Course Catalogue

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This is a 20-credit level 2 course offered by CEES which explores aspects of political, economic, social and cultural change in Central and South-East Europe following the collapse of communism. It covers the period of transition from the one-party political system and the centrally planned economy to the multi-party system and the market economy. It discusses the different ways in which processes like EU accession, and shocks like the financial crisis of 2008 and refugees crises (the one generated by the Yugoslav wars in the 1990s, and the most recent one started in 2015), have affected the region and its inhabitants, from the collapse of communism to the 2020s.

Three one hour lectures (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday) and a one hour tutorial weekly.

20 credits at D or above in one Level 1 course taught in SPS, History (Arts), or Russian

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Assessment:

1. Tutorial contribution, 20 percent

2. Commentary: 1000 words, 30 percent

3. Essay: 2000 words, 50 percent

■ 1.Tutorial contribution: this consists of leading one tutorial discussion (10 percent) and of writing a summary of the tutorial discussion which will be posted on the tutorial forum on Moodle (10 percent). This activity requires students to work in small groups (usually two or three students). It is intended to provide students with opportunities to develop essential skills such as the ability to work effectively in group, to design class discussion, to identify key themes and select relevant information from readings, as well as to summarise in accessible language 50 minutes tutorial discussion. Key graduate attribute they will build are: active listening, respect, conflict resolution, accountability, problem-solving, open-mindedness.

Guideline and criteria of assessment are provided in the course book and in the guide to student-led tutorials, both available on Moodle. The first tutorial class will be dedicated to explaining how student-led tutorials will work. ILOs 4 & 5

NB: regular tutorial attendance remains mandatory and highly recommended. Students need to attend classes regularly, not only when they lead the tutorial. Students need to attend at least three tutorial classes (in addition to the first tutorial class) to get their full grade of tutorial contribution. Failure to do so will result in penalties to the tutorial contribution grade: a reduction of two marks, if attending only one tutorial class in addition to the led-tutorial; a reduction of four marks, if attending only the led tutorial.

Commentary: this is a piece of work due in week 7. It asks students to comment on one media output (written article or audio-visual resource) which covers an important theme discussed in the first five weeks of the course. The commentary should comment on the media output relying on the knowledge acquired in tutorial discussions and from weekly readings. It is intended to ensure students critically engage in class discussion and with the relevant scholarly literature. It requires students to the able to produce a piece of academic work which satisfy core criteria of academic writing. It also provides an opportunity for students to receive feedback on their analytical and writing skills. ILOs 1 & 3

Essay: this is the main piece of assessment of this course with submission at the end of the course (between week 12 and week 14). It asks students to demonstrate thorough knowledge of transformation processes in Central and South-eastern Europe after communism and the ability to analyse them applying relevant theories and concepts examined in lectures and tutorial discussions. The formative assessment, as well as the previous summative assessments (tutorial contribution and the commentary) will allow students to scaffold the essay. ILOs 1 & 2

This course aims to:

■ develop knowledge on the reasons for the collapse of the communist system and its legacies, in Central and South-East Europe

■ critically engage students with literature and media outputs in order to expose them to the complexities behind the process of political democratisation and economic privatisations with a focus on the relations within Central and South-East Europe, as well as between Central and South-East Europe and Western Europe during and after EU accession

■ examine and compare case studies from within the region to address the multi-faced nature of socio-economic transformations in the region since the 1990s, and how different social groups responded to them

■ analyse from different thematic and disciplinary perspectives the different and changing ways in which Central and South-East European countries at the local, regional, and national level, have shaped and have been shaped by processes of regional, continental and global transformations such as Brexit, crises (economic and financial crises, migration and refugee crises, and environmental crises), the rise of populism, and wars

By the end of this course students will be able to: 

1. demonstrate good knowledge of the political, social, economic transformation in Central and South-East Europe since the 1990s

2. identify and analyse with competence key differences and similarities in political and socio-economic developments since the 1990s among Central and South-Est European countries, utilising the appropriate concepts and theories

3. produce a reasoned and well-referenced commentary on key themes and concepts used in are study to analyse the transition from communism to liberal democracy in central and south-east region

4. identify and select relevant information from oral and written sources and communicate them in accessible language in both oral and written form

5. establish competency in group work 

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment and have regular tutorial attendance.