Bachelor
2023/2024
Political Regional Studies
Type:
Compulsory course (Political Science and World Politics)
Area of studies:
Political Science
When:
4 year, 1, 2 module
Mode of studies:
distance learning
Online hours:
10
Open to:
students of all HSE University campuses
Language:
English
ECTS credits:
5
Contact hours:
30
Course Syllabus
Abstract
Political Regional Studies is an advanced level course for undergraduate students devoted to the spatial dimension of political processes in nations. The course’s object is subnational units (regions) in modern states as well as interrelations between regions, national governments, and supranational structures. The particular attention will be payed to federations and federalism as well as the most important issues of decentralization. The course is taught through lectures and discussion groups (hereafter DGs). DGs are interactive and include discussions over the essential readings and assignments which should be completed at home.
Learning Objectives
- The main goal of this course is to introduce students to political regional studies, its basics and main characteristics
Expected Learning Outcomes
- Able to efficiently communicate based on the goals and communication situations
- Able to solve professional problems based on synthesis and analysis
- Work with information: find, define and use the information from different sources which required for solving of research and professional problems (including the system approach)
- Student is capable of retrieving, collecting, processing and analyzing information relevant for achieving goals in the professional field
Course Contents
- Introduction
- Territorial arrangements. Federations and their forming
- Federalism as unstable institutional structure
- Conditions for robust federalism
- Decentralization and its types. How to measure decentralization
- The ambiguity of causes and effects of decentralization
- Regional development and its strategies
- Subnational interests in the EU
- Subnational processes in China
- Territorial system in the USSR
- Territorial system in the Russian Federation
- Dynamics of the subnational regimes in Russia
- Subnational processes in the Middle East
Assessment Elements
- Discussion group activityStudents are expected to attend each seminar and regularly participate in discussions. The instructor grades the participation during the seminars based on the quality of answers, demonstration of engagement with the assigned readings and home tasks, and overall quantitative involvement in the in-class activities.
- EssayAt the last seminar of the first module the students will be provided with a list of themes to write an essay in the class. The themes will cover basic questions discussed in the classes. For instance, "Do you think that it is important to differ unitary states from the federal ones in the modern world?" or "Can we imagine federal system without democracy?"
- Exam
Bibliography
Recommended Core Bibliography
- Lijphart, A. (2012). Patterns of Democracy (Vol. 2nd ed). New Haven [Conn.]: Yale University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=474918
Recommended Additional Bibliography
- Filippov, M., Ordeshook, P. C., & Shvetsova, O. (2004). Designing Federalism : A Theory of Self-Sustainable Federal Institutions. New York: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=157922