DAFF 27A34 - Russia’s Influence in Europe and Beyond: Agents, Narratives and Networks

The present course is a series of workshops focusing on Russia’s influence in US, Europe, and near abroad. The issues on strategies of Kremlin’s propaganda, its (post)Cold-War-era anti-Americanism reverberating in the rhetoric of the US and European far-rights, Russia’s Covid-19 policy, Putin’s troll fabrics, interference in the US elections, Russian Orthodox Church and the Kremlin’s influence in Ukraine and Georgia, Russia’s invasion on Ukraine are approached with the perspectives of popular geopolitics, IR theory, cultural studies, media studies and sociology. The course is based on case studies and extensively uses audio and video materials, documentaries, political statements, investigative reports, and opinion surveys as sources for analysis.

• In-class discussion 10%
• In-class activities (prepared) group works 25%
• Learning diary 15%
• Final paper 50%

Each class will be accompanied by compulsory and additional readings deposited on the MOODLE platform. A standard class will last two hours, including one hour of a lecture/presentation and one hour in-class activities (discussion, presentations, group activities). After each class students will write a 500-word learning diary (a reflection of what is heard, discussed, read and experienced during the course). By the end of the course, students will write a final 1200-word paper (in a form of theoretical of a mini field-work research). A list of the topics for the final paper will be provided by week 7.