IS 2600 - Perspectives on Russia and East/Central Europe-Online (4)

Oakland University, College of Arts and Sciences, International Studies Program

Syllabus

Course Information:
CRN: 11336
Campus: Internet
Schedule Type: Fully Online

The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with Russian and Central/Eastern European civilizations and to present the history of communism, one of the deadliest totalitarian ideologies in the history of the world. The course will have an interdisciplinary character and will consider, among other disciplines, geography, history, culture and religion, social and political structures and finally, the elements of business protocol when dealing with the Russians and people from Central/Eastern Europe.

Professor Information:
My name is Janusz Wrobel. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me at wrobel@oakland.edu You can also contact me through the e-mail utility built into this course. If you contact me via e-mail, please give me 24 hours to respond.

Learning Outcomes:
1. Students should gain an introductory familiarity with the civilization of Russia and East/Central Europe, via an overview of geography, history and traditional culture, including religion, arts and social institutions. They should become aware of Russian and East/Central European major contributions to world civilization.

2. Students should acquire a basic knowledge of political, economic and social problems the Russian and East/Central European people face as they encounter our contemporary world.

3. In conjunction with the first two objectives, students should develop an awareness of how Russian and East/Central European distinctive social and cultural traditions and particular historical experience have shaped the current patterns of thought and activity of the people of the region.

4. Students should indicate the sources of communist ideology, principals of Marxism, its initial appeal, circumstances of its implementation and its outcomes including the devastating influence that communism had on Europe in the 20th century. Recognize the factors that led to the demise of communism, and the ways it took place in particular European countries.

5. Students should analyze the gains and pains being experienced by the former communist states on their road to democracy and a free market economy

Textbooks and Materials:
You will need to purchase the following textbooks and the Class Packet to participate in this class:

1. Russia. A Short History, Abraham Ascher. Oxford: Oneworld, 2009, ISBN:

978-1-85168-613-1,

2. Culture Smart! Russia, Anna King, London: Kuperard, 2008, ISBN: 978-1-

85733-352-7,

3. Revolution 1989. The Fall of the Soviet Empire, Victor Sebestyen. New

York: Pantheon Books, 2009, ISBN: 978-0-375-42532-5,

4. The Rebirth of East Europe. Fourth Edition, Michael G. Roskin. New

Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002, ISBN: 0-13-034120-7.

5. A Guided Tour Through the Museum of Communism, Slavenka Drakulic. London: Penguin Books, 2011, ISBN: 978-0-14-311863-3,

6. Class Packet. Available from https://www.dollarbillcopying.com/Coursepacks-

C17.aspx (Go to: Coursepack options, choose print only version)

To buy your textbooks visit:

Oakland University Bookstore - lower level of the Oakland Center, Tel. (248) 370- 2404

You can order your textbooks on-line as well. The following is the website for the OU bookstore:

http://oakland.bncollege.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/BNCBHomePage?storeI d=13551&catalogId=10001

You can find the text information on this website for all your courses at OU.

Assignments and Grading:
You are expected to become familiar with all geographical terms included on page 8 (Russia) and 19 (East/Central Europe) of your Class Packet. There will be three types of questions:

1. Multiple choice:

Capitol of Poland

Choose one answer.

a. Tallinn

b. Bucharest c. Warsaw d. Miskolc e. Bratislava

2. Exclusion test:

Exclude the term, which does NOT belong in the series: i.e. Bulgaria, Brazil, Albania, Slovakia, Hungary.

3. True/False test:

The capitol of Poland is Warsaw. Answer: True False

Assignments and Timeline:

Course material must be completed within the week it is assigned. You have an entire week to complete the required readings in the textbook, read the online course material, participate in any online assignments, and take the quiz. You can do this at your own pace, but all graded portions (primarily the quizzes and the online discussions) MUST be completed in the indicated time. No extensions will be granted.

Here is the breakdown of how you will be graded in this course:

Item Percentage of Grade Points Participation in Discussion Board 52% (13 x 4%) 208 (13 x 16) 8 Quizzes 48% (8 x 6%) 192 (8 x 24) Total 100% 400

Quizzes are “open book”, although they are timed.

Grading criteria:

To receive full credit for your essay, it must meet the following criteria:

1. is an original work of the author;

2. is relevant and addresses the topic;

3. adequately states and defends its author’s argument;

4. uses correct grammar and spelling;

5. is divided into paragraphs;

6. is submitted before the deadline;

7. consists of at least 600 words.

Classroom and University Policies