
2. Presentation: 10%
3. Book Review: 20% (due 1 May)
4. Final Paper (2000 words +-10%, due 20 June): 50%

Graduate Students

1. Class Participation and discussion questions:  20%
2. Presentation: 10%
3. Book Review: 20% (due 1 May)
4. Final Paper (3000 words +-10%, due 20 June): 50%

Participation is evaluated on the following criteria:

• providing meaningful discussion questions;
• contribution to the weekly seminar discussions.

All students have to send 3-5 discussion questions based on the readings 2 hours before every class. These questions are also considered as part of participation.

Presentation: each student is required to have a class presentation for one of the weekly seminars of their choice. The presentation is maximum 10 minutes long.

Book Review: each student will write one book review.

The selected book must be approved by the instructor. The length of the review is 650-750 words.

Final paper: The final paper discusses one question, provided by the instructor or chosen by a student in consultation with the instructor. It is based on primary sources (most likely in translation) or secondary sources (in this case, you are expected to engage the historiography of the issue). 

The length of the paper is 2000 words for undergraduate and 3000 words for graduate students.

The final paper should be seen as a research project, discussing a question/problem in an original way.

The question and the primary and secondary sources must be analysed critically, focusing on your arguments. Please feel free to consult the instructor during the entire process.

Experiential Learning:

During the discussions, we will aim to combine direct experience with focused reflection on the course readings. We will build on past knowledge and experiences, always striving to foster critical thinking. Besides the required readings from this outline, we will listen to oral history accounts, read (translated) primary sources, watch films (with subtitles), and analyse other sources such as images and posters.

Aiming to maximise the student’s learning outcomes, graduate students can also suggest alternative tasks that could contribute to their final dissertation.

Presentation list:

24 March - Alice Ghilardi (Representation of women's bodies)
24 March - Zoé Gallard
24 March - Dominika Nowicka (gender and socialism realism)
7 April - Amy Morisson (on abortion and reproductive policies)
21 April - Denis Chiriac
28 April - Ana Arakhamia and Anna Bezhanova (lesbian relationships in the SU)

5 May - Katharina Föger
5 May - Ivetta Prokhorova (films and youth sexuality)
19 May - Carolina Tanoni