Russia Today. 3 US credits. Taught in English

            Topics

1. Current political and economic issues.
2. Basic characteristics of the current social and economic situation.
3. The economy of the transitional periods: 1991 - 1993, 1993 – 1998,1998-2003
4. Highlights of the transitional periods: August 1998 and its consequences.
5. Discussion about current social and political topics with young politicians.
6. New elements in Russian social life and how these elements are perceived ("new Russians, oligarchs, etc).
7. Visit to the State Duma (Russian Parliament). Meeting with the Member of the State Duma.
8. The integration and disintegration processes in the Russian federation.  Russian and NIS countries.
9. The intelligence services. Past and present.   Visit to the KGB Museum.
10. Industry in Russia. Visit to the Red October chocolate factory.
11. Russia and the West: new attitudes in the new millennium.
12. The Russian system of education.
13. The Russian way of doing business: Values and traditions.
14. The demographic situation in Russia: trends and perspectives.
15. Visit to the World War II Museum

Russian Civilization. 3 US credits. Taught in English

Topics

1. Introduction to Russian civilization.

Masterpieces of Russian Art.

Heritage of the 20th century.

Preservation and development of culture.

Visit to Vladimir and Suzdal (two medieval Russian cities)

2. History of Russia  1917 - 2003 

Visit to the History Museum.

The Origins of the 1917 October Revolution.  

Social and Political Developments of Russia (The USSR) between the two World Wars.

World War II

The Stalin era

The Cold War

The Perestroika and Glasnost

The Parliamentary and Presidential Elections in 1990

A Changing Russia in a Changing World: Foreign Policy of Russia and International Realities.

The Future of Russia: Civil Society or Authoritarian Rule.

3. Russian Literature and Culture  ( XX  century) 

Outline of Russian Culture in the 20^th century.

Culture and revolution: Visit to the Mayakovsky Museum.  

Russian literature of the 1920’s.

Problems of Culture in Soviet Russia.

Soviet culture in the epoch of Totalitarism.

Soviet culture in the period of "developed" socialism.

Culture of Post-Soviet Society. 

Masterpieces of the 20^th century: Visit to the Hermitage and Peterhof; visit to the New Tretiakov gallery.

 Intellectual development in Russia in the 20^th century: Russia at the Turn of the Century.

Culture of Post-Soviet Society.